President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Peter Maurer will arrive here on June 30 to observe ICRC’s work in Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.
Before his arrival here, the ICRC president will also visit Myanmar to see situation in Rakhine State. The ICRC chief’s Myanmar and Bangladesh visit will begin on June 25 and leave Bangladesh on July 3. In Bangladesh, he will hold meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina apart from his meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, among others. Maurer will meet affected communities and hold meetings with representatives of the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments, the ICRC said on Thursday. Meetings in Myanmar will include Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President of Myanmar Win Myint.
An estimated 700,000 people left Myanmar for Bangladesh after the violence of August 2017 and many others in Rakhine have been displaced. Access to food, healthcare, education and the necessities of life has been difficult for everyone. “Humanitarian organisations are doing their best to alleviate the suffering in very difficult circumstances, as the monsoon season advances. But 10 months on, too many people are still suffering too much, despite all the talking and all the efforts,” said Peter Maurer. “While the emergency response continues, there must be urgent progress – from humanitarians, development actors, and the authorities – on building sustainable solutions,” he said. Maurer will also hold media briefings on both sides of the border.
