To:

United Nations Secretary-General
United Nations General Assembly

Open letter: Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest signal urgent need for investigation and complete end of mandate

17 March 2025

We—the undersigned 290 Myanmar, regional, and international civil society organizations—call on United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres to urgently open an investigation into conflicts of interest over the business activities of UN Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Julie Bishop and make the findings public. We also call on the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to immediately end the mandate of the Special Envoy, and on the Secretary-General to assume a leadership role in addressing the crisis in Myanmar directly.

We are alarmed by the Special Envoy’s business activities and connections to the mining industry and Chinese state-owned companies with possible or confirmed commercial interests in Myanmar, including Shenghe Resources and China Communications Construction Company. Her involvement with Chinese state-owned companies raises serious concerns about the impartiality and independence required to engage with China as the Special Envoy on Myanmar. Such conflicts of interest actively endanger the human rights of the Myanmar people as China remains a top source of military support and false legitimacy for the illegal military junta. The Chinese government is evidently aiding and abetting the junta’s ongoing crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Myanmar people.

The UN’s response thus far is wholly unacceptable. As the appointing authority, the UN Secretary-General bears a significant responsibility to the people of Myanmar to ensure the integrity and impartiality of the Special Envoy. That the UN would allow the Special Envoy tasked with addressing the Myanmar crisis to continue given such blatant commercial interests that jeopardize the lives of the people of Myanmar, is unconscionable.

The Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest are the latest reminder that the UN’s decades of peace-brokering attempts through special envoys and “dialogues” have produced absolutely no meaningful, positive change for the people of Myanmar. Instead, this ongoing approach continues to embolden the junta to commit atrocity crimes with complete impunity and harm the people of Myanmar. Given the outdated and ineffectual mandate, civil society organizations have previously called for the UN to abolish the position. The UN must transform its destructive approach into principled, ethical, and concerted efforts that fully respect the human rights of the Myanmar people and support their collective will to dismantle military tyranny.

This moment must finally mark the end of the UN’s relegation of responsibility on the crisis in Myanmar. We urge the UNGA to immediately revoke the mandate of the Special Envoy, particularly given the current Special Envoy’s conflicts of interest that jeopardize the lives of the Myanmar people.

We call on the Secretary-General to immediately open an investigation regarding these conflicts of interest and publish the findings. The Secretary-General must urgently take the lead to end the military junta’s terror campaign, ensure accountability for the perpetrators under international law, and robustly support the Myanmar people’s revolution to build sustainable peace and an inclusive federal democracy.

For more information, please contact:

• Mulan, Blood Money Campaign; [email protected]
• Naw Aung, Defend Myanmar Democracy; [email protected]
• Naw Cherry, Karen Peace Support Network; [email protected]
• Khin Ohmar, Progressive Voice; [email protected]

Signed by 290 civil society organizations, including 41 organizations that have chosen not to disclose their names:

