Guterres’s visit refloats Rohingya issue, supplement reform agenda in Bangladesh

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres returned to his workplace wrapping up a four-day visit to Bangladesh with foreign relation analysts seeing it as a significant event when the South Asian nation passes a challenging time.

“Definitely the visit was important when Bangladesh is going through a transition, a challenging time with an election ahead, reform initiatives going on; and uncertainties over external factors like Rohingya crisis,” former diplomat Humayun Kabir told BSS.

He said under the circumstances if foreign friends stood by us at this critical situation it was always a good signal for the country.

“(And) who could be a better person other than the UN secretary General to be with us with his support for the transition and facing the crisis caused by external factors,” said Kabir, a former ambassador who now leads the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), a non-government think tank.

During the visit Guterres noted the “pivotal moment” the country is facing as it navigates a period of significant transition and reform as he met interim government Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus and other leaders.

The Secretary-General had also an extensive engagement on over a million of Rohingyas and took the opportunity to join them over an iftar with the Chief Adviser as his visit coincided with the holy month of Ramadan.

“During his visit to the Rohingya camps in southern Bangladesh, Mr. Guterres vowed to do everything in his power to prevent further hardship as drastic aid cuts threaten food supplies and other critical relief efforts,” the UN said in a statement at the end of his visit.

He also described the Rohingyas as “one of the most discriminated peoples” of the world expressing his concerns over the unfolding situation in Myanmar and caused by aid cuts for them saying the “(Aid) cuts are a crime” adding Western nations were now doubling up on defense spending while humanitarian aid is squeezed across the globe.

The UN Chief also “assures the people of Bangladesh that the United Nations stands ready to assist the country in fostering peace, national dialogue, trust and healing during this pivotal moment of political transition”.

Earlier on Friday the UN Secretary General himself expressed his full support for the reform process initiated by Bangladesh’s interim government.

“I want to express our total commitment to the reform process. We are here to support your reforms. We wish you all the best. Whatever we can do, let us know,” he told Professor Yunus during his hour-long meeting.

He expressed his hope the reforms would lead to a free and fair election and a “real transformation” of the country adding, “I know the process of reforms can be complex”.

Professor Yunus thanked the UN Secretary General for visiting the country at such a crucial time saying, “you couldn’t come at a better time. Your visit is timely not only for the Rohingya people but also for Bangladesh”.

Kabir and several other experts earlier said the UN secretary general decided to visit Bangladesh firstly to gauge the country’s political climate after the July-August Uprising and devise his plan to offer help with technical matters when it comes to the upcoming election.

According to experts the second reason was to focus on the Rohingya crisis as he visibly wanted to put in his efforts to raise humanitarian funds after US President Donald Trump shut down US aid for the world as Canada has announced aid for Bangladesh and according to Kabir Germany was a capable option.

But the unrest and civil war in Myanmar and its Rakhine state made his visit more significant as it posed a huge risk for Bangladesh as the country could see efforts of more Rohingyas to seek refuge here which “Bangladesh absolutely does not want”.

Kabir said the interim government announced it would hold an international conference on the Rohingya crisis later this year and the UN support was crucial in this regard while UN secretary general’s words carry weights.

“So his visit is an important moment for Bangladesh,” he said.