Ms Christine Schraner Burgener, the UN Special Envoy for Myanmar, has visited the country this week, where she met with senior government officials and travelled to affected areas in Rakhine State. Burgener, who was appointed to the role by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in April, was taken to a facility built by the government that it says will house refugees returning from Bangladesh. Although Myanmar has said it is ready to accept returnees, the UN says the situation on the ground is not conducive to returns taking place, citing a lack of security. Burgener also met with senior figures of the Arakan National Party, who disputed the amount of people who fled an army crackdown in northern Rakhine State last year. The visit came shortly after Myanmar signed a Memorandum of Understanding with two UN agencies last week regarding the repatriation process. However, refugees in Bangladesh have criticized the agreement, saying it lacks transparency. Burgener is a Swiss diplomat with more than 25 years’ experience, including six years as her country’s ambassador to Thailand. Her husband served as a Swiss ambassador to Myanmar.