1. 5/ of Zaya State Strike
2. 8888 Generation (New Zealand)
3. A-Yar-Taw People Strike
4. Action Committee for Democracy Development (ACDD)
5. Action Committee of Basic Education Students (ACBES)
6. Ah Nah Podcast – Conversations with Myanmar
7. All Arakan Students’ & Youths’ Congress – AASYC
8. All Aung Myay Thar San Schools Strike Force
9. All Burma Democratic Front in New Zealand
10. All Burma Federation of Student Unions (Monywa District)
11. Alliance of Students’ Union – Yangon (ASU-Yangon)
12. Anti-Junta Alliance Yangon – AJAY
13. Anti-junta Forces Coordination Committee (Mandalay)
14. Arakan Youth Peace Network – AYPN
15. Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA)
16. Asian Health Institute (AHI)
17. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP)
18. Association of Human Rights Defenders and Promoters (HRDP)
19. Association Suisse-Birmanie
20. Athan—Freedom of Expression Activist Organization
21. Auckland Kachin Community NZ
22. Auckland Zomi Community
23. Aung San Suu Kyi Park Norway
24. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation (AWDO), Nagphe
25. Ayeyarwaddy West Development Organisation (AWDO), Magway
26. Ayeyawady Youth Network (AYN)
27. Basic Education General Strike Committee (BEGSC)
28. Basic Education Worker Unions – Steering Committee (BEWU-SC)
29. Blood Money Campaign (BMC)
30. Boat People SOS (BPSOS)
31. Burma Action Ireland
32. Burma Campaign UK (BCUK)
33. Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN)
34. Burma Task Force
35. Burmese Community Group (Manawatu, NZ)
36. Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK)
37. Burmese Rohingya Welfare Organisation New Zealand
38. Burmese Women’s Union (BWU)
39. Campaign for a New Myanmar
40. CDM Medical Network (CDMMN)
41. Chanmyatharzi Township People’s Strike
42. Chaung Oo Township Youth Strike Committee
43. Chin Community in Norway
44. Chin Community of Auckland
45. Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO)
46. Chindwin (West) Villages Women Strike
47. Civil Information Network (CIN)
48. Civil Rights Defenders (CRD)
49. Civil Society Organizations Coordination Committee (Monywa)
50. Co-operative University Mandalay Students’ Strike
51. Coalition Strike Committee – Dawei
52. CRPH & NUG Supporters Ireland
53. CRPH Funding Ireland
54. CRPH, NUG Support Team Germany
55. Daung Sitthe Strike
56. Dawei (Ashaetaw) Women Strike
57. Dawei Youths Revolutionary Movement Strike Committee
58. Defend Myanmar Democracy (DMD)
59. Democracy Youths Myanmar
60. Democracy, Peace and Women’s Organization
61. Democratic Party for a New Society, Norway
62. Depayin Township Revolution Steering Committee
63. Depayin Women Strike
64. Doh Atu – Ensemble pour le Myanmar
65. Educational Initiatives Prague
66. Equality Myanmar (EQMM)
67. Ethnic Youth General Strike Committee (Mandalay)
68. ETOs Watch Coalition
69. Federal Corner
70. Federal Myanmar Benevolence Group (NZ)
71. Former Political Prisoners and New Generation Group – Monywa
72. Free Burma Campaign (South Africa) (FBC(SA))
73. Friends Against Dictatorship (FAD)
74. Future Light Center (FLC)
75. Gangaw Women Strike
76. General Strike Collaboration Committee (GSCC)
77. General Strike Committee of Basic and Higher Education (GSCBHE)
78. General Strike Coordination Body (GSCB)
79. Generation Wave (GW)
80. Generations’ Solidarity Coalition of Nationalities (GSCN)
81. Group for Democracy in Myanmar (The Netherlands)
82. HTY Scout Channel
83. Human Rights Foundation of Monland (HURFOM)
84. Human Rights Promoter
85. India for Myanmar
86. Industries Strike
87. Info Birmanie
88. Information & Scout News (Hlaing)
89. Institute for Asian Democracy
90. International Association, Myanmar-Switzerland (IAMS)
91. International Campaign for the Rohingya
92. Italia-Birmania.Insieme
93. Justice & Equality Focus (JEF)
94. Justice For All
95. Justice For Myanmar (JFM)
96. Justice Movement for Community-Innlay
97. K’cho Ethnic Association (Europe)
98. Kachin Association Norway
99. Kachin Student Union

100. Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)
101. Kalay Township Strike Force
102. Kalay Women Strike
103. Kamayut Scout Channel
104. KantBaLu Strike Committee
105. Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG)
106. Karen Peace Support Network (KPSN)
107. Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG)
108. Karenni Humanitarian Aid Initiative (KHAI)
109. Karenni National Women’s Organization (KNWO)
110. Karenni Society New Zealand
111. Kayan Rescue Committee (KRC)
112. Kayaw Women Association
113. Keng Tung Youth
114. Kyae Lak Myay
115. Kyain Seikgyi Spring Revolution Leading Committee
116. Kyauktada Strike Committee (KSC)
117. Latpadaung Region Strike Committee
118. Let’s Help Each Other (LHEO)
119. LGBT Alliance
120. LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kalay Region)
121. LGBT Alliance Myanmar (Kyaukse Region)
122. LGBT Community Yangon
123. LGBT Union – Mandalay
124. Magway People’s Revolution Committee
125. Magway Region Human Rights Network
126. Maharaungmyay Township People’s Strike
127. Mandalar University Students’ Strike
128. Mandalay Alliance Coalition Strike
129. Mandalay Medical Family (MFM)
130. Mandalay Strike Force (MSF)
131. Mandalay Women Strike
132. Mandalay Youth Strike
133. Mandalay-based People’s Strike
134. Mandalay-Based University Students’ Unions (MDY_SUs)
135. MATA Sagaing
136. Mayangone News
137. MayMyo Strike Force
138. Metta Campaign Mandalay
139. Monywa LGBT Strike
140. Monywa People’s Strike Steering Committee
141. Monywa Women Strike
142. Monywa-Amyint Road Strike Leading Committee
143. Monywa-Amyint Road Women Strike
144. Multi-Religions Strike
145. Mya Taung Strike
146. Myanmar Accountability Project (MAP)
147. Myanmar Action Group Denmark
148. Myanmar anti-military coup movement in New Zealand
149. Myanmar Catholic Community In Norway
150. Myanmar Community Group Christchurch New Zealand
151. Myanmar Community Group Dunedin New Zealand
152. Myanmar Community in Norway
153. Myanmar Engineers – New Zealand
154. Myanmar Gonye (New Zealand)
155. Myanmar Hindu Union
156. Myanmar Institute of Information Technology Students’ Strike
157. Myanmar Labor Alliance (MLA)
158. Myanmar People Alliance (Shan State)
159. Myanmar Students’ Union in New Zealand
160. Myaung Youth Network
161. MyaYar Knowledge Tree
162. Myingyan Civilian Movement Committee
163. Nelson Myanmar Community Group New Zealand
164. Network for Human Rights Documentation – Burma (ND-Burma)
165. Network of University Student Unions – Monywa
166. New Myanmar Foundation
167. New Power Generation
168. New Zealand Campaign for Myanmar
169. New Zealand Doctors for NUG
170. New Zealand Karen Association
171. New Zealand Zo Community Inc.
172. NLD Organization Committee (International) Norway
173. No Business With Genocide
174. 12 Basic Education Branch High School (Maharaungmyay) Students’ Union
175. NOK Information & Scout Echo
176. North Dagon & East Dagon News
177. Norway Matu Community
178. Norway Rvwang Community
179. OCTOPUS (Youth Organization)
180. Overseas Mon Association. New Zealand
181. Pale Township People’s Strike Steering Committee
182. Peace and Social Justice Group
183. Progressive Muslim Youth Association (PMYA)
184. Progressive Voice (PV)
185. Pwintphyu Development Organisation (PDO)
186. Pyi Gyi Tagon Strike Force
187. Pyithu Gonye (New Zealand)
188. Queers of Burma Alternative (QBA)
189. Representative Committee of University Teacher Associations (RC of UTAs)
190. Rohingya Action Ireland
191. Rohingya Community in Norway
192. Rohingya Progressive Network
193. Rvwang Community Association New Zealand
194. Samgha Sammaga-Mandalay
195. Save Myanmar Fundraising Group (New Zealand)
196. SEA Junction
197. Seinpann Strike
198. Shan Community (New Zealand)
199. Shan MATA
200. Shwe Pan Kone People’s Strike Steering Committee
201. Sisters2Sisters
202. Sitt Nyein Pann Foundation
203. South Dagon Scouting Infos (SDG)
204. Southern Dragon Myanmar
205. Southern Initiative
206. Southern Youth Development Organization (SYDO)
207. Sujata Sisters Group (NZ)
208. Support Group for Democracy in Myanmar ( the Netherlands)
209. Synergy – Social Harmony Organization
210. Tamar Institute of Development
211. Tamwe Nway Oo Channel
212. Taze Strike Committee
213. Taze Women Strike
214. Thaketa & Dawbon Scout Channel
215. Thakhin Kodaw Mhine Peace Network (Monywa)
216. Thayat Chaung Women Strike
217. The 88 Generation Peace and Open Society (Monywa)
218. The Mekong Butterfly
219. Triangle Women Organization
220. Twitter Team for Revolution (TTFR)
221. S. Campaign for Burma
222. Union of Karenni State Youth (UKSY)
223. University Students’ Unions Alumni Force
224. Volunteers in Myanmar
225. Wetlet Revolution Leading Committee
226. Wetlet Township Women Strike
227. White Coat Society Yangon (WCSY)
228. Women Advocacy Coalition – Myanmar (WAC-M)
229. Women Alliance Burma (WAB)
230. Women Lead Resource Center (WLRC)
231. Women’s League of Burma (WLB)
232. Yadanabon University Students’ Union (YDNBUSU)
233. Yangon Deaf Group
234. Yangon Women Strike
235. Yasakyo Township People`s Strike Steering Committee
236. Yinmarpin and Salingyi All Villages Strike Committee
237. Youth Empowerment
238. Youth for Democratization of Myanmar (UDM)
239. Youth Scout For Democracy (YSD)
240. Zomi Christian Fellowship of Norway
241. Zomi Community Norway
242. ကြာအင်းဆိပ်ကြီးမြို့သပိတ်အင်အားစု
243. ဂန့်ဂေါဖွံ့ဖြိုးတိုးတက်ရေးအဖွဲ့
244. မင်းဘူးတောင်သူများအစုအဖွဲ့
245. မင်းလှတောင်သူများအစုအဖွဲ့
246. ယိမ်းနွဲ့ပါး
247. သမိုင်းသယ်ဆောင်သူများ
248. အညာလွင်ပြင်ရပ်ဝန်း
249. မန်းဆုံစည်းရာ

Download the open letter in English I Myanmar.