The assistant secretary of the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration, Julieta Valls Noyes, will arrive in Bangladesh today to discuss a pilot scheme for resettlement of a small group of Rohingyas in the US and humanitarian assistance for them.
During her about a weeklong visit, she will hold meetings with the PMO Principal Secretary Ahmad Kaikaus, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen, senior officials of the disaster management ministry and the Rohingya Repatriation and Rehabilitation Commissioner (RRRC).
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Noyes will also visit the Rohingya camp in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char, foreign ministry officials told The Daily Star.
Earlier, the US proposed names of more than 50 Rohingyas for resettlement in the US, which may be discussed during her meetings.
"Nothing is final yet," an official said.
On August 25, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said as an essential component of an international, comprehensive humanitarian response, they were working to significantly increase the resettlement of Rohingya refugees from the region, including from Bangladesh.
According to a state department report submitted to the Congress on Proposed Refugee Admissions for Fiscal Year 2022, more than 9,000 Rohingya refugees have resettled in the US over the past decade, primarily from Malaysia.
According to Nay Say Lwin, co-founder of the Free Rohingya Coalition (FRC), Canada and Europe have resettled only about 2,500 Rohingyas.
International relations analysts say resettling such a small number of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, which is sheltering more than a million Rohingyas, is not going to help Bangladesh in anyway.
In that case, there is a possibility that Rohingyas in Bangladesh will be eager to prolong their stay, hoping to be listed for resettlement.
If the US and other countries resettle a large numbers of Rohingyas, it can be helpful for Bangladesh in a true sense, a foreign ministry official said.
During Noyes's meetings, Bangladesh will be seeking funding for the Rohingyas as it seems to be declining amid many other global crises.
