Davos: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Trk has announced that the UN fact-finding report on the atrocities committed during the July-August uprising is nearing completion and is expected to be released by mid-February. Trk shared this information during a meeting with Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Trk mentioned that the report would be provided to the Bangladesh side before its official release from the UN rights office in Geneva. Prof Yunus expressed gratitude to the UN rights office for its investigation into the crimes during the student-led uprising. He also noted that reports from six major independent reform commissions would be published around the same time, potentially complementing each other.
The chief adviser also sought Trk’s support in addressing the Rohingya crisis, which has intensified with the arrival of tens of thousands of new refugees from Myanmar. Trk assured his full support and mentioned ongoing discussions with relevant stakeholders, including UN special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop. Prof Yunus proposed the creation of a UN-overseen safe zone in Myanmar’s Rakhine state to prevent further Rohingya influxes.
Prof Yunus highlighted the upcoming high-level conference on the Rohingya crisis, emphasizing its potential to draw global attention to the humanitarian situation. Trk concurred on the importance of the conference in refocusing international attention on the crisis. The meeting was also attended by Lamiya Morshed, SDG Coordinator of the Bangladesh government, and Tareq Ariful Islam, Bangladesh’s Permanent Ambassador to Geneva.