The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has passed a landmark resolution on Myanmar Wednesday, demanding the military government immediately end violence in the Southeast Asian nation and release all arbitrarily detained prisoners, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President Win Myint. The resolution was adopted with 12 votes in favor and three abstentions, from China, India, and the Russian Federation.
Resolution 2669, the Security Council's first on Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, also calls on the junta to immediately and concretely implement the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' five-point consensus and respect the democratic will of the people of Myanmar. The resolution includes numerous references to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which adopted a five-point consensus in April 2021 in response to the Myanmar military takeover.
In reiterating the necessity for full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, the UNSC underlined the need for scaled-up humanitarian assistance to all people in need in Myanmar and to ensure the full protection, safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel.
The Security Council also underscored the need to address the root causes of the crisis in Rakhine State and create the conditions necessary for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and internally displaced persons. It encouraged diplomatic efforts between the parties concerned to help address the issues facing the Rohingya, further stressed the importance of providing continued protection and assistance to refugees and displaced persons, and decided to remain seized of the matter.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the resolution. In a written statement released Wednesday, Blinken said adoption of the resolution is an important step by the UNSC.
âThe United States welcomes the UN Security Councilâs adoption of Resolution 2669 on Burma. This is an important step by the Security Council to address the crisis and end the Burma military regimeâs escalating repression and violence against civilians. It sends a strong message from the international community that the regime must end its violence across the country, release arbitrarily detained prisoners, allow unhindered humanitarian access, protect members of minority groups, and respect the will and democratic aspirations of the people of Burmaâ, Blinken said but added more needs to be done.
âWhile we applaud the adoption of this resolution, the Council still has much more work to do to advance a just solution to the crisis in Burma. The Security Council should leverage this opportunity to seek additional ways to promote a return to the path of democracy, advance accountability for the regimeâs actions, and support ASEANâs efforts to achieve meaningful implementation of the Five Point Consensus. We remain committed to working with the UN and our international partners, including ASEAN, to end the violence in Burma and seek a peaceful reconciliation to the crisisâ, the US Secretary of State said.
Also, in a statement Wednesday, Amnesty International cautiously welcomed âthe long-overdueâ UNSC resolution as âa small but important stepâ.
âWith the adoption of this resolution, the Security Council has finally taken a small but important step to acknowledge the dire situation in Myanmar. The Council must now follow up with regular open meetings and enforce its demands with additional resolutions under Chapter VIIâ, Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard said.
According to the international human rights organization, Resolution 2669 failed to include other measures urgently needed to address the situation in the country, including a comprehensive arms embargo, targeted sanctions against military leaders responsible for grave human rights violations, and a referral of the situation to the International Criminal Court.
âThe military authorities must abide by the resolution, immediately end the violence and release arbitrarily detained prisoners. The Council should further proceed to impose a comprehensive arms embargo, including on aviation fuel, and targeted sanctions against military leaders,â Callamard said.
Myanmar faces multiple overlapping humanitarian needs caused by genocide, persecution, protracted armed conflicts, human rights violations and inter-communal violence. Humanitarian needs in the country have continued to grow due to armed violence and political unrest since the military coup in February 2021. Ongoing fighting across Myanmar continues to endanger the lives, safety, and health of civilians. Heavy armed clashes, including airstrikes, artillery fire and ambushes are reported predominantly in the northwest and southeast of the country, as well as in Rakhine and southern Chin state.
For decades, the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority, have faced institutionalized discrimination in Myanmar, such as exclusion from citizenship. Since August 2017, ongoing conflict and violence in northern Rakhine state forced hundreds of thousands of people, mostly Rohingya, to flee Myanmar to Bangladesh. Most of the Rohingya refugees are living currently at the Kutupalong and Nayapara refugee camps in Bangladeshâs Coxâs Bazar region. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya people, living in Myanmarâs Rakhine State, are unable to move freely and are subject to government persecution and violence.
Further information
Full text: United Nations Security Council Resolution 2669 (S/RES/2669(2022)), adopted on December 21, 2022
https://undocs.org/S/RES/2669(2022)
Full text: UN Security Council Adopts Resolution on Burma, Press Statement, Antony J. Blinken, US Secretary of State, released December 21, 2022
https://www.state.gov/un-security-council-adopts-resolution-on-burma/
Myanmar: UN Security Council resolution a small but important step in addressing human rights crisis, Amnesty International statement, released December 21, 2022
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/12/un-security-council-myanmar-coup/