UNGA Third Committee

Item XX: – Special Rapporteur Interactive dialogue on Myanmar

National Statement delivered on 22 October 2021

Australia commends the ongoing work of the Special Rapporteur to highlight the deadly escalation of armed conflict and the deterioration of human rights in Myanmar, and his concrete proposals for international action. Australia acknowledges the difficulty of this work without the cooperation of Myanmar’s regime.

Australia is deeply concerned about the situation in Myanmar and agrees with the Special Rapporteur’s assessment that the situation is worsening and continues to threaten regional stability.

We support the Special Rapporteur’s call to sustain pressure on the regime. Australia calls again for the de-escalation of violence, and for the Myanmar regime to cease arbitrary arrest and detention of civilians, to engage in dialogue with all stakeholders, and to engage constructively with ASEAN and its Special Envoy to implement all aspects of the Five-Point Consensus swiftly and comprehensively.

We join and reiterate the Special Rapporteur’s consistent calls to restrict the flow of arms into Myanmar. The ongoing violence, detailed in the Special Rapporteur’s report, highlights the urgent need to intensify international coordination to restrict the flow of arms to Myanmar, which builds on our call in UNGA resolution 75/287.

We will continue to work closely with the UN, and ASEAN, to find options to de-escalate the crisis and support regional efforts towards a resolution.

Australia asks: what coordinated efforts can be brought to compel the regime to implement its commitments to resolve the crisis, including ASEAN’s Five-Point Consensus.

[233 words / limit = 240]