The 57th Session of the Human Rights Council

September 9 – October 11, 2024

Item 2: Annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and reports of the Office of the High Commissioner and the Secretary-General

September 9, 2024

Statement of International Organization for the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimination

Thank you.

We thank the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar for its report and commend its efforts to collect evidence pointing to the widespread of human rights violations, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Since July 2023, brutal acts, such as the violent suppression of protests, unlawful detention, torture, and sexual violence, have escalated. The military continues to target civilians through indiscriminate air and ground attacks, affecting homes, schools, and places of worship. This has led to over three million people being displaced during the reporting period.

Credible evidence of sexual and gender-based violence, as well as the forced recruitment of children under 15 years of age into armed groups, highlights the enduring impact of these crimes on Myanmar's most vulnerable populations. Children bear the lifelong consequences of these atrocities, losing access to education, healthcare, and the safety of family life due to forced displacement.

While the Mechanism has provided critical evidence to ongoing investigations to the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, a lack of accountability persists.

EAFORD and Geneva International Center for Justice urge the international community to take decisive action. We call for enhanced cooperation, and for an active pursuit of justice for Myanmar's victims. Finally, we fully support the Mechanism's independent collection of evidence, which is essential and must be conducted without interference to ensure true accountability for the crimes committed.

Thank you.