EU Statement – UN General Assembly: Briefing by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar

Mr President, Madam Special Envoy, The European Union and its Member States welcome this briefing, as mandated by resolution 79/182 on the “Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar” that was adopted by the General Assembly by consensus last December.  The EU is pleased to work together with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to put forward this important resolution. We first introduced this resolution jointly in 2018 in response to the atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, which forced over a million people to flee the country.  Since then, the situation in Myanmar has gone from bad to worse, particularly after the military coup in February 2021, and the violent repression that followed. As a result, the human rights situation has drastically deteriorated across the country, with escalation of violence and conflict that is affecting all minorities and communities.  Madam Special Envoy,  As you have outlined in your briefing, the situation has further deteriorated since you took office last year. The Myanmar military is continuing to inflict unbearable suffering on the people in Myanmar, through indiscriminate air strikes and burning of villages, killing and maiming of civilians, forced conscription – and the list goes on. The bombing of a school in Depayin township on 12 May is yet another gruesome illustration of this trend. The humanitarian situation in the country continues to be alarming – with some 22 million in...