ROHINGYA CRISIS
UN has failed, says Gowher
UNGA should be given
power to overrule veto
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT
The United Nations has failed with regard to the Rohingya crisis due to the geopolitical and bilateral interests of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) with veto powers, prime ministers international affairs adviser Gowher Rizvi said yesterday. Placing great emphasis on the reform of the global body, he described the five permanent members as totally unrepresentative and said that if the UN general assembly should be empowered to overrule the veto by permanent members to retain the legitimacy of the global body. He also noted
that the UNSC, though condemned the atrocities in Rakhine State by Myanmar security forces, failed to pass any resolution or failed to act due to matters related to geopolitics and bilateral interests.
The prime ministers adviser was addressing as chief guest at a commemorative seminar on International Day of Peace 2017 jointly organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Rotary International District 3281, Bangladesh at the BIISS auditorium. Although the day fell on September 21, the event could not be organised on that day due to the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
Presided over by Ramna rotary club president air commodore (retd) Isfaq Ilahi, the seminar was addressed, among others, by BIISS director general AKM Abdur Rahman, Rotary International District 3281 Bangladesh governor FH Arif and Abed Ullah of Shyamoli rotary club.
Lt gen (retd) Mainul Islam, former chief of general staff of Bangladesh army, made a presentation on United Nations Peacekeeping Operations at the event while Delwar Hossain, professor of international relations at Dhaka University, gave a presentation on Refugee Crisis and Threat to Peace at the seminar attended by academics, former and serving civil and military officials and members of diplomatic corps.
Rohingya crisis is the clear manifestation where the global body has failed, Adviser Rizvi said, adding that the world conscience has aroused due to ethnic cleansing, genocide and inhuman treatment of Rohingyas by the Myanmar security forces.
The world has condemned it. Even, the UNSC condemned it. But, they failed to take actions, he said.
P-5 is totally unrepresentative of people. And, members of the UNSC have their geopolitical and own interests. The reform of the UN is absolutely necessary, said the adviser, adding that the UNGA is representative.
And, he put forward a proposal that the UNGA should be given the power to overrule the veto by the permanent members.
Stressing the need for expansion of the UNSC to make it more representative, Rizvi said that without reform, even harder work will not bring any difference as the permanent members have their own interests.
He, however, advocated for the necessity of the existence of the global body, saying, The world is a much better place due to the UN. A world without UN is unimaginable.
On the ASEANs role, he mentioned that the majority of the population of the countries belonging to the group are Buddhists.
The adviser said that despite the governments efforts to develop a good bilateral relationship, Dhaka failed to open a direct dialogue with Myanmar.
Bilateralism is absolutely vital...But, we need to internationalise this, he added.
Rizvi further said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina may not be visiting Moscow, Delhi, Beijing, but she is working on telephone and through the countrys missions abroad.
We are mobilising. But, can we sustain? he said. The adviser laid emphasis on the pro-activeness of the foreign ministry to build up on the sympathy the country received from across the world on the issue.
