UN agencies and Myanmar ink agreement to lay groundwork for Rohingya return
Introduction:
A landmark agreement was signed on Wednesday which it is hoped will provide hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees with a pathway to return home to their communities in Myanmar, from camps in Bangladesh.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Government of Myanmar officially put their signatures on the document that will give these two UN entities access to Rakhine State.
The Rohingya have not been granted citizenship, or any official status in Myanmar, which was one of the driving factors behind the exodus of around 700,000 Rohingyas last August, fleeing violence amidst multiple human rights abuses.
In an exclusive interview with UN News ahead of the signing, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, Knut Ostby, told Elena Vapnitchnaia that the two most important conditions for their safe and voluntary return were citizenship rights and an end to violence.
A landmark agreement was signed on Wednesday which it is hoped will provide hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees with a pathway to return home to their communities in Myanmar, from camps in Bangladesh.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Government of Myanmar officially put their signatures on the document that will give these two UN entities access to Rakhine State.
In an exclusive interview with UN News ahead of the signing, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, Knut Ostby, told Elena Vapnitchnaia that the two most important conditions for their safe and voluntary return were citizenship rights and an end to violence.