United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees : Study
As per the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), over 4,500 Rohingya refugees set off across the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in 2023.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees protects refugees worldwide and facilitates their return home or resettlement. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
- It was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1950 in the aftermath of the Second World War to help the millions of people who had lost their homes.
- It is a global organization dedicated to saving lives, protecting rights and building a better future for people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution.
- It was awarded Nobel Peace Prizes in 1954 and 1981.
- It started Nansen Refugee Award in 1954 for recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless people.
- Rohingya refugees are a Muslim minority ethnic group with their roots in the Arakan kingdom in Myanmar.
- According to the Council on Foreign Relations notes that Rohang derives from the word ‘Arakan’ in the Rohingya dialect and ga or gya means from.
- They are culturally and religiously distinct from the majority Buddhist population in Myanmar and speak a Bengali dialect which is different from the common Burmese language.
- Myanmar has refused to recognise them as an ethnic group, denying them citizenship since 1982.
