UN Security Council calls on Myanmar to end excessive military force in Rakhine state
6 November 2017 – Strongly condemning the widespread violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, which has led to the
displacement of over 600,000 members of the country’s minority Muslim Rohingya community, the United Nations Security
Council on Monday called on the Government to end the use of excessive military force and intercommunal violence in the
region.
In a statement read out by Sebastiano Cardi of Italy, the President of the Security Council for the month of November,
the 15-member body also called on the Government “to restore civilian administration and apply the rule of law, and to
take immediate steps in accordance with [the Government’s] obligations and commitments to respect human rights,
including the rights of women, children, and persons belonging to vulnerable groups, without discrimination and
regardless of ethnicity, religion, or citizenship status.”
The Council also urged the Government to implement measures in line with its resolution 2106 (2013) to prevent and
respond to incidents of sexual violence, and encouraged it to work with the Special Representative on Sexual Violence in
Conflict.
The Council also expressed concern over severely limited humanitarian access to the affected parts of the region and
demanded that the Government ensure immediate, safe and unhindered access to UN and other humanitarian actors, and
ensure the safety and security of humanitarian personnel.
In the Presidential Statement, the Security Council also welcomed the Myanmar’s decision to establish a “Union
Enterprise Mechanism” and urged the Government to ensure that the Mechanism supported such return and allowed United
Nations agencies full access.
Further, welcoming the Government’s support for recommendations by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State and calling
for their full implementation, the Council stressed the importance of transparent investigations into allegations of
human rights abuses and violations, including sexual violence and abuse and violence against children, and of holding to
account all those responsible for such acts.
“In this regard, the Security Council calls upon the Government of Myanmar to cooperate with all relevant United Nations
bodies, mechanisms and instruments, in particular the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,” added the
Presidential Statement.
Also in the Statement, the Council commended the provision of humanitarian assistance and support for dialogue by
Bangladesh as well as other regional countries and organizations; and requested the Secretary-General to continue to
engage with the Myanmar through good offices.
It also encouraged the UN chief “to consider, as appropriate, appointing a Special Adviser on Myanmar.”
ends