Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday urged Qatar to mount pressure on Myanmar to start the Rohingya repatriation process and sought its proactive role in engaging OIC countries to raise more funds for the refugees.
"Qatar can use its good offices to put pressure on Myanmar for starting the repatriation of Rohingya people without any further delay," Yunus said while addressing a high-level roundtable titled "Social and Environmental Challenges Around Forcibly Displaced Populations – The Case of the Rohingya" on the second day of his tour to Qatar.
The meeting was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Doha in the morning.
In his speech, Yunus said that given the renewed international geopolitical and geostrategic scenario, Qatar could strongly express its solidarity in resolving the issue and be proactive in engaging OIC countries to raise more funds and impose pressure on the international community to advocate for the repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Recalling Qatar’s role in supporting the Rohingyas, the chief adviser said the country was among the first to provide immediate assistance and support after the outbreak of the Rohingya crisis in 2017.
Qatar also took strong diplomatic positions on the Rohingya issue in various international forums, he said, adding that the amir of Qatar made several bold statements in this regard.
On September 19, 2017, during the opening session of the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), Qatar Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani called upon the Myanmar government and the international community to assume their legal and moral responsibilities to take necessary measures to stop the violence against the Rohingya minority.
The amir also called for ensuring protection for the Rohingyas, repatriating the displaced to their homeland, preventing sectarian or ethnic discrimination against them, and guaranteeing their full legitimate rights as citizens.
In his address, Yunus highlighted that Qatar Charity provides a wide range of humanitarian aid to the Rohingya refugees in the camps of Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char in Bangladesh, reaching more than 234,313 refugees.
The assistance from Qatar includes medical supplies, such as emergency medical tests and essential medicines; school supplies like bags, uniforms, toys, and benches; cooking gas cylinders to reduce environmental damage; and 326 shelters in Cox's Bazar.
Qatar Charity (QC) also launched an agricultural "Livelihood" project in Bhasan Char in June 2023, he said.
The chief adviser noted that Qatar initiated the provision of LPG gas cylinders for Rohingya families.
QC has provided LPG cylinders benefiting 23,000 refugees, he said, adding that such initiatives help protect the environment from further degradation.
"Therefore, Qatar may provide more LPG facilities for the Rohingya community," he said.
Yunus mentioned that on December 9, Bangladesh National Security Adviser and High Representative for Rohingya and Priority Affairs Dr Khalilur Rahman met with the minister of state for foreign affairs of Qatar, Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi, in Doha.
During the meeting, he said, the high representative called for Qatar's robust cooperation in ensuring the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar and noted that resolving the crisis requires attention and concerted efforts from the global community.
In response, Dr Khulaifi assured broad cooperation from Qatar and reiterated the country’s commitment to addressing the plight of the Rohingyas, emphasizing the nation's focus on their humanitarian needs and shared faith, Yunus said.
Foreign Adviser Md Touhid Hossain, National Security Adviser Khalilur Rahman, Energy Adviser Muhammad Fouzul Kabir Khan, Principal Coordinator on SDG Affairs Lamiya Morshed, and Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, among others, attended the meeting.
Qatar Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sheikha Hind bint Hamad Al Thani, sister of the amir of Qatar and host of the Earthna Summit, also joined the high-level roundtable.
