Nearly 300 civil society organizations working on Myanmar issues have submitted an open letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres on March 17, requesting an investigation into potential conflicts of interest involving UN Special Envoy on Myanmar Julie Bishwat’s connections to Chinese businesses. The letter calls for the immediate suspension of Special Envoy Julie Bishwat’s mandate and requests the UN Secretary-General to directly handle Myanmar’s crisis. The organizations also demand that any findings from the investigation be made public.
The open letter highlights concerns about Julie Bishwat’s business connections to mining operations in Myanmar and Chinese state-owned companies. Specifically, the letter points to potential conflicts of interest with Chinese state-owned companies Shenghe Resources and China Communications Construction Company, which are known to have business dealings with Myanmar’s military regime. These connections could compromise the Special Envoy’s impartiality and neutrality, potentially undermining efforts to address human rights violations in Myanmar.
The civil society organizations emphasize that there is documented evidence of China’s support for the Myanmar military regime’s war crimes and crimes against humanity against its own people. This follows an earlier call by Justice For Myanmar (JFM) on March 9 for the UN to investigate the Special Envoy’s potential conflicts of interest with Chinese state-owned enterprises. The organizations argue that it would be highly unreasonable for the UN to continue entrusting the resolution of Myanmar’s crisis to a Special Envoy with such apparent business interests that could endanger many Myanmar lives. The letter also requests the UN General Assembly (UNGA) to immediately revoke the Special Envoy’s mandate, citing the serious implications these conflicts of interest could have on the lives and well-being of Myanmar’s people.
