Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the safe and voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

We are clear that the repatriation process for Rohingya refugees must be safe, voluntary and dignified, and meet international humanitarian principles and standards. We agree with the UN Refugee Agency that conditions for such repatriation do not yet exist in Rakhine State, Myanmar. We have pressed and continue to press the Government of Myanmar for full implementation of the Kofi Annan Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations to create the conditions for the safe and voluntary returns of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar.

A recent escalation of violence in Rakhine State between the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine separatist group, and the Myanmar military is a further barrier to returns. An end to the fighting will be important to de-escalate tensions and create space for progress on the conditions for returns. The UK has recently announced further funding to the crisis, bringing our total commitment to the response in Bangladesh since August 2017 to £256 million, and making us the second largest donor to the 2019 international Joint Response Plan. We welcome Bangladesh’s continued commitment to the principle of voluntary, safe and dignified returns and encourage the Government of Myanmar to pursue the dialogue it started with Rohingya refugees in July 2019.