High Commissioner Türk to Rohingya Conference: The international community must honour its responsibilities and act

Madam President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

Thank you for the opportunity to address this High-Level Conference.

Today, life in Myanmar—especially in Rakhine State—may be the worst it has ever been for the Rohingya and other minorities, marking another grim chapter in a long history of persecution.

I witnessed the utter deprivation and hopelessness of Rohingya when I visited Rakhine in my previous position at the UN’s Refugee Agency. I saw it especially in the eyes of women and girls that I met. It is almost unimaginable that since then, their situation has deteriorated.

This Conference must send a very clear signal: that this injustice is at the top of the global political agenda.

And it needs to be a turning point for the Rohingya - for the international community to take action and to devise a lasting solution to their plight.

Since November 2023, fighting in Rakhine has escalated, with Rohingya being targeted from all sides.

The Myanmar military has increasingly used aerial attacks against civilians across Rakhine. It has committed grave violations of human rights and atrocity crimes, including deliberately killing civilians, destroying civilian property, arbitrarily detaining and torturing people, and forcibly conscripting them into its ranks.

Some of the images and videos in northern Rakhine from the second half of 2024 are reminiscent of the atrocities of 2017.

Air strikes and artillery barrages are also devastating other minority communities, including ethnic Rakhine, Mro, Maramagyi, Hindu, and Kaman, resulting in untold numbers of killings and mass displacement.

Rohingya have reported that their movement is increasingly restricted, their communications monitored, mobile phones seized, and there are internet shutdowns.

Meanwhile, on its path to acquiring territory, the Arakan Army has reportedly killed, abducted, tortured, arbitrarily detained and forcibly recruited Rohingya. They have burned or destroyed homes, places of worship, and entire villages.

The Arakan Army is arresting Rohingya for allegedly supporting the military or Rohingya armed groups, for possessing telephones, traveling without authorization, and resisting forced recruitment. Many of those arrested – including children as young as 14 — have been missing for months, raising concerns they may have been forcibly disappeared.

Arakan Army units have also arrested, detained and extorted money from families after they returned from Bangladesh to Maungdaw in northern Rakhine. Some were sent back to Bangladesh if they paid the Arakan Army, while others, unable to pay, remain in detention.

Madam President,

The humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate in Rakhine and across the country, as military blockades have severely restricted access. Nearly a third of the country’s population, some 15.2 million people, are facing acute food insecurity this year. That represents an increase of almost 2 million people in a year.

All these conditions have displaced over 3.5 million people within the country and pushed an additional 150,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh since January 2024.

Insecurity in the refugee camps in Bangladesh is deepening, leaving people in even greater fear and despair. Armed groups, including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, prey on families – they extort money from them, and forcibly recruit boys and young men.

Amid growing violations, violence and restricted humanitarian access, the military is organizing elections in Myanmar, to be held under total military control.

Elections under these conditions can be neither free, nor fair. For example, Rohingya will not be able to vote because they have been stripped arbitrarily of their citizenship. Ethnic Rakhine parties have been disqualified from running.

Frankly, how can such elections be supported? They neither reflect the legitimate aspirations of the Myanmar people, nor create a foundation for lasting peace. In fact, the danger is even more violence.

The way out of this crisis is through de-escalation, protection of civilians, dialogue, and humanitarian access, not elections.

Madam President,

The situation is clearly not conducive for the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of Rohingya. As long as violence and discrimination against the Rohingya and other minorities persist, this will continue to be the case.

I see five areas requiring urgent attention.

First, the violence must end.

The military must implement Security Council resolution 2669, which demands an immediate end to the violence, urges the release of arbitrarily detained people, and calls for constructive dialogue, reconciliation, and respect for human rights.

All parties need to allow unhindered humanitarian relief to civilians in need, and to lift all restrictions.

States with influence over the parties need to press for a ceasefire and recommit to peacebuilding.

Peace efforts need to address the root causes of this conflict, including the persecution of the Rohingya and other minorities that has entrenched divisions and fuelled conflict for decades across Myanmar. They also need to pursue accountability for the horrific crimes that have been committed.

States need urgently to stop the flow of arms into Myanmar – including jet fuel and dual-use goods. I welcome the imposition by several countries and one regional organization of targeted sanctions against individuals and companies in Myanmar.

Second, sustained financial support – including humanitarian aid - to all communities in Myanmar and the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh is absolutely crucial.

For nearly a decade, Bangladesh has hosted refugees despite its own challenges. Without predictable funding, people will be plunged into deeper despair and exposed to higher risks of violence and exploitation.

Third, States need to do everything possible to protect people fleeing the conflict. This includes, importantly, full respect for the fundamental principle of non-refoulement, including at the border, as well as search and rescue operations at sea. I urge States to ensure effective access to international protection, including through safe and dignified pathways, such as resettlement.

Fourth, Myanmar needs to respect in full the provisional measures imposed by the International Court of Justice to protect Rohingya lives.   

And there needs to be full accountability for the grave violations and abuses committed by the military, the Arakan Army and other parties.

I repeat my call for the Security Council to refer the whole situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court.

Finally, we need to heed the Rohingya’s calls for peace and freedom.

They want the freedom to move, to work, to raise their children in safety, to get on with their lives. They want their Myanmar citizenship to be restored and fully recognized; and they want their voices heard meaningfully in peace efforts. They want to be part of a democratic Myanmar free from military dominance. And those displaced within Myanmar and across borders want to return home in safety and dignity when the conditions are ripe.

Madam President,

The violence, the extreme deprivation and the massive violations of human rights have fuelled a crisis of grave international concern.

The international community must honour its responsibilities and act.

We stand in solidarity with the Rohingya, and all the people of Myanmar, in their hour of greatest need.

Their most fervent wish is a viable future for Myanmar in which all communities can thrive, free from discrimination, marginalization, and fear, and live in peace. 

Thank you.