The Rohingya crisis has been a prominent one since the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh in 2017. However, with other national and global crises cropping up over the last few years, it is proving to be an exceedingly difficult task for our country to continue hosting over 1.1 million refugees.
The Bangladeshi government's repeated attempts -- to both reach an agreement with Myanmar, and to appeal to the international community for support in regards to the safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya refugees -- have sadly been futile till date.
However, the recent Rohingya resolution adopted by the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly offers a glimmer of hope. Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the European Union (EU) jointly tabled the resolution on Wednesday, and unanimously agreed upon the urgency to address Myanmar's shameful mistreatment of the Rohingya community and other minorities.
This is encouraging news, as a lack of collective efforts from international powers so far has prolonged the strain on our country, and allowed Myanmar to evade accountability towards its people.
Nevertheless, the resolution does not guarantee that the Rohingya repatriation process will be sped up; it is merely the first step of many that need to be taken in order to ensure that a safe environment is created by the Myanmar government for the Rohingya refugees to return to.
Bangladesh's efforts to accommodate the refugees exhibit a level of magnanimity that the rest of the world has failed to show so far, and while this has been recognized and appreciated worldwide, it is time the international community takes action to share the burden that isn't ours to bear.
The UN and humanitarian aid organizations have a significant role to play in this regard, and it is of utmost importance that the resolution is translated to immediate action.
With the necessary support from the international community, the perpetrators of the crimes committed against the Rohingya community can finally be brought to justice. We must treat this crisis with the urgency it demands, and see to it that the refugees can finally, and safely, return home.