UN Myanmar expert to visit Japan

GENEVA (17 April 2023) – The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, will conduct a visit to Japan from 19 to 28 April.

“As conditions continue to deteriorate in Myanmar, Japan’s leadership in addressing a deepening human rights crisis will be essential. Military attacks on civilians are intensifying, the number of political prisoners continues to increase, and humanitarian needs are immense and growing,” Andrews said.

“As a strong Asian democracy, Japan is well-placed to provide regional leadership on the crisis in Myanmar. I will urge the Government of Japan to use this influence to isolate and disempower the brutal military junta and to be the strongest possible ally of the people of Myanmar,” he said.

The Special Rapporteur will visit Tokyo to meet representatives of the Government of Japan, UN agencies, human rights organisations, Japanese companies, and members of the Myanmar diaspora.

He will also visit Kyoto, where he will deliver a lecture at Kyoto University’s Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference at the Foreign Correspondent’s Club of Japan in Tokyo at 12h00 local time on 28 April to share his preliminary observations with the media. Journalists should register for the press conference at front@fccj.or.jp or +81 (0)3-3211-3161 with their name and affiliation. Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

ENDS

Mr. Thomas Andrews (United States of America) is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar. A former member of the US Congress from Maine, Andrews is a Robina Senior Human Rights Fellow at Yale Law School and an Associate of Harvard University’s Asia Center. He has worked with the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs and parliamentarians, NGOs and political parties in Cambodia, Indonesia, Algeria, Croatia, Serbia, Ukraine and Yemen. He has been a consultant for the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma and the Euro-Burma Network and has run advocacy NGOs including Win Without War and United to End Genocide.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Comprising the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, Special Procedures is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

UN Human Rights, country page – Myanmar