The UN Human Rights Council recently adopted resolutions instructing UN member states to abstain from providing jet fuel to the Myanmar military. Highlighting concern over the persistent human rights abuses in the country, the council passed these resolutions by a majority, with only China declining to adopt them.
Under these newly-passed resolutions, the council is urging UN member states to refrain from exporting, selling or transferring jet fuel, surveillance goods and technologies, and less-lethal weapons to Myanmar. These restrictions also extend to dual-use items, when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that such materials could be used to violate or abuse human rights, including during assemblies.
Amnesty International applauded the resolution, deeming it a necessary measure to confront the escalating conflict and internal displacement triggered by the military coup in Myanmar over three years ago. The human rights organization further encouraged member states to prevent entities within their jurisdictions from providing aviation fuel to the Myanmar military, given the military’s knack for circumventing international restrictions.
Previously, in November 2022, Amnesty International published a report that exposed the involvement of global corporations in supplying aviation fuel to Myanmar’s military. This report alleges that such support enabled the Myanmar military to carry out airstrikes against civilian targets, including cultural properties and medical facilities, actions that may constitute war crimes under customary international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council has also been discussing actions to address the spiralling humanitarian crisis in Myanmar. Most notably, this includes the potential for appointing a UN Special Envoy. Amid these discussions, both Russia and China voiced opposition to the idea of exerting pressure on Myanmar through the UN Security Council. They argue that Myanmar’s ongoing conflicts are a domestic matter and should be treated as such.
The UN HRC also opted to extend the mandates of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in both Iran and Myanmar, as well as the independent international fact-finding mission on Iran. In addition to these new resolutions related to Myanmar, the UN Human Rights Council passed six further resolutions focused on human rights issues in Iran, and other areas such as the rights of intersex persons, people with albinism, and individuals identifying as part of national, ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities among others.