Attachments
Human Rights Council
Sixty-first session
23 February–2 April 2026
Agenda item 4
Human rights situations that require the Council's attention
Summary
Five years after launching a military coup against a democratically elected government, the Myanmar military junta continues to relentlessly attack civilians and obstruct humanitarian aid, driving Myanmar into a spiraling humanitarian crisis. Thousands of political prisoners remain behind bars. The situation of the Rohingya people has become more perilous than ever.
The military junta’s efforts to assert its authority across Myanmar and wrestle its people into submission are failing. It has lost control of vast swathes of territory and is more reviled than ever. Violence and chaos have reverberated across Myanmar’s borders, with armed conflict, cyberscam operations, drug trafficking and refugee flows impacting its neighbors’ sovereignty and citizens.
In a sign that international pressure is impacting the junta, coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing orchestrated a sham election in an apparent attempt to hide military oppression behind the trappings of a nominally civilian government. The spectacle fooled no one, least of all the people of Myanmar, who continue to demand respect for human rights and the establishment of a federal, democratic system of government free from military control.
The international community’s response to the situation in Myanmar has shown promise, impeding the junta’s ability to secure the weapons and financing that it needs to sustain itself and its military assaults on civilians. Alarmingly, however, the resolve of many governments to support the people of Myanmar appears to be waning. Sanctions regimes- which have played an important role in isolating the junta and weakening its capacity to attack civilians - have not been kept up to date. Global cuts to foreign aid are devastating humanitarian programs for refugees and vulnerable populations. The Security Council continues to be unwilling to act, and there is a lack of political will to ensure accountability for grave human rights violations.
In this, his final report to the Human Rights Council, the Special Rapporteur urges governments that value human rights to double down on effective measures that have been taken to support the people of Myanmar and deny the junta the three things that it needs to sustain itself: money, weapons and legitimacy. Just as most governments refused to recognize a sham election as legitimate, he urges that they similarly refuse to recognize the government that will emerge as legitimate. Finally, he reiterates his call for concerted, coordinated action by the international community including reversing funding cuts that undermine humanitarian aid and human rights.