The ICJ today joined other NGOs in calling for the UN Human Rights Council to extend the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar.
The letter sets out observations and recommendations for the extension, and concludes:
“Our organizations believe that as long as ongoing and systemic human rights issues have not been addressed by the Government of Myanmar, the Human Rights Council should maintain its ability to monitor the human rights situation in the country, work with the country’s authorities on a concrete reform agenda, and work towards the establishment of an OHCHR country office with a full mandate. Acting under its agenda item 4, the Council should therefore, at a minimum, extend the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, request her to report on benchmarks needed for systemic change, and continue to review the situation of human rights in the country. Any failure on the part of the Council in this regard may seriously compromise and derail what has been achieved so far since the beginning of the reform process in 2010.”
The full text of the joint open letter can be accessed here (pdf): Myanmar-UN-Advocacy-OpenLetter-2015-ENG