The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
U.N. and Myanmar sign deal to resettle Rohingya refugees
Last week, the United Nations inked a deal with the government of Myanmar to begin the long process of resettling some of the 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled their homes for neighboring Bangladesh after a brutal military campaign last year.
The Burmese government promoted the agreement as proof that it is doing right by the Rohingya, a persecuted minority that is denied citizenship rights and freedom of movement in Myanmar. The United Nations has celebrated it as a major first step that would help secure the future of the Rohingya in Myanmar, also called Burma.
But no outside observers are able to verify the claims: The agreement has been kept unusually secret.
The three parties that signed the memorandum of understanding— the U.N. refugee agency, or UNHCR; the U.N. Development Program; and the Burmese government — have declined to make the text of the agreement available to thosewho have asked to see it, including journalists, other U.N. officials and U.N. donor countries such as the United States.
NGOs, including Refugees International, have urged that the text be made public and warned in a statement that “conditions for R oh ing ya in Myanmar remain appalling,” referring to Burma by its official name. A statement from about two dozen Rohingya organizations across the world also raised concerns about keeping the text secret.
“All previous records showed that the UN agencies, including UNHCR as the agent of the interest of the international community, could not provide adequate protection to the Rohingya returnees due to obstinacy of the Myanmar government,” the groups said. “We are intrinsically aware of the false promises of the Myanmar authorities who are characterized by cheating and brutality.”
A Western diplomat closely following the negotiations said the United Nations has withheld the text of the agreement at the request of
the Burmese government and called the lack of transparency “problematic.” The diplomat, who was not authorized to discuss the issue publicly, spoke on the condition of anonymity. A spokesman for the Burmese government could not be reached for comment.
In response to questions from The Washington Post, Knut Ostby, the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, said the UNHCR, UNDP and Myanmar’s government are in “discussion about publicly releasing the contents of the MoU.”
“Such a decision would require consent of all three parties,” he added.
Ostby said in an interview before the signing of the agreement lastweek that both sides eventually agreed that the Rohingya need to have “an identity and need to exist as normal people.”
He also said that the agreement specifies that the Rohingya need to be able to live in safety and be provided basic services, including access to work and shelter. “We have requested and agreed that there should be a clear and predictable pathway to citizenship,” Ostby said.