Madame President,

I have the honor to present, on behalf of the European Union and jointly with the United Kingdom, the resolution A/HRC/S-29/L.1 on the human rights implications of the crisis in Myanmar The EU and the UK made a joint request for the Special Session, which was supported by 50 states from all regions.

The Human Rights Council’s mandate includes prevention of human rights violations. Given the deeply concerning human rights situation in Myanmar –that could deteriorate even further – it was important to convene the Council for this Special Session.

With this resolution, we would like to send a strong signal to the people of Myanmar: the protection of their human rights matter to us. The High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar have expressed grave concern on the situation in Myanmar following the removal of the civilian Government and the arbitrary detention of political leaders, human rights defenders, journalists, activists and others by the military and echoed the Secretary-General’s call for the military to respect the outcome of the elections.

The message to the Myanmar military is also clear: the military is bound by international human rights law, including the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression, and is to exercise utmost restraint and to refrain from any use of violence against peaceful protesters in respect of the rights of the people of Myanmar to protest peacefully.

The EU is following the developments closely, including the continuing impunity. Accountability for past and ongoing serious human rights violations
in Myanmar must be ensured.

Today we have heard reports from the Deputy High Commissioner as well as from the Special Rapporteur on the gravity of the situation.

To prevent an escalation of the human rights situation, we believe that the continued monitoring of the situation is necessary to shed light on the developments on the ground. Therefore, we are presenting a resolution that requests follow-up reporting to the Special Rapporteur and the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The resolution offers a balanced text that has been negotiated with delegations from all regions. In its work towards reaching a resolution agreeable to all, the EU and the UK have held one informal and conducted bilateral consultations. We warmly thank all delegations for their cooperation and constructive comments provided throughout the negotiation process.

We hope that all delegations can support the consensual adoption of this resolution.

Thank you, Madame President.