UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar calls for creative solutions to Rohingya crisis

US diplomat Kelley E. Currie, who was appointed the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar in April, at a UN meeting on China's detention of Muslims in Xinjiang in 2019. (Credit: UN)

In her maiden public address since assuming the mandate on May 1 as U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Kelley E. Currie delivered a candid assessment of the Rohingya refugee crisis on Tuesday.

Speaking at a high-level side event at the 81st session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 22, Currie expressed gratitude to Bangladesh for accepting her request to conduct an official country visit in November to evaluate the situation in refugee camps housing over 1.2 million Rohingya.

Echoing previous speakers, she emphasized that “the conditions for safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return do not exist currently in Myanmar.”

Currie highlighted that resolving the long-standing Rohingya crisis requires addressing political dynamics far beyond Arakan State alone, warning that “it is not just the Naypyidaw-based authorities, but also other armed groups, including the Arakan Army, that are targeting the Rohingya people.”