Source · Select Committees · Foreign Affairs Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Rejected
Raise Myanmar's profile as penholder, introduce regular reporting, and work with regional actors.
Recommendation
It is critical that the UK continues to raise the profile of Myanmar in all its efforts as penholder for this file at the United Nations Security Council. The Government should introduce regular mandated reporting on this conflict. The Government should also work with regional actors, including the regional organisation, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), to bring about a locally-negotiated solution to this conflict. (Recommendation, Paragraph 100)
Government Response Summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation, stating there is insufficient support for mandated reporting at the UN Security Council. They instead highlight existing efforts, such as securing the 2022 resolution, convening ad-hoc meetings, and leading press statements, to maintain a focus on Myanmar and work with regional actors.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Disagree. 40. HMG consistently uses its role as UN Security Council penholder to maintain a spotlight on Myanmar including to highlight the dire humanitarian situation and to galvanise political progress. In 2022, the UK secured the first-ever political Security Council resolution on Myanmar (resolution 2669). This resolution is hugely significant as it clearly lays out the international community’s expectations of Myanmar, including an immediate end to all forms of violence and the release of all political prisoners. It remains the benchmark for an inclusive peace process. This was the result of very careful diplomacy and discussion, in particular with neighbouring countries and ASEAN as the relevant regional organisation. 41. While HMG recognises the Committee’s recommendation for mandated and more-regular reporting, there is not yet the requisite support across the UN Security Council for this, including amongst all five of the permanent members. We have therefore, as penholder, convened six ad-hoc UN Security Council meetings in 2024 and three thus far in 2025, including to address human rights violations and to call for greater humanitarian action. Following the 28 March earthquake in Myanmar, the UK led negotiations on a UN Security Council press statement in April 2025, reaffirming the importance of “the timely and effective delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance to all those in need, without disruption or discrimination”. This press statement, a format which requires full council consensus, marked the first unified UN Security Council message since the UK-led resolution in 2022. This followed numerous previous attempts which were unable to reach full Council consensus, which is a requirement for the press statement format. Similarly, any UN Security Council resolution regarding the conflict would require broad support across the Council including amongst the permanent members, to be successful.