Not a good time for Rohingya repatriation: Gwyn Lewis
Diplomatic Correspondent
UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka, Gwyn Lewis, on Sunday said the situation inside Myanmar is very difficult and it is not a good time for Rohingya repatriation.
She was speaking to reporters after her meeting with Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The UNRC said repatriation is a priority for Bangladesh, and Rohingyas as well as Bangladesh have agreed on their safe and dignified return to Myanmar.
In the meeting, they discussed financing issues for the Rohingyas and security issues both inside Myanmar and Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.
"We have a shortage of financing," she said.
Earlier, the United Nations called for solidarity and increased funding for the Rohingyas and their host communities in Cox's Bazar.
"The refugees need our solidarity, and the host communities need our solidarity. We need increased funding for all of that," Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a regular media briefing in New York recently.
He said no refugee should be repatriated against their will.
It needs to be done voluntarily and in a manner that preserves their dignity and their safety, said the spokesperson.
"It is clear for us that the situation in Myanmar currently does not meet the necessary requirements. What we do need is increased global solidarity for those communities that are hosting Rohingya refugees generously, like the community in Cox's Bazar, which the Secretary-General has visited," Dujarric said.
