The UN Refugee Agency on Thursday said it is extremely difficult to set a timeline when the conducive environment for the return of Rohingyas will be created.
The UNHCR called on the international community to continue its support to Bangladesh and the humanitarian response while, in parallel, working with the Myanmar government to support Myanmar to create the conditions conducive to sustainable return, reports UNB.
"It's extremely difficult to set a timeline (when the conducive environment for Rohingya return will be created). There're too many factors," UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T Clements told reporters at a media interaction in a city hotel in the evening.
Clements, who concluded a four-day visit to Bangladesh, praised continued generosity of Bangladesh, encouraged international solidarity for solutions.
She highlighted the importance of UNHCR and partner agencies continued work with refugees in Bangladesh to help them develop skills and capacities which will in the future support their return and reintegration into Myanmar.
While in Cox’s Bazar, Clements met local officials to discuss the ongoing operational response and opportunities to further aid Bangladeshi communities generously hosting refugees.
She also met groups of refugees, including women and youths, to discuss their hopes and aspirations for the future and ways UNHCR could further support them.
In Dhaka, Clements met senior officials from the Ministries for Foreign Affairs and Disaster Management and Relief, and the Prime Minister’s Office, thanking them for Bangladesh’s continued generosity.
Going into 2020, she highlighted UNHCR’s strong continued commitment to supporting Bangladesh’s leadership for the humanitarian response, the need to ensure the necessary operational space for all partners, as well as the UN’s readiness to continue to constructively engage with the government on Bhasan Char.
They also discussed the need for significant and parallel efforts in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, and Clements pledged UNHCR’s continued efforts to support the government of Myanmar and other relevant actors to secure solutions for refugees and create conditions conducive for sustainable returns.
