Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

A/RES/57/231View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 109c Human rights situations and reports of special rapporteurs and representatives, published in 2003.

What else is in this group?

46 documents · 1994–2026

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 2026).

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2026	A/HRC/RES/61/30	Situation of human rights in Myanmar	7,793	–
2025	A/HRC/RES/58/20	Situation of human rights in Myanmar	8,812	–
2024	A/HRC/RES/55/20	Situation of human rights in Myanmar	8,086	–
2023	A/HRC/RES/52/31	Situation of human rights in Myanmar	7,246	–
2022	A/HRC/RES/49/23	Situation of human rights in Myanmar	5,576	–

This group bundles related documents that are not individually ordered.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

1 report · 2003

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2003	A/58/325	The human rights situation in Myanmar report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/57/231

What’s in this document?

32 operative paragraphs

Welcomes:

The preliminary steps taken by the Government of Myanmar towards democracy, in particular the release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi on 6 May 2002 and her subsequent internal freedom of movement, the release of a number of political prisoners and the relaxation of some constraints on some political activities of the National League for Democracy;

The appointment by the International Labour Organization of a liaison officer in Myanmar as a first step towards the establishment of its full and effective representation in Myanmar;

The visits to Myanmar by the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar during the past year, the visits by the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and the cooperation extended to them by the Government of Myanmar;

The continuing cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross;

The dissemination of human rights standards for public officials and some non-governmental organizations and ethnic groups through the convening of a series of human rights workshops;

Notes the establishment by the Government of Myanmar of a committee on human rights as a precursor to the establishment of a national human rights commission, which would follow the Principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights annexed to General Assembly resolution 48/134 of 20 December 1993;

Expresses its grave concern at:

The ongoing systematic violation of the human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, of the people of Myanmar;

Extrajudicial killings; rapes and other forms of sexual violence carried out by members of the armed forces; torture; renewed instances of political arrests and continuing detentions, including of prisoners who have served their sentences; forced relocation; destruction of livelihoods; forced labour; denial of freedom of assembly, association, expression and movement; discrimination on the basis of religious or ethnic background; wide disrespect for the rule of law and lack of independence of the judiciary; deeply unsatisfactory conditions of detention; systematic use of child soldiers; and violations of the right to an adequate standard of living, in particular food and medical care, and to education;

The disproportionate suffering of members of ethnic minorities, women and children from such violations;

The situation of the large number of internally displaced persons and the flow of refugees to neighbouring countries;

The ever-increasing impact of the human immunodeficiency virus/ acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) on the population of Myanmar;

Calls upon the Government of Myanmar:

To fulfil its obligations to restore the independence of the judiciary and due process of law, and to take further steps to reform the system of the administration of justice;

To take immediate action to implement fully concrete legislative, executive and administrative measures to eradicate the practice of forced labour and to implement fully the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry established to examine the observance by Myanmar of the International Labour Organization Convention concerning Forced or Compulsory Labour (Convention No. 29);

To pursue the dialogue with the International Labour Organization with a view to full and effective representation of the Organization in Myanmar;

To ensure safe and unhindered access to the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations and to cooperate fully with all sectors of society by means of consultation, especially with the National League for Democracy and other relevant political, ethnic and community-based groups, to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance and to guarantee that it does reach the most vulnerable groups of the population;

To continue to cooperate with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar and the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Myanmar;

To consider as a matter of high priority becoming a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,2 the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,2 the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,⁸ the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination,⁹ the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees¹⁰ and the Protocol thereto,¹¹ the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict¹² and the International Labour Organization Convention concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (Convention No. 182);

⁸Resolution 39/46, annex.

⁹Resolution 2106 A (XX), annex.

¹⁰United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189, No. 2545.

¹¹Ibid., vol. 606, No. 8791.

¹²Resolution 54/263, annex I.

To pursue through dialogue and peaceful means an end to conflict with all ethnic groups in Myanmar;

Strongly urges the Government of Myanmar:

To restore democracy and implement the results of the 1990 elections, to ensure that the contacts with Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of the National League for Democracy move without delay into substantive and structured dialogue towards democratization and national reconciliation and at an early stage to include other political leaders in the talks, including the representatives of the ethnic groups;

To end the systematic violations of human rights in Myanmar, to ensure full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, to end impunity and to investigate and bring to justice any perpetrators of human rights violations, including members of the military and other government agents in all circumstances;

To facilitate and cooperate fully with an independent international investigation of charges of rape and other abuse of civilians carried out by members of the armed forces in Shan and other states;

To release unconditionally and immediately all political prisoners;

To put an immediate end to the recruitment and use of child soldiers and to extend full cooperation to relevant international organizations in order to ensure the demobilization of child soldiers, their return home and their rehabilitation;

To lift all restraints on peaceful political activity, including guaranteeing freedom of association and freedom of expression, including freedom of the media;

To end the systematic enforced displacement of persons and other causes of refugee flows to neighbouring countries, to provide the necessary protection and assistance to internally displaced persons and to respect the right of refugees to a voluntary, safe and dignified return monitored by appropriate international agencies;

To recognize further the gravity of the situation regarding HIV/AIDS and the need to take the necessary action to combat the epidemic, including the effective implementation in Myanmar of the United Nations joint action plan on HIV/AIDS, in cooperation with all relevant political and ethnic groups;

Requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide his good offices and to pursue his discussions on the situation of human rights and the restoration of democracy with the Government and people of Myanmar, to submit additional reports to the General Assembly during its fifty-seventh session on the progress of those discussions, and to report to the Assembly at its fifty-eighth session and to the Commission on Human Rights at its fifty-ninth session on the progress made in the implementation of the present resolution;

Decides to continue the consideration of this question at its fifty-eighth session.

Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

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