President of the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Volkan Bozkir on Wednesday said the General Assembly has not forgotten the Rohingya people.
"To the people I met, I will uphold my promise to share your stories back in New York," he tweeted after visiting Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar district.
The UNGA President said, "I came face to face with resilience today in Cox’s Bazar. We often speak about the Rohingya in UNGA - but today I spoke with them."
Read: Rohingyas rights to return, citizenship must be respected: UNGA President
Earlier on Tuesday, he said basic rights, including to citizenship, and the creation of conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of all Rohingyas must be respected.
“The safety and security of the Rohingya and other minorities must be secured,” he said while delivering his keynote speech at the Sixth Lecture of the Bangabandhu Lecture Series at Foreign Service Academy.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen also spoke at the programme titled “Bangabandhu, Bangladesh and the United Nations.”
State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, among others, were present.
Bozkir said he firmly believes they cannot speak on these issues from afar. “The United Nations must continue to reach out to the people we serve.”
Turning to the issue of human rights and humanitarian action, he commended Bangladesh for offering shelter and protection to the Rohingya fleeing persecution and unspeakable crimes in Rakhine State.
Bozkir mentioned that Bangladesh stepped up at a moment of crisis to uphold the principles of the United Nations when most vulnerable neighbours endured their darkest hour.
“Please allow me, on behalf of the United Nations General Assembly, to thank you. History will define your actions as heroic,” he said.
Read: Bhasan Char to become another example to world: UNGA President
