The forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims is referred to by some as the world’s fastest growing humanitarian crisis. Since August 2017, over 688,000 Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine province of Myanmar have fled to Bangladesh to escape ethnic cleansing. In, Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist nation, Rohingya Muslims are a persecuted religious minority. The Myanmar military is responsible for a plethora of serious humanitarian crimes against the Rohingya people, including mass killings, sexual violence against women and girls, and arson. While satellite images of burning Rohingya villages provide evidence of these crimes, the Myanmar military denies fighting any Rohingya civilians, claiming to only fight militants. These attacks are not recent; the Rohingya population in Myanmar has faced discrimination and oppression for decades. The Rohingyaare deprived of citizenship under Myanmar’s 1982 Citizenship Law and also lack employment opportunities and access to basic healthcare. Additionally, the lack of healthcare has been fatal for many Rohingya, especially for pregnant women (Htusan, 2014). Rohingyawere excluded from the 2014 census, as the Myanmar government refused to count them as people. With almost one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh facing a lack of food, shelter, proper sanitation, and healthcare, it is clear that this humanitarian crisis cannot be ignored by the international community.
Luxembourg recognizes the need to guarantee religious freedom to observers of all faiths, minorities included. Luxembourg prohibits all discrimination on grounds of religion, ethnicity, color, or personal beliefs. While the majority of Luxembourg’s population is mainly comprised of Roman Catholics, the Luxembourg 2016 International Religious Freedom Report estimates that there are also approximately 10,000 Protestants and 10,000 Muslims, as well as Anglicans and Jews. Luxembourg’s constitution explicitly guarantees the freedom to practice any religion and form one’s own opinions regarding religion. Luxembourg is strongly in favor of religious freedom and is party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) adopted by the UN General Assembly. Luxembourg emphasizes Article 18 of the ICCPR, which recognizes the freedom to adopt and practice any religion of one’s choice, whether in public or private (OHCHR). Other signatories of the ICCPR include Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Acknowledging the need to resolve the Rohingya humanitarian crisis and establish religious freedom in Myanmar, Luxembourg would look favorably on a resolution to improve conditions of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Luxembourg has already pledged to donate €750,000 in aid and €200,000 for humanitarian logistics to alleviate the Rohingya crisis (2017). Luxembourg works with the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs to organize aid. Luxembourg also contributes annually to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to ensure aid is sent to those in need both rapidly and effectively. Luxembourg encourages countries who are able to contribute funding that would funnel resources to Rohingya camps in Bangladesh. Camps are built on difficult terrain, and refugees lack access to safe drinking water, food, proper sanitation, and healthcare. The international community must work together to build more latrines and improve sanitation in refugee camps to prevent the spread of disease. Furthermore, airlifts can be utilized to provide food and essential supplies to the Rohingya refugees. Eight refugee sites in Bangladesh are currently occupied by over 242,000 people who rely on these resources to live. The aforementioned efforts can help sustain refugees until the conflict in Myanmar can be peacefully resolved.
Luxembourg also strongly encourages a resolution which would seek to encourage diplomatic negotiations between the Rohingya people and the Myanmar government. It is vital to mitigate humanitarian crimes against the Rohingya and safely reintegrate the Rohingya people into society. Luxembourg proposes that peaceful negotiations between the two parties could help cease the conflict in Myanmar. This crucial step would pave the way for the international community to send humanitarian aid to the Rohingya population in Myanmar and to pave a pathway to citizenship for the Rohingya.
Luxembourg stresses that the outlined proposals and steps are taken to resolve issues concerning the displacement of Rohingya population from Myanmar. In order to prevent future infringement of religious freedom, international cooperation in providing resources and pushing diplomatic negotiations is necessary. Not only will they help resolve the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, but they will also play a vital role in promoting religious freedom in countries like Syria and Yemen.
Works Cited
Htusan, E. (2014, May 08). Lack of health care deadly for Burma's Rohingya. Retrieved March
12, 2018, from
014/05/08/ac5a9ae8-d6e6-11e3-8a78-8fe50322a72c_story.html?utm_term=.21a742cb6621
Luxembourg humanitarian aid to Bangladesh and Myanmar. (2017, October 26). Retrieved March
12, 2018, from
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