Myanmar Issue Must Be Top Priority at UN Human Rights Council, S2S Urges

At the UN Human Rights Council, S2S calls for Myanmar's situation to be considered a top priority

September 8

At the interactive dialogue held yesterday, September 7, at the UN Human Rights Council, the Sisters2Sisters (S2S) group directly presented and discussed the current situation on the ground in Myanmar, and called on global policymakers to consider Myanmar's affairs as a top priority, it has been reported.

During the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue held following the presentation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights' report, the Program Director of S2S participated in discussions alongside the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), and representatives of civil society organizations, it has been reported.

"When thinking about Myanmar's politics, if there is to be lasting peace, the voices of minorities—especially women, young people, and groups that have always been marginalized—need to be included. We raised in the Human Rights Council the point that when people are building federal democracy from the ground up, it needs to be encouraged and supported," Sisters2Sisters Director Ma Thanza Shwe Lay Yee said.

In Sisters2Sisters (S2S)'s presentation, it said the discussion focused primarily on demands for effective international accountability and responsibility for Myanmar's ongoing war crimes.

"Right now, we cannot ignore the junta's plan to restart the Myitsone Dam in Kachin State. These are actions that could lead to more violence. We also highlighted that there could be many situations forcing our people to be displaced and resettled, as well as conditions of oppression against women," Sisters2Sisters Director Ma Thanza Shwe Lay Yee said.

It has also been reported that they called on global policymakers to consider as a top priority the discriminatory impacts of the conflict on women, young girls, and LGBTIQ individuals.