Bangladesh is pursuing humanitarian diplomacy for the well being of the vulnerable people, including Rohingyas, across the world.
It has adopted a mixed strategy of humanitarian diplomacy combining bilateral and multilateral engagements.
“Bangladesh was born out of humanitarian crisis and we cannot be non-responsive to such crisis anywhere in the world,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told Bangla Tribune.
Rohingya crisis has increased the capacity of the government to handle humanitarian diplomacy and Bangladesh now maneuvers, not only at the UN bodies, but also with global players bilaterally, he said.
Humanitarian diplomacy is such an action in which a country reacts to humanitarian calls. Some countries including the US and Scandinavian countries pursue such diplomacy.
Nine months ago Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made a humanitarian call to resolve the Rohingya crisis, Foreign Secretary Haque said before adding that Bangladesh’s strategy now centres on the proposals she floated at the UN.
Since then, Bangladesh itself or through its allies are very active in the UN offices in New York and Geneva in pursuing humanitarian diplomacy.
A foreign ministry official, seeking anonymity, said conflicts across the world has increased to 11 in 2014 from 4 in 2007, which have left 65.5 million displaced.
“Humanitarian diplomacy is persuading decision makers to act at all times in the interest of vulnerable people and that’s why its concept is ambiguous, confusing and fluid,” he said.
Bangladesh opened the border for Rohingyas on a completely humanitarian ground, but there was a possibility it might have a negative impact on its national interest, he added.
“We are acting like a responsible and responsive nation and we believe that our humanitarian diplomacy will prevail at the end.”