Various UN agencies are ready to commence assessments in 23 villages in Myanmar Rakhine State where violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority took place, Babor Baloch, the UNHCR spokesman said Friday
GENEVA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th September, 2018) Various UN agencies are ready to commence assessments in 23 villages in Myanmar Rakhine State where violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority took place, Babor Baloch, the UNHCR spokesman said Friday.
"Three months after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between UNHCR, UNDP, and the Government of Myanmar, UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and UNDP... stand ready to commence assessment activities in 23 villages," Baloch told reporters.
Baloch added that the assessment was only initial and would be a starting point for larger scale comprehensive activities. The spokesman added that progress on other points of the Memorandum still needed to occur.
"Substantial progress, however, remains urgently needed in three key areas covered by the MOU: granting effective access in Rakhine State; ensuring freedom of movement for all communities; and addressing the root causes of the crisis, including a clear pathway to citizenship for all those who are eligible," Baloch said.
Myanmar's Rakhine state has witnessed mass killings and atrocities against the Rohingya since August 2017. According to UN Human Rights Council, "gross human rights violations" happened in the region while State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi failed to use her position as de facto head of government to stem or prevent the violence against civilian populations.
