GENEVA, Aug. 23 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Tuesday appealed for much greater efforts to secure both financial support and solutions for the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim stateless minority in Myanmar, as this week marks five years since more than 700,000 Rohingya people fled Myanmar for Bangladesh.
According to the UNHCR, almost one million Rohingya refugees live in Bangladesh today, most of them in Cox's Bazar, the world's largest refugee camp.
UNHCR spokesperson Shabia Mantoo told a press briefing here on Tuesday that many Rohingya refugees now want to return home to Myanmar so long as conditions for safe, dignified and sustainable returns are met.
"For the almost one million stateless Rohingya refugees, conditions in Bangladesh are extremely overcrowded, and they remain fully reliant on humanitarian assistance for their survival," Mantoo said.
The spokesperson cited relevant humanitarian assessment surveys as showing that the most commonly unmet needs include proper nutrition, shelter materials, sanitation facilities and livelihood opportunities.
"The UNHCR is also appealing for further investment from the international community to ensure Rohingya refugees can benefit from skills development, including vocational training and other forms of capacity-building for adolescent and adult refugees," Mantoo said.
"Together, the international community must do more to ensure that the Rohingya do not continue to languish in displacement and redouble efforts for increased political dialogue and diplomatic engagement to create conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return," she said. ■
