Bay of Bengal boat flow manageable with regional cooperation
Study presented at Bangkok special meeting outlines need for coordinated efforts to aid refugees attempting perilous sea crossing in search of safety in South-East Asia.
BANGKOK, Thailand, Dec 4 (UNHCR) - As the resumption of dangerous sea journeys in the Bay of Bengal looms, countries in the region today affirmed that the only way to reduce loss of life at sea is by working together on comprehensive and sustainable approaches to manage mixed migration movements.
Unless conditions improve in their home areas, more people are expected to cross the Bay of Bengal in the coming months, seeking safety and stability in countries in South-East Asia.
On Friday delegates from more than 20 countries and international organizations met in Bangkok for the 2nd Special Meeting on Irregular Migration in the Indian Ocean. They took stock of achievements since the previous meeting in late May - when some 5,000 Rohingya and Bangladeshis were eventually disembarked after weeks adrift at sea - in a bid to better prepare for future movements.
"With an unprecedented 60 million persons displaced today, it has become clear that forced displacement issues are a global phenomenon that no country can address or resolve on its own," said Volker Türk, the UN Refugee Agency's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection.
"The numbers we are seeing in this region can be managed and we welcome the regional approach," he added. "The fact that only 1,000 people have taken to boats since September offers an important window of opportunity to put those plans in place."
During the meeting, UNHCR, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shared a paper offering guidance to affected States on the immediate responses they could take when such movements resume.
The paper outlines the need for coordinated and enhanced search and rescue efforts, predictable disembarkation as well as harmonized reception and stay. It also stresses the importance of effective screening procedures to identify people in need of international protection and vulnerable groups like women, children and victims of trafficking.
"Until the refugees among them can return home in a safe, dignified and voluntary way, we will need a creative form of temporary refuge or alternative humanitarian stay that ensures access to health, education, work," said Türk. "Allowing them to work in labour-importing countries is a win-win: It gives them dignity and self-reliance, and eases the burden on host countries."
Opening the meeting, Thailand's Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai emphasized that solutions must run the gamut from prevention to cure and include the promotion of livelihood at home, safe migration, strict law enforcement, and temporary protection for those who have already left, pending more durable solutions.
UNHCR's Türk noted that on a recent visit to Myanmar's Rakhine state, he saw progress in seeking solutions for internally displaced people, but also heard "legitimate grievances" that remained to be addressed.
"The heart of the matter lies in ensuring a legal identity for all people on Myanmar's territory and the fundamental freedoms that must go with it, such as freedom of movement, non-discrimination, and access to services," he said. "We hope that the new Government will give this issue the attention it deserves, in light of the fact that the absence of these rights triggers displacement and has, as a result, international repercussions."
He added that the Sustainable Development Goals offer a framework for addressing root causes and ensuring that no one is left behind in health, education, work and legal identity, among other rights.
An estimated 95,000 people have made the dangerous journey in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea since 2014, with over 1,100 dying at sea and hundreds more found buried in unmarked mass graves.
By Vivian Tan in Bangkok, Thailand
Related news and stories
UNHCR statement on Bangladesh, Myanmar bilateral pilot project on Rohingya returns
UNHCR, partners seek $876m for Rohingya refugees facing 'chilling fog of uncertainty' and for Bangladeshi hosts
UNHCR seeks comprehensive regional response to address rise in deadly South-East Asia sea journeys
UNHCR welcomes Indonesia's act of humanity, saving desperate human lives adrift at sea
UNHCR urges States to act now to save lives in the Andaman Sea
UNHCR warns delays in rescue in Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca are costing human lives
Your search for « Rohingya » matched 1144 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 34 of 112 pages.
-
Cate Blanchett raises her voice for Rohingya refugees
29 Aug 2018 ... 0 There are no short cuts.There are no alternatives.We have failed the Rohingya before.Please, let us not fail them again. UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett addressed the UN Security Council in ...... -
UNHCR concerned at mounting civilian casualties and displacement in western Myanmar
27 Mar 2020 ... The latest displacement comes on top of more than 130,000 already displaced people in Rakhine State, most of whom are Rohingya, who have been displaced since 2012. The number of people affected by the ...... -
Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2023
Jun 2022 ... UNHCR PROJECTED 2023 NEEDS Cover photo: Bangladesh, January 2022. A group of Rohingya refugee children smiled at the camera while photographed. Some 18,000 Rohingya refugees have been relocated to ...... -
Clinic helps refugees and Bangladeshis in pain
6 Nov 2019 ... Physiotherapy helps Rohingya and Bangladeshi patients move in right direction Hazera has a medical ... She is also a grandmother and a Rohingya refugee. She fled Myanmar in 2017 with seven children, and ...... -
2017 donor impact report
23 Apr 2018 ... Contents 365 days together 4 Spotlight on: Bangladesh Rohingya Emergency 8 Key figures at a glance ... August Rohingya emergency Fresh violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state sends women, men and children ...... -
Cate Blanchett
... ... against time” to protect Rohingya refugees from the worst impacts of the upcoming monsoon season. In August 2018, to mark the first anniversary of the onset of the Rohingya emergency, Blanchett ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2009 (update) - Bangladesh
1 Dec 2008 ... Working environment The context Bangladesh has hosted Rohingya refugees from Myanmar’s Northern ... In addition, an estimated 200,000 spontaneously settled Rohingyas from Northern Rakhine State live ...... -
Drone footage shows new Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh (Roger Arnold, camera / Boris Weber, editor)
18 Oct 2017 ... -
Bangladesh: UNHCR's Grandi meets Rohingya in Bangladesh refugee camp (Michelle Hoffman, producer / Footage source: POOL/Reuters)
24 Sep 2017 ... 0...