The Secretary-General of United Nations has called on the international community to show solidarity with the people of Myanmar in a recent report.
The “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” was posted by UNOCHA covering the period from 15 August 2022 to 14 August 2023.
The UN chief urged the member states to create more opportunities for the voices of the most vulnerable to be heard, while the General Assembly and the Security Council remain important platforms to support Myanmar people who are vital in complementing the efforts of ASEAN to help resolve the crisis in Myanmar.
The report includes information on the brutal repression of Myanmar military, which reportedly committed sexual and gender-based violence, noting thousands of people, including children, have been killed since the coup in February 2021.
The report also said since February 2021, more than 64,000 Myanmar people have fled and remain outside the country, while over 1.6 million people have been internally displaced.
It also remarks that Myanmar military has failed to carry out meaningful action to address the root cause of the displacement of the Rohingya population who remain displaced domestically and abroad, including nearly 1 million Rohingya in Bangladesh.
The UN Secretary General said in his report that the organization will continue to stand in solidarity with Myanmar people and to support their democratic aspirations for an inclusive, peaceful and just society and the protection of all communities, including the Rohingya who have no access to civil and citizenship documentation. This is due to complicated and lengthy procedures, such as designating Rohingya as “Bengali”, leading them to face significant challenges in registering the births of their children and updating household lists, which affects their freedom of movement, access to services, school enrolment and civil and other key documentation, including with regard to housing, land and property.
The UN chief also emphasizes the dire living conditions of the 5.4 million affected population of Cyclone Mocha in Rakhine and north-west Myanmar, as the situation was worsened due to the restrictions of Myanmar military on the cyclone-related distribution and transportation plans of the United Nations and the temporary suspension of travel authorizations for humanitarian organizations in Rakhine.
He also urged the Myanmar military and all parties to the conflict to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians, and called for full cooperation with relevant mechanisms such as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, including providing access to Myanmar, witnesses, victims and crime scenes.
