Presenting his final report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Friday, outgoing Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews urged governments not to abandon the Myanmar people at their moment of greatest need.
“The current geopolitical climate is less than conducive to advancing human rights in Myanmar and beyond,” Andrews told the Council. “The UN and the principles on which it was founded more than 80 years ago are under severe strain.”
Andrews, who serves independently and is not a UN staff member, said the military’s escalating campaign of airstrikes, ground assaults and forced displacement continues to devastate civilians. He warned that shrinking humanitarian funding and diminishing political pressure on the junta could have grave consequences.
“Actions by the international community to weaken the military junta’s ability to sustain itself and its attacks on the people of Myanmar have shown promise. Alarmingly, however, there are signs that the resolve of governments is waning,” he said.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the civilian government on February 1, 2021, detaining President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. The coup triggered nationwide protests and the emergence of armed resistance groups that now control large parts of the country.
Violence against civilians has escalated dramatically. In 2021, there were nine recorded airstrikes on civilian areas. Last year, that number had surged to 1 140. More than 100 000 homes have been destroyed, while the military’s use of landmines has left communities in constant fear.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that nearly one‑third of Myanmar’s population now requires assistance. More than 12 million face acute hunger, and 3.6 million people have been displaced across regions including Sagaing, Magway, Chin, Bago and Kayin.
Civilian casualties continue to rise. The UN human rights office recorded at least 982 civilians killed in airstrikes attributed to Myanmar’s armed forces in 2025, a 53% increase on the previous year, including 287 children. In Rakhine State alone, aerial bombardments killed more than 190 people and destroyed homes, clinics and displacement camps.
As Andrews concluded his mandate, he urged member states to renew diplomatic, economic and humanitarian pressure, stressing that the people of Myanmar “cannot afford for the world to look away”.
–UN/ChnnelAfrica–
