Dr Eglantine Staunton’s evidence on the situation in Rakhine State (Myanmar) published in important UK Foreign Affairs Committee report

Dr Eglantine Staunton’s written evidence on the situation on Rakhine State has been included in the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee’s published report Violence in Rakhine and the UK’s response. The report published on 11 December 2017 highlights how the violence committed against the Rohingya “amounts to ethnic cleansing, and may constitute crimes against humanity and even genocide”, while detailing the “inadequate” response from the international community and the UK, which acted as the penholder on the issue in the UN Security Council.

In her brief, Dr Staunton gave a summary of the humanitarian, political, and security situation in Rakhine State. She then explained why the resolution of the crisis needed to be a priority, first and foremost for the Rohingya, but also to guarantee Myanmar’s transition to democracy, the stability of the region, and the legitimacy of the United Nations. She explained what needed to be achieved for the crisis to end and then reflected on what has been attempted by the United Nations, the European Union, and the United-Kingdom. She concluded by suggesting concrete steps that could be taken by the United-Kingdom.