(Geneva, 4 July 2025)
The 59th session of the Human Rights Council adopted the draft resolution on Myanmar contained in document no. A/HRC/59/L.21 (as orally revised) on 4 July 2025 without a vote. Myanmar opposes the country-specific resolution tabled by Pakistan on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) for breaching the principles of impartiality, objectivity, non-selectivity, and non-politicization.
Although the sponsors of the resolution created several duplicated mechanisms against Myanmar, they neither acknowledge nor scrutinize the root causes of the incidents in northern Rakhine State. The armed terrorist group, namely Aqua Mul Mujahidin (aka ARSA) attacked dozens of police outposts and stations, and a military battalion headquarters in 2016 and 2017, resulting in the unjustified killings of several hundred innocent people, including members of Rakhine, Hindu, and Muslim communities. On the other hand, the resolution also fails to acknowledge ARSA’s brutal killings, threats, and different forms of violence committed against displaced Bengalis in camps on the Bangladesh side. It demonstrates that the resolution does not aim at resolving the issue in a fair and balanced manner but rather at seeking to impose political pressure on Myanmar to meet irrational demands.
The resolution makes such demands based on fabricated reports and sweeping allegations that can be found in numerous paragraphs of the text. For instance, it ignores the fact that between February 2021 and May 2025, the Government facilitated travel access for UN agencies and international organizations over 1,500 times, as well as more than 308 visits by the embassies to various parts of Myanmar for humanitarian assistance. Myanmar granted entry visas to over 90 UN and affiliated personnel following the devastating earthquake on 28 March 2025. Myanmar further recalls that UN General Assembly Resolution 46/182 states that humanitarian assistance should be provided with the consent of the affected country and, in principle, on the basis of an appeal by the affected country.
Provoked attacks by the AA terrorist group hinder the repatriation process. The Government reiterates its readiness to receive all verified returnees if and when security conditions allow, in line with bilateral instruments. As of 31 May 2025, the Myanmar immigration authorities have verified the data of 274,093 individuals and identified 194,175 displaced persons as former residents of Rakhine State. The detailed findings of them have already been communicated to Bangladesh.
While the country has been granting citizenship status to eligible persons under the 1982 Myanmar Citizenship Law, Myanmar reiterates that it does not recognize the invented term “Rohingya” as it has never existed in legal and historical records of the country. In Myanmar, there are no restrictions on citizens’ participation in the political process or governance structure, regardless of their religions and ethnicities. Since enacting laws fall within the domestic jurisdiction of a Sovereign State, Myanmar cannot accept the dictating elements contained in the resolution.
The resolution has invented three reports, one oral update, and three Interactive Dialogues with the High Commissioner, and these Interactive Dialogues will be combined as Enhanced Interactive Dialogues together with the so-called Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar from September 2026 until September 2027. Meanwhile, the Council will continue to include two Interactive Dialogues in every session in the form of an Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on Myanmar, and it highlights the level of politicization against Myanmar under the pretext of human rights.
In addition, Myanmar is dismayed to note that the resolution urges expansion of the so-called mandate of the Office of the High Commissioner, which does not simply exist, and that of the so-called IIMM. The current three mechanisms against Myanmar at the Council, namely the so-called IIMM, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, have wasted over 20 million USD every year. In times of liquidity crisis and its severe impact on well-accepted human rights mechanisms such as the Universal Periodic Review and Treaty Bodies, the most meaningful option for the Council to improve its efficiency is to discontinue highly politicized and costly country-specific mandates, including on Myanmar.
Due to the above reasons, as well as its consistent opposition against country-specific resolutions, Myanmar categorically rejects the whole resolution contained in A/HRC/59/L.21 (as orally revised) and dissociates itself from its adoption.
Permanent Mission of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Geneva
4 July 2025