Statement delivered Bangladesh delegation at the 3rd Committee of the 74th United Nations General Assembly on Agenda item 61: UNHCR General Discussion,
31 October 2019, UNHQs, New York
Mr. Chair,
My delegation thanks the High Commissioner for interactive dialogue yesterday after presenting his informative report. We have taken note of the High Commissioner’s focus on implementation of GCR to uphold the principle of responsibility and burden sharing as well as to increase support and resource mobilization to the host countries.
We welcome the adoption of the GCR in December last year. We underscored that all four objectives of the GCR should be implemented on equal footing. Bangladesh reaffirms its support to this effect.
Bangladesh underlines that all assistance and funding disbursed for humanitarian crisis should be separated from and additional to the regular development assistance and cooperation.
We continue to share concerns over prolongation of refugee situation due to shrinking of durable solutions including repatriation and resettlement. We also continue to underline that the global refugee scenario should not be seen from a one-sided perspective overemphasizing protection so that the centrality of sustainable solutions involving countries of origin is lost.
Bangladesh is hosting more than 1.1 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas which is seriously tolling on our socio-economic development. Regrettably, so far only 42% of this year’s Joint Response Plan has been met. International community must step up much needed support.
Two years have passed. On the other hand, the tripartite MoU has been renewed for the second year. However, conducive environment has still remained a far cry, and we know why. UNHCR’s role is critical in supporting Myanmar to create conducive environment in Rakhine for voluntary, safe and dignified return and, to this end, in ascertaining the voluntariness of prospective returnees.
We look forward to a more engaging involvement of UNHCR and other UN agencies under the oversight of the international community in creating the conductive situation that would allow the return and reintegration of the all refugees and displaced persons in northern Rakhine state in Myanmar as per the tripartite MoU.
Finally, we hope the Global Refugee Forums scheduled in December this year, would help to encourage collective efforts to promote durable solution including repatriation and resettlement underpinned in the GCR.
I thank you.