The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on the human rights situation in Myanmar
“Conflict, displacement and economic collapse have combined to cause pain and misery across the country. Civilians are paying a terrible price. The number killed in violence in 2024 was the highest since the military launched their coup in 2021,” the High Commissioner said.
“Most civilians were killed in brutal and indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling by the military, as it continues to lose its grip on power. The targeting of schools, places of worship, healthcare facilities, displacement camps and public events caused mass civilian casualties and displacement.”
At least 1,824 people were killed in 2024, including 531 women and 248 children, but these figures are probably a fraction of the real numbers as there is no verified information from several key areas where heavy fighting took place.
“The military continued its campaign of terrorizing the population through acts of extreme brutality, including beheadings, burnings, mutilations, executions, torture, and the use of human shields,” Türk said.
He said: “Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to rage. Over 3.5 million people are displaced, and 20 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.”
Fifteen million people face hunger this year and in the latest appalling development, up to two million people are reported to be at risk of famine.
“I am gravely concerned by an upsurge of violence in Rakhine State,” Türk added.
“While there are no comprehensive verified figures, intense fighting between the military and the Arakan Army is estimated to have killed thousands of civilians and caused many more to flee. Members of the Rohingya community are frequently caught between the parties, who target them with complete impunity.”
He said: “Tens of thousands of Rohingya are estimated to have crossed the border into Bangladesh in 2024, despite the border being formally closed. More than 8,000 fled by sea in 2024, an 80 per cent increase over 2023. At least 650 Rohingya, almost half of them children, died at sea.
“In response to this horrific situation, reporting back to you is a very grim reading as you could just hear, it is imperative for the military immediately to end the violence, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and release all arbitrarily detained people – as demanded by Security Council resolution 2669.
“In Rakhine State, the Arakan Army must do more to honour their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, and protect all individuals within the areas they control.”
Given the humanitarian, economic and political impacts fueling instability across the region, the international community must do more, the High Commissioner said.
“I therefore repeat my call for an arms embargo, coupled with targeted sanctions consistent with international law – including on jet fuel and dual-use goods – to better protect the people of Myanmar,” Türk said.
Breaking the cycle of impunity that has characterized military rule in Myanmar over decades also requires holding perpetrators of human rights violations and abuses to account, he added.
For more information and media requests, please contact
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Thameen Al-Kheetan +41 22 917 4232 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org
Tag and share –
Twitter: @UNHumanRights
Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
Instagram: @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on the human rights situation in Myanmar
TRT: 03:21
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: Please shot list
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 28 FEBRUARY 2025, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Interior shot: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Conflict, displacement and economic collapse have combined to cause pain and misery across the country. Civilians are paying a terrible price. The number killed in violence in 2024 was the highest since the military launched their coup in 2021.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Most civilians were killed in brutal and indiscriminate airstrikes and artillery shelling by the military, as it continues to lose its grip on power. The targeting of schools, places of worship, healthcare facilities, displacement camps and public events caused mass civilian casualties and displacement.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “The military continued its campaign of terrorizing the population through acts of extreme brutality, including beheadings, burnings, mutilations, executions, torture, and the use of human shields.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues to rage. Over 3.5 million people are displaced, and 20 million are in need of humanitarian assistance.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I am gravely concerned by an upsurge of violence in Rakhine State. While there are no comprehensive verified figures, intense fighting between the military and the Arakan Army is estimated to have killed thousands of civilians and caused many more to flee. Members of the Rohingya community are frequently caught between the parties, who target them with complete impunity.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “Tens of thousands of Rohingya are estimated to have crossed the border into Bangladesh in 2024, despite the border being formally closed. More than 8,000 fled by sea in 2024, an 80 per cent increase over 2023. At least 650 Rohingya, almost half of them children, died at sea.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “In response to this horrific situation, reporting back to you is a very grim reading as you could just hear, it is imperative for the military immediately to end the violence, allow unhindered humanitarian access, and release all arbitrarily detained people – as demanded by Security Council resolution 2669. In Rakhine State, the Arakan Army must do more to honour their obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law, and protect all individuals within the areas they control.”
- Cut away: Room 20
- SOUNDBITE (English)— Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: “I therefore repeat my call for an arms embargo, coupled with targeted sanctions consistent with international law – including on jet fuel and dual-use goods – to better protect the people of Myanmar.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , WHO
Colombia earthquake: International teams ready to support, says UN
As earthquake rescue efforts across western Colombia continued on Tuesday, UN agencies said that they stood ready to help “with everything we've got” if and when the request came from the authorities.
2
1
2
Edited News , Press Conferences | HRC
Myanmar's military has carried out a sustained campaign of deliberate attacks on civilians – including airstrikes on homes, schools and camps for displaced people, alongside arbitrary detention, torture and sexual violence – Human Rights Council-appointed investigators said on Tuesday.
1
6
1
1
Edited News | UNOG
In a new twist on panda diplomacy, UN Geneva welcomed five young peacocks to the Palace of Nations on Friday, a gift of India that preserves a tradition of keeping the stately birds in the grounds, that predates both the global body and its ill-fated predecessor, the League of Nations.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Afghanistan’s hunger crisis intensifies as millions go without food aid – WFP
Afghanistan’s dire hunger crisis now affects 14 million people including babies fed on weak tea and a little bread by their despairing and dirt-poor parents.
In a new alert on Tuesday, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said that one in three Afghans is now in the grip of acute food insecurity and that it lacks the resources to contain the deepening crisis.
1
1
2
Edited News | IOM
From fake jobs to forced crime: IOM sounds alarm on human trafficking behind online scams
A job offer can conceal a criminal network and a single click can lead to a nightmare. Lured by false promises of legitimate employment abroad, hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked each year, held captive and forced to carry out online scams.
Ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons marked on 30 July, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is raising the alarm over a rapidly expanding multibillion-dollar criminal industry that turns job seekers into victims of forced cybercrime.
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks Intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 patient recoveries.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.