UN chief to join Iftar with 100,000 Rohingya in Cox's Bazar

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is set to arrive in Dhaka on Thursday for a four-day visit.

During his stay, he will visit Rohingya camps in Chattogram, where he will take part in an Iftar with 100,000 Rohingya refugees displaced from Myanmar.

Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus will also be present at the event.

In a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Wednesday, Chief Advsior's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder shared the details of Guterres' itinerary, bdnews24 reports.

He said the UN chief would arrive in Dhaka at 5pm, and his main activities would take place on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, he will meet the interim prime minister and Foreign Advisor Touhid Hossain. Azad added that later the same day, Guterres, along with Yunus, will visit the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar.

The chief advisor has a separate agenda in Cox's Bazar, where he will inaugurate a project at the Cox's Bazar Airport, visit a climate refugee centre, and open a model mosque.

Upon arrival in Cox's Bazar, the UN secretary-general will directly head to the Rohingya camps, where he will attend a campaign for Rohingya children and listen to a presentation on nutrition and support for the refugees.

He will then visit the Rohingya Cultural Centre to witness a cultural performance. In addition, he will inspect a learning centre in the area.

After these events, the UN chief will join the refugees for Iftar, with an estimated 100,000 Rohingya expected to attend.

"The Iftar is being organised by the chief advisor. It will be a unique experience for the Rohingya, offering them some relief amid their hardships," said the deputy press secretary.

Azad added that they would return from Cox's Bazar on the same day.

On Saturday, the UN secretary-general will spend a busy day in Dhaka, visiting the UN office and holding meetings with the National Consensus Commission and later with representatives of civil society.

He will hold a press conference that afternoon.

The next day, Saturday, the secretary-general will have a busy schedule.

Later, the chief advisor will host an Iftar and dinner in the UN chief's honour, and Guterres will attend.

On Sunday, he will depart from Bangladesh.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said at the briefing the UN secretary-general's visit would help attract global attention to the Rohingya issue.

"We hope this visit will open pathways for necessary financial assistance and progress for the Rohingya. Humanitarian aid has significantly decreased, and we hope Guterres' visit will play a role in securing this aid, especially nutrition assistance," he added.

According to the press secretary, nearly 15 million dollars in international aid is required monthly for the Rohingya, and efforts are under way to ensure these funds are sustained.

The UN is set to host an international conference on the Rohingya issue in September, co-sponsored by Finland and Malaysia, with hopes for a swift resolution of the crisis.