Bangladesh Urges the Security Council to Demonstrate Unity in Addressing Rohingya crisis

“Almost six years have passed since the Rohingya minorities were expelled from their ancestral land in Myanmar. The Security Council took no effective action to remedy the situation. Rather the Council has remained a mute witness to its continued deterioration,”- said Ambassador Muhammad Abdul Muhith, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York, while speaking today at the Security Council open debate on “Futureproofing Trust for Sustaining Peace” held at the United Nations Headquarters.

Referring to the growing mistrust between people and global institutions, Ambassador Muhith urged the Security Council to demonstrate unity and decisiveness in addressing visible threats to peace and protecting the most vulnerable, such as, the Rohingya minorities.

“In order to build trust, the Council must reverse the course of inactions,” he added.

In his statement, Permanent Representative Muhith referred to the critical role of peacekeepers in building trust among communities and called for strengthening the peacebuilding mandates of the peacekeeping missions. He also called upon the Council to leverage the UN Peacebuilding Commission's (PBC) complementary role in addressing non-traditional security threats, such as climate change. “As the Chair of the PBC for two terms, Bangladesh made sincere efforts to unbind the potentials of the Commission,” added the Ambassador.

He also stressed the importance of full equality, and meaningful participation of women in building sustainable peace. He emphasized promoting the Women's Peace and Security agenda in broader peace and security contexts, including in addressing climate change, disaster risk reduction, and humanitarian action.

Switzerland convened the open debate to the security council as a signature event of its first-ever presidency. The Foreign Minister of Switzerland, Ignazio Cassis, chaired the meeting.