HRC62 - EU General Comment - Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar

UN Human Rights Council 

62nd Session – Item 2
Resolution L. 20 – General Comment

Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar

EU General Comment

Mister President, 

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU member states that are members of the Council. This General comment has been agreed by the EU as a whole. 

We thank the OIC for presenting L.20 on the Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. 

The EU remains gravely alarmed by the situation in Myanmar. Human rights violations and abuses against the Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar persist. As the OHCHR reported, air strikes by the Myanmar military remain the single largest cause of destruction and suffering. The holding of elections by the Myanmar military, which were neither free nor fair, only intensified violence. 

The EU welcomes the draft resolution’s strong condemnation of atrocities and its call for the cessation of violence by all parties. .

We acknowledge improvements in this year’s text. we regret that the resolution does not include language on halting arms transfers to Myanmar, despite repeated calls by the High Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur. We are convinced that L.20 should have better reflected the responsibility of the Myanmar military for the overwhelming majority of human rights violations and abuses, and violations of IHL.

The EU recognizes and supports Bangladesh's efforts in accommodating over one million Rohingya refugees. Conditions for their safe, voluntary, dignified, and sustainable return to Myanmar, which includes unfettered humanitarian access to Rakhine State and meaningful progress in addressing the root causes of the crisis, are not in place – this, too, could have been clearer in L.20. 

Mister President, 

We would like to warmly thank the penholders for their constructive approach in the negotiations. In particular, we welcome the OIC’s efforts towards the rationalization of the work of this Council on the situation in Myanmar, while ensuring it remains a priority for this Council. 

All victims of violence and repression in Myanmar, including Rohingya and other ethnic or religious minorities, deserve a resolute message from this Council, assuring them of our support, our commitment to justice and our determination to hold perpetrators accountable.

With these considerations, we can join consensus on this resolution.