UN Special Rapporteur Kelly E. Currie on Myanmar Arrives in Bangladesh Today
United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar Kelly E. Currie is arriving in Bangladesh today, Wednesday (November 11), to assess the worsening human rights situation in Myanmar and its impact on the ground.
During her eight-day visit, she will review the situation in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the ongoing armed conflict in the country and the condition of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. She will stay in Bangladesh until November 18.
The United Nations announced the visit in a press release on Tuesday (November 10).
According to the press release, the visit will focus mainly on recent developments in Rakhine State, the impact of the ongoing conflict in Myanmar, the humanitarian crisis facing Rohingya refugees and possible areas of future cooperation.
Before the visit, Kelly E. Currie had formally requested permission to visit Myanmar. However, the country’s ruling military government informed her that it was not ready to arrange her visit at this time.
As a result, she is visiting Bangladesh to gather information about the situation inside Myanmar and the impact of the conflict.
During her stay in Bangladesh, the UN special rapporteur will meet government officials, civil society representatives, human rights activists, victims and survivors of human rights abuses.
In these meetings, she will listen to their experiences and views on the conflict in Myanmar, human rights violations and the resulting humanitarian crisis.
Her schedule includes several meetings in Dhaka and visits to Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.
During the camp visits, she is expected to learn about the living conditions, security, humanitarian assistance and the lack of a suitable environment for the safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.
It may be mentioned that in 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to escape military attacks in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Many Rohingya refugees had already been living in Bangladesh before that.
Since then, Bangladesh has been providing shelter, food, medical care, security and other humanitarian support to a large number of people from this community.
Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict in Myanmar and the unstable situation in Rakhine have made the safe return of Rohingya refugees even more difficult.
On the final day of her visit, November 18, Currie will hold a press conference to share her observations and initial assessment.
Based on the information, testimonies and experiences collected during her visit to Bangladesh, Kelly E. Currie will present her next report to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2027.
