Irrawaddy-Oct 3
The United Nations has failed to respond to the situation in Myanmar in a manner that reflects the gravity of the crisis caused by the military coup over the past two-and-a-half years, a group of former UN experts on Myanmar say in a new report. The Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M) said in the report released on Tuesday that UN member states, the Security Council and the General Assembly are failing to act. The UN Country Team (UNCT) is pursuing the same failed approach of appeasing the military despite growing risks and ever-fewer results, while UN Secretary-General António Guterres has neglected his responsibilities to the Myanmar people as head of the UN Secretariat, the report added. The junta has waged a campaign of atrocities against the civilian population in Myanmar that has left 2 million people internally displaced and up to 20 million in need of humanitarian assistance, it stated. Civil society groups have urged UN agencies as well as regional and international actors to cut ties with the junta; deliver humanitarian assistance directly to local humanitarian actors; and commit to meaningful engagement and collaboration with Myanmar’s legitimate stakeholders, including civil society organizations and local service providers. Among its recommendations, it said the UN Security Council must enforce the junta’s compliance with Resolution 2669—which calls for an immediate end to all forms of violence—by, among other things, imposing a comprehensive arms embargo and targeted financial sanctions on the junta. It also called for the council to refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/myanmars-crisis-the-world/expert-panel-issues-scathing-assessment-of-uns-handling-of-myanmar-crisis.html
