By 
18-01-2025
Stella Liantsi
South East Asia Researcher
Global Human Rights Defence
After the coup in 2021 plunged Myanmar into a civil war, the military is weakening and the opposition organizations are gaining control. Just 33 percent of the nation’s people and 14 percent of its land are consistently governed by the military. Genocidal acts against the Rohingya people are increasing and the humanitarian crisis is getting worse as the military is bombing civilians.
A former member of the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar criticized the Security Council for its paralysis. It notes that after adopting a single resolution on Myanmar in 2022—subsequently ignored by the military—it failed to take further action or provide decisive leadership and follow-up measures. The member also highlighted the UN’s stance of remaining hidden under ASEAN. “While ASEAN’s role is pivotal in resolving the Myanmar crisis, ASEAN cannot do that alone. ASEAN is an organization that is unsure about its next course of action. In 2021, it approved the Five-Point Consensus but when the military refused to follow it, it was unsure of how to move forward. ASEAN requires worldwide political and economic support as well as assistance in determining an effective program to resolve the crisis. The UN should take the lead and start exercising global political leadership” the member highlighted in an interview with an Editor and Research Fellow at the International Peace Institute.
In recent years, the United Nations (UN) has faced significant criticisms regarding its handling of the crisis in Myanmar. The Security Council has been accused of failing to take decisive action to resolve conflict and mediate peace, instead prioritizing humanitarian responses to conflict. The Security Council hasn’t mandated any large-scale blue helmet peace operations since 2014. Some diplomats and UN officials believe that the Security Council will continue to move away from conflict resolution and toward humanitarian aid because of the significant differences among the Security Council’s top members. It has become evident that the Security Council is increasingly focusing on humanitarian aid concerns, often as a way to compensate for its inability to reach consensus on political solutions to conflicts. This shift has led some UN member states to question whether prioritizing humanitarian responses to conflict is a sustainable or prudent approach.
Sources & Further Readings:
Gowan, R. (2025, January 16). The U.N. May Regret Getting Out of the Peacekeeping Business. International Crisis Group. https://www.crisisgroup.org/global/un-may-regret-getting-out-peacekeeping-business
Trithart, A. (2024, October 10). The UN is Still Failing Its Response to the Crisis in Myanmar: Interview with Chris Sidoti. IPI Global Observatory. https://theglobalobservatory.org/2024/10/the-un-is-still-failing-its-response-to-the-crisis-in-myanmar-interview-with-chris-sidoti/
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