UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has renewed his appeal to “strengthen regional protection” efforts, to provide access to conflict-affected communities and further support to host countries, including through the 2024 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis in Bangladesh. 

The Secretary-General calls on all parties to the conflict in Myanmar to end the violence and ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with applicable international human rights standards and international humanitarian law, said his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric in a statement on the seventh anniversary of the displacement of Rohingya people and other communities from Myanmar.

25 August marks seven years since the forced mass displacement of Rohingya people and other communities from Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Over 1.3 million Rohingya are presently sheltering in Bangladesh and over 130,000 more across the region without immediate prospects for return. 

“The dire security and humanitarian situation with ongoing access challenges has exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities of the people of Myanmar, including the Rohingya, who continue to face discrimination and persecution as the armed conflict escalates in Rakhine State,” Dujarric said. 

The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar is engaging all stakeholders, including regional actors, to move towards an inclusive Myanmar-led process for sustainable peace and national reconciliation that are important steps to create conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of the Rohingya people to Myanmar, he said.