EC granted access to UNHCR’s Rohingya database

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has granted Bangladesh’s Election Commission (EC) access to its database of registered Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar.

ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the EC’s National Identity Registration Wing (NIDW) wing, made the announcement following a meeting with UNHCR representatives at the EC headquarters in Agargaon on Wednesday.

Officials from both UNHCR’s Geneva office and its Cox’s Bazar operations were present at the discussions.

“We have been trying for a long time to obtain the Rohingya data maintained by UNHCR. The Bangladesh government has been making efforts since 2018,” Kabir said after the meeting.

A memorandum of understanding has already been signed between Bangladesh and the UN refugee agency regarding the exchange of information, he added.

“In this context, UNHCR has agreed to share Rohingya data with us. Today’s discussion was preliminary, focusing on how the data will be shared and utilised.”

The Rohingya crisis escalated in August 2017, when hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State following a military crackdown widely condemned as ethnic cleansing.

Within months, more than 750,000 Rohingyas had crossed into Bangladesh, joining an estimated 400,000 refugees already sheltering in makeshift camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf.

To facilitate potential repatriation efforts, Bangladesh launched a biometric registration initiative, and by 2018, more than one million Rohingya had been registered.

ELECTION COMMISSION TO RETAIN DATA

According to Kabir, the database of over one million Rohingya refugees will be housed within the EC, with the foreign ministry having agreed to the arrangement.

“The decision has been finalised—this data will remain with the EC,” he said, though he noted that further discussions would be held on the specifics of access and usage.

TECHNICAL TEAM TO OVERSEE IMPLEMENTATION

To streamline the process, a three-party technical team—comprising representatives from the EC, the foreign ministry, and UNHCR—has been established.

Mohammad Ashraf Hossain, the EC’s NID wing system manager, will coordinate the team, which also includes an assistant secretary from the foreign ministry and a UNHCR representative.

Kabir indicated that the team’s first meeting is scheduled for next week.

“Once we have the data, we will be able to use it for our work. I have told them our urgency,” he said.

PERKS OF FINGERPRINT VERIFICATION

The EC maintains biometric records for more than 123.7 million registered voters, with efforts to update the database and add five million new voters in progress.

“The elections are approaching, and voter registration is ongoing. Rohingya people are spread out in different places, attempting to obtain NIDs and passports. The sooner we get this data, the better,” Kabir said.

“If a fingerprint matches, we'll know the person is a Rohingya. If it does not, we can be sure they're not,” Kabir explained.

The implications extend beyond elections, he added, pointing to the passport issuance process, which relies on NID verification.

“If we can clean up the NID system and ensure that no Rohingya individuals are included, it'll also help passport authorities. That was part of what we discussed today.”