Statement of Bangladesh delegation at the General discussion under the agenda item 66: UNHCR [Dialogue with UNHCR], Third Committee, 73rd UNGA,
31 October 2018, New York
Mr. Chairman,
My delegation thanks the High Commissioner for his informative report. We take note of the lessons learned from the national and regional application of CRRP. We also note the expectations set out from the implementation of the Global Compact on Refugees. Bangladesh reaffirms its support to this effect.
We appreciate UNHCR’s mobilization of efforts in support of more than a million of refugees and forcibly displaced persons from Myanmar’s Rakhine State in Bangladesh. The latest meeting of the Joint Working Group between Bangladesh and Myanmar this week reaffirmed the decision to commence voluntary repatriation of individuals verified by Myanmar at an early date. UNHCR’s role would be critical in ascertaining the voluntariness among prospective returnees. We would seek the High Commissioner’s views on the situation conductive to return in Rakhine State following the reported initial assessment conducted by UNDP and UNHCR in 23 villages.
We continue to share concerns over the disproportionate burden and responsibility for refugees shared by poorer countries. Shrinking of resettlement spaces is also a concern. We are interested in the ongoing work on developing a methodology for measuring and mapping donor and host country contributions based on empirical evidence. As a country hosting a protracted refugee situation, we had long recognised the need for such a metric. We would request the High Commission to elaborate how the new Division on Resilience and Solutions would help address inequities in burden sharing and persistent funding gaps.
I thank you.