UN: Signing of MoU with Myanmar a necessary step before Rohingya repatriation

The decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between United Nations (UN) agencies and Myanmar is being seen as a first and necessary step since "conditions are not yet conducive" for return of Rohingyas, says the UN.

UN agencies and Myanmar have agreed on a framework that will hopefully lead to the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, but only if their "voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable" return from camps in Bangladesh can be guaranteed, according to UN news centre.

Since August last year, some 700,000 Rohingya, majority of them Muslims, fled Rakhine State in Buddhist majority Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape the Myanmar army's crackdown on the Rohingyas.

The agreement - reached by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Government of Myanmar - will be officially signed within a week or so with the exact date yet to be confirmed, the UN says.

Under the agreement, UNHCR and UNDP will be given access to Rakhine State, including the refugees' places of origin and potential new settlement areas.

UN has been unable to access Rakhine state since the violence escalated last August.

The access, once effective, will allow UNHCR to assess local conditions and help the refugees to make informed decisions on voluntary return.

The agreement will also allow the two UN agencies to carry out needs assessments in affected communities and strengthen the capacity of local authorities to support the voluntary repatriation process.

The Advisory Commission on Rakhine State - a neutral and impartial body composed of six local experts and three international experts, chaired by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan - has proposed concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State.

Its recommendations include establishing a clear and voluntary pathway to citizenship and ensuring freedom of movement for all people there, irrespective of religion, ethnicity or citizenship status.

Meanwhile, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is helping Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar to prepare for the oncoming monsoon season, according to the UN news centre.

Items such as radios, megaphones, first aid kits, stretchers, protective clothing, warning flags and sirens are being distributed to more than 500 Rohingya emergency volunteers in the largest camps there.

With most of the refugees forced to live on steep and sandy slopes in low-lying hills, surveys by IOM and other agencies have found that around 200,000 people will be in serious danger from landslides and serious flooding when monsoon arrives.