EU Statement – UN General Assembly 3rd Committee: Interactive dialogue on human rights in Myanmar

Chair,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report and thank the speakers for their presentations.

We reiterate our deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in Myanmar and strongly condemn the ongoing violence and grave human rights violations and abuses. The Myanmar military bears the overwhelming responsibility for the crisis and not even the March devastating earthquake made it stop its aerial attacks on civilians, including schools, clinics and displacement camps. 

Myanmar must return to a truly pluralist and sincerely inclusive democratic path, respecting the will and aspirations of its people who continue to demonstrate remarkable courage and resilience. We express our grave concern about the stated intention of the Myanmar military to hold elections, that can be neither free nor fair under the current conditions and which risk deepening division and violence. 

Since 2017, the EU together with our partners in OIC, has led a joint resolution on the “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”. Our priority for this year is to reflect in the text these concerning developments.

Restricted humanitarian access continues to exacerbate suffering and risks pushing persons in vulnerable situations toward famine and malnutrition, including in Rakhine State. We strongly call on all parties to immediately grant full, safe, and unhindered access for humanitarian actors to deliver life-saving assistance. 

We commend Bangladesh’s generosity in providing shelter and safety to over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees and other minorities. We reaffirm our support for the United Nations and ASEAN’s efforts in seeking a peaceful solution, and we encourage the full and effective implementation of the Five-Point Consensus. Close coordination among all relevant actors remains essential to achieving a peaceful and democratic future for Myanmar. We also echo the Special Rapporteur’s call for coordinated international action to isolate the junta and deny it the resources – money, weapons, and legitimacy.

We urge for justice, accountability, and the full implementation of UNSC resolution 2669. We commend the work of the IIMM, ICC and ICJ in pursuing accountability for atrocity crimes.

Mr. Special Rapporteur, 

Q1: could you elaborate on your recommendation to ensure access to education and livelihoods for refugees?

Q2: in areas outside the control of the military, where local administrations are exercising authority, have you observed emerging practices of accountability mechanisms that could serve as inspiration for other areas in Myanmar? If yes, how can the international community best support these practices? 

I thank you, Chair.