UK Statement at the 58 Human Rights Council during the Interactive Dialogue on on the High Commissioner's Report on Myanmar. Delivered by UK Ambassador for Human Rights to the UN, Eleanor Sanders.
Thank you High Commissioner for your update.
We are now in the fourth year since the coup and the crisis in Myanmar is only deepening. The military continues to intensify its violent and repressive onslaught. Schools and hospitals have been targeted. Indiscriminate airstrikes on civilians have increased. There is no justification for such abhorrent attacks on innocent civilians.
The UK is alarmed by the escalating violence, human rights violations and gender-based violence. All actors, especially the Myanmar Military, must prioritise the protection of civilians. We call on the Military to stop the violence - especially the airstrikes - and release all those arbitrarily detained.
The humanitarian situation is critical, with almost 20 million people in need of assistance. We call on all actors, especially the military, to allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access. The UK is providing more than £66 million in assistance this year.
Accountability is vital. We must break the cycle of impunity. This is why the UK supports the work of the International Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar. And this is why we announced our nineteenth round of sanctions in November last year targeting the military regime's access to arms, aviation fuel and dual-use equipment.
