Daily Times

A conference of foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) started at the Parliament House in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on March 22. This year, the conference was held under the theme, “Building Cooperation for Unity, Justice and Development.” The conference was very important to address some common problems for the Muslim world.

At the beginning of the conference, the Foreign Minister of Pakistan Shah Mahmood Qureshi welcomed the OIC foreign ministers to the conference. “The OIC is the collective voice of 200 million Muslims around the world,” he said. It is a bridge between the Muslim nations as well as the world community with the Muslim world. Foreign ministers from 46 countries of the 57-member bloc took part in the conference. Delegations from other countries were being led by senior foreign affairs officials from those countries. The conference discussed the that the Muslim world is currently facing.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan delivered the inaugural address of the conference. He highlighted Pakistan’s role in the OIC. At the same time, the Pakistani Prime Minister talked about the challenges facing the Muslim world. Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi also addressed the gathering.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Rohingya refugee crisis is a crisis not only for Bangladesh and Myanmar but also for the whole Muslim world.

Unity amongst the member states is essential to compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas.

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen participated on behalf of Bangladesh. He said that the sustainable solution to the Rohingya issues lies in their repatriation. Bangladesh cannot bear the immense socio-economic and environmental costs by hosting millions of refugees for an indefinite period. Therefore, these people must be repatriated to their origin in Rakhine State, he said during his speech on the open-ended Meeting of the OIC Ad Hoc Ministerial Committee on Accountability for Human Rights Violations against the Rohingyas. The meeting was convened on the sidelines of the 48th session.

Because of it being a major crisis in the Muslim world, members of the OIC should be concerned about the Rohingya refugees. The Muslim world must remember and consider Rohingyas are also one of the persecuted Muslim communities in the world like Palestinians etc.

Foreign Secretary Momen, in his statement, reiterated the importance of repatriation of the Rohingyas to avoid a transnational socio-economic catastrophe due to millions of Rohingyas, especially thousands of juveniles and youths, becoming apprehensive of there being no hope for their future. While thanking the Gambia and the OIC for the kind support for the legal action, he called for keeping the momentum going to provide justice to Rohingyas. He also called for strong solidarity from the member states by contributing voluntarily to meet the expenses of the case.

Turkey committed to contributing $2,00,000 to the fund. The members of the ad-hoc committee praised Bangladesh for hosting this large number of refugees over the years and even bringing them under the Covid vaccine program. But Bangladesh faces some mighty challenges. The member states must help Bangladesh resolve the Rohingya crisis.

The OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha stressed that the Rohingya case was one of the top priorities on the OIC’s agenda, one that the organization has been following for over two decades. OIC must be committed to resolving the crisis as soon as possible. Unity on the issue amongst the member states is essential to compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas.

In comments to mark the outcomes of the ad hoc Ministerial Committee on the Accountability for Myanmar over Human Rights Violations against Rohingya, he stated that the committee’s meeting was held at a critical time amid important developments related to the case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice.

As the Chinese foreign minister attended the conference, the OIC members states can seek assistance from China to help solve the Rohingya refugee crisis because China has warm relations with Myanmar.

He pointed out that this case sends a strong message to the international community about the OIC’s collective and coordinated work to support the Rohingya people, as well as its firm commitment to global ideals and principles of justice and accountability for human rights violations. The situation of the Rohingya has not improved despite the efforts and calls of the OIC and the international community, the Secretary-General noted.

He pointed out that Myanmar continues to turn a blind eye to the horrific violations against the Rohingya’s rights and did not fulfil its international obligations to create an environment for willful, safe, sustainable, and dignified return of the Rohingya to their homeland.

Moreover, the OIC Secretary-General praised the pivotal role of Gambia, in its capacity as chair of the committee, in leading the organization’s efforts on the international stage to ensure that Myanmar is held accountable for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya Muslims. He also commended Bangladesh for hosting and sheltering over a million Rohingya refugees.

Meanwhile, ever since Bangladesh welcomed the 1.2 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, she has been paying the price of her generosity. Despite many diplomatic efforts, the repatriation of Rohingya people has been lingering for quite some time. OIC must engage with Bangladesh. OIC members must try to compel Myanmar to repatriate the Rohingyas as Rohingyas must have birthrights in their original birthplace. Intensifying pressure as much as possible on Myanmar must be ensured by the OIC member states. The solidarity of all members is very essential to address this common problem.

According to some media reports, with the backing of OIC, Gambia, an OIC member, volunteered to file a case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the alleged genocide of the Rohingya in November 2019. On January 23, 2020, the ICJ unanimously passed a resolution on the protection of Rohingya refugees, preventing acts of genocide and killings. On the other hand, OIC countries commenced their fund-raising campaign in December 2020 and could donate $1.2 million to Bangladesh. All in all, OIC’s support in resolving the crisis has been commendable.

Apparently, OIC has contributed a lot but there is still a long way to go. In recent times, the Rohingya refugee crisis and repatriation are not getting much attention as the focus shifted to other issues, such as the Ukraine war. The OIC must make sure that the Rohingya crisis never loses attention on international agencies. Don’t let Bangladesh bear the burden of Rohingyas alone.

Bangladesh has always been an obedient member of the OIC and promptly responded to any resolution. As pledged, the OIC should show solidarity with Bangladesh to help solve the humanitarian crisis of the Muslim world.

The writer is a freelance columnist.