Dhaka: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday urged UNHCR special envoy and superstar Angelina Jolie to organise a mega event in Hollywood engaging her other colleagues in an effort to mobilise public opinion worldwide highlighting the plights and rights of Rohingya people, reports the UNB.

‘I proposed her to organise a mega event in Hollywood to create public opinion for Rohingyas as she is a big voice,’ he told reporters after his meeting with Jolie at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Foreign Minister referred her to the ‘Concert for Bangladesh of George Harrison’ held in New York in 1971 that had created huge public opinion in favour of Bangladesh War of Liberation. 

Bangladesh is now hosting nearly 1.3 million Rohingyas. The majority of Rohingyas—more than 620,000 people—live in just one area: Kutupalong, the largest refugee settlement anywhere in the world today.

The Hollywood megastar arrived here on Monday morning and visited Rohingya camps to assess their needs.

The Foreign Minister said Jolie wants the safe return of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State. 

Famous Hollywood actress Jolie on Tuesday urged the Myanmar authorities to show the genuine commitment to end the cycle of violence, displacement, and improve the conditions for all communities in Rakhine State, including Rohingyas.

‘While UNHCR is ready to support efforts to improve conditions, there has been very little progress on the ground. The Rohingya cannot return to Myanmar at this time,’ she said at a media briefing at Kutupalong Rohingya camp.

Until Rohingyas can return, Jolie said, they have a collective responsibility to ensure that they can live a dignified life here in Bangladesh.

Jolie said Bangladesh is a generous country rich in culture and history, but with limited resources, and it cannot be left to shoulder the responsibility of hosting Rohingyas alone.

‘So, I urge the international community to continue to provide the humanitarian aid necessary to meet the needs of the refugees and support the communities so generously hosting them,’ she said.

The special envoy was scheduled to conclude her Bangladesh visit after holding official meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday evening.

During the meetings so far, she discussed how UNHCR can best support the current response led by the Bangladesh government, along with the need for safe and sustainable solutions to the plight of one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

Her visit came just before the launch of a new appeal for the humanitarian situation in Bangladesh—the 2019 Joint Response Plan—which seeks to raise some $920 million to continue meeting the basic needs of Rohingyas and the communities hosting them. 

Bangladesh has been heavily affected by the influx of more than 730,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar since August 2017 and now hosts nearly a million refugees, said the UN refugee agency.