43rd Human Rights Council Session-High Level Segment
27 February 2020, Salle XX, Palais des Nations
Item 2: Interactive Dialogue on the High Commissioner’s Report on Rohingya and other minorities in Myanmar (res. 39/2)
Speaking time: 1 min. 30 sec.
Thank you, Madam President.
We thank the High Commissioner for the report which acknowledged Myanmar’s efforts in consolidating democratic reforms and pursuing a comprehensive peace and development agenda amidst complex challenges including terrorism and local conflicts.
We acknowledge the cooperation of Myanmar with the UN and its facilitation of the tenth visit by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar to the country including to the Rakhine State.
Based on these first-hand field visits, the Special Envoy noted the commitments made and concrete steps taken to address the root causes of violence and discrimination. The High Commissioner’s report should have been enriched by this perspective from the Special Envoy as well as the recent report of the ICOE whose fact-finding work was also based on authoritative first-hand information from affected communities.
We welcome the Myanmar government’s concurrence with the recommendations of the ICOE, and its formation of an investigation and prosecution team to address crimes committed in the Rakhine state. We reiterate our position that domestic accountability processes should be allowed to run their course. In this regard, we strongly support the call of the Special Envoy for international and regional support for these domestic efforts.
We encourage the Special Envoy to continue promoting coherence in the principled and constructive work of the UN system on Myanmar. This is fully in line with the High Commissioner and the Secretary General’s call for collaborative actions that will lead to enduring and meaningful changes on the ground.
Thank you, Madam President.