By Matters India Reporter
Dhaka, May 17, 2019: North South University (NSU), Dhaka, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is going to organize an international conference on “Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh: Challenges and Sustainable Solutions” on July 27-28.
The conference seeks to find a sustainable solution to Rohingya crisis that affecting the humanity, said Dr. Md. Mahmudur Rahman Bhuiyan, co-convener of the conference.
The various sub-themes will be covered such as peace rebuilding and conflict resolution, national and regional security, forced displacement and human rights, socio-cultural problems and dimensions, economic impacts, physical and mental health issues of Rohingya people, environmental impacts and remedy, legal issues associated with Refugee crisis, Rohingya language, literature, and culture, Rohingya identity and historical perspectives and gender and vulnerability.
The conference will be bring various stakeholders such as academicians, researchers, policy makers, development agencies and students in order to debate and discuss in an open critical discourse of various facets of Rohingya Crisis in Bangladesh said M Jashim Uddin, Assistant Professor and co-convener of the conference.
The Center for Peace Studies, the Department of Political Science and Sociology, and South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance of NSU are working the details of the conference.
The influx of a large number of Rohingya populations into Bangladesh over last few years has become a critical concern for both the host and international communities. Many of the incidents of forced displacement and migration remain under-explored or understudied, leaving searches for sustainable solutions to those issues at a dearth, according to the programme information.
The multifarious issues associated with the Rohingya influx into Bangladesh such as social, cultural, political, legal, health and environment require a comprehensive understanding to develop a durable solution for overcoming the crisis.
From both humanitarian and national security perspectives, it is imperative that if the on-going mechanisms function properly, the displaced Rohingya people would get their rights back. The rights do not necessarily mean only the repatriation of those who have been displaced but also ensuring their citizenship rights and living in their land with all fundamental rights and dignity.
On the other hand, Bangladesh has been bearing a heavy burden of a huge Rohingya population. In such a context, the questions remain: How long will these displaced and stateless people stay in their temporary shelters in Bangladesh? What are the prospects of a safe repatriation of Rohingya people? Will Myanmar take them back and give their rights and allow them to live with dignity? How significant is the local and global response to this crisis? Does the Rohingya crisis pose a direct threat to national and regional security? What are the socioeconomic challenges both host and the Rohingya communities face in the shelter areas? What types of health hazards may arise in the Rohingya camps? How vulnerable are the women and children in these camps? What are the environmental impacts in the camp areas? How can the on-going peacekeeping and peace building efforts lead to a durable conflict resolution?
In order to develop sustainable solutions to the Rohingya displacement crisis, both the intellectual and the development community need to find answers to the above questions. At present, it is evident that an immediate solution is far from a reality, as the repatriation of the dislocated Rohingya population to Myanmar has not been forthcoming.
Considering this uncertainty, both the host and Rohingya communities may face further complex situations, where some of the options may not be effective at all. Therefore, a rigorous and comprehensive analysis of all the facets of the Rohingya crisis is essential in order to find a practical solution before it is too late.