The world community needs to turn its “words and rhetoric” into “actions” for a sustainable solution, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said underlining the urgency to resolve the Rohingya refugees issue at the same time warning that the delay would have “consequences” beyond her country’s borders and could “jeopardize” the collective security as refugees remain “prone” to extremists ideologies. 

“We need to go beyond words and rhetoric to have tangible actions to reach the desired outcome which is also the cherished desire of the Rohingyas,” Hasina was quoted as saying by The Daily Star newspaper. “Bangladesh will continue to work with all until this solution comes," she said, as frustration grows over lack of progress. 

The remark came when PM Hasina was addressing a high-level side event on "Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingya) Crisis: Imperatives for a Sustainable Solution" in New York on Wednesday. The event was organized by Bangladesh and co-sponsored by UK, Ireland, Turkey, Saudi Arabia.

Over a million Rohingya refugees have been living in camps situated in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazaar and Bhasan Char after they were driven out from the Rakhine State of neighboring Myanmar in 2017.

Among the proposals she put forward in the meet are “tangible actions and projects by the UN in Myanmar to create an environment conducive to repatriation,” and "finding a solution to the current crisis in Myanmar with ASEAN playing a lead role". 

Reminding the world of the efforts Dhaka has put in finding a “dignified solution”, Hasina said their hopes remained "unfulfilled" as not a single one of them could manage to go back. 

"We are now in the fifth year of the crisis. Yet, we still hold the hope for a durable solution to this crisis," she added.

Calling Bangladesh's international friends and development partners to support its efforts in this regard, Hasina said, “Resolving this humanitarian crisis is a collective responsibility as its implication goes beyond borders. Delaying this crucial problem jeopardizes our collective security."

Underlining the threat of growing radicalization and extremist ideologies among the refugees, she said, “We must act now and with real urgency,” adding that Bangladesh has taken care of these people well even in challenging times like Covid-19 with its limited land and material resources. 

Earlier this week, the United States announced an additional $180 million funding for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. 

(SAM)