London 12 September 2022: The Myanmar Accountability Project, MAP, has called on the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to accept the credentials of the incumbent Ambassador of the National Unity Government (NUG), Kyaw Moe Tun. In a report published today, MAP also calls on the UN to resolve the chaotic situation of Myanmar’s representation across the UN system.

Speaking on the eve of the 77^th session of the UNGA this week in New York, Chris Gunness, Director of MAP said, “the Assembly must explicitly accept Kyaw Moe Tun’s credentials as the NUG’s Ambassador, rather than defer its decision, as it did last year.”

Gunness said “the deferral has led to massive inconsistencies across the UN system. In the International Court of Justice, the junta’s agents are representing Myanmar, in the Human Rights Council (HRC) and other UN bodies Myanmar’s seat has been left empty, whereas at the UNGA in New York the NUG represents Myanmar. Clearly,” said Gunness, “the NUG, elected by a landslide, should be able to represent Myanmar across the UN system because of democratic legitimacy and its human rights record.”

“For the seat to be left empty in the HRC when the country is going through one if its most severe human rights crises since independence is a disgrace,” he added.

Over two thousand people have been killed since the failed coup in February last year, according to conservative estimates, 15,000 have been detained or have disappeared, 1.2 million people have been displaced and over 14 million are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

MAP’s Director of Protection, Damian Lilly, said “the weak signal sent by the UNGA has also led to anomalies on the ground in Myanmar. Although the UNGA has clearly rejected the junta’s credentials, at least four UN agencies (FAO, IMO, Unicef, UNOCHA) have very publicly presented papers to the junta – in breach of the UN’s principles of engagement which require its agencies to distance themselves from the junta. It has rightly led to outrage among the UN’s civil society partners who feel the world body has abandoned them in their time of need.”

“The United Kingdom, as the penholder on Myanmar at the UN Security Council, is failing some 55 million people in Myanmar whose democratic choice must be respected across the UN system. By not tabling a resolution for the Security Council to take firm action against the murderous junta it is only allowing it to act further with impunity and commit crimes against its own people.”

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