RESOLUTION #6: IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE PEOPLE OF MYANMAR AND FOR THE RESTORATION OF DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Public Services International (PSI) is a global union federation representing over 700 trade unions and 30 million public service workers in 154 countries, committed to defending workers' rights and promoting universal access to quality public services through active engagement with the United Nations, International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and other international bodies;

PSI Asia Pacific Regional Conference (APRECON) serves as the federation’s highest regional decision-making body, convened once between PSI World Congresses to set strategic priorities and guide collective action in the region, with the 15th APRECON being held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from September 8–11, 2025;

RECOGNISING that since the military coup on February 1, 2021, Myanmar has experienced a severe and continuing deterioration in its human rights situation, following the UNLAWFUL OUSTING of democratically elected leaders by the military junta¹;

ALARMED by United Nations reports describing an ESCALATING HUMANITARIAN CATASTROPHE in Myanmar, marked by widespread conflict, mass displacement, increasing food insecurity, the collapse of public services, and an UNDERFUNDED humanitarian response²;

CONCERNED that millions of civilians face extreme protection risks, deepening poverty, and ongoing violations of their fundamental human rights and freedoms³;

FORESEEING that 19.9 million people in Myanmar will require humanitarian assistance in 2025 due to conflict, lack of access to aid, and insufficient resources to meet growing needs⁴;

DEPLORING the military junta's grave violations of international humanitarian law, including extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, arson, and the use of banned weaponry such as cluster munitions and landmines, in defiance of the Geneva Conventions and other international legal instruments⁵;

CONDEMNING Myanmar’s use of explosive weapons in populated areas and the reported deployment of domestically produced cluster munitions since 2022, despite Myanmar not being a signatory to the Convention on Cluster Munitions⁶;

NOTING that approximately 3.5 million people have been internally displaced, and more than 1.3 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines⁷;

The 15th PSI APRECON:

1. CONDEMNS the illegitimate military takeover in Myanmar and the widespread, systematic atrocities committed by the junta, including indiscriminate violence against civilians, forced displacement, arbitrary detention, and the use of internationally prohibited weapons;

2. DEMANDS urgent and sustained international action to address the humanitarian crisis, including unhindered humanitarian access, imposition of targeted sanctions on Myanmar’s military leaders, and increased support for democratic movements civil society actors and unionists working under grave threat;

3. URGES all PSI member unions in the Asia Pacific to continue demonstrating solidarity with the people of Myanmar through advocacy, humanitarian support, public awareness campaigns, and regional cooperation to amplify their voices and needs;

4. COMMITS to strengthening partnerships with the international community, national governments, and civil society to advocate for the restoration of democratic governance, the protection of human rights, and the provision of aid and safe refuge to displaced persons;

5. CALLS ON Asia Pacific governments and ASEAN Member States to adopt a more principled, decisive, and coordinated approach to the crisis in Myanmar, including meaningful diplomatic engagement, support for inclusive dialogue, and enforcement of humanitarian protections;

6. URGES PSI leadership to continue documenting and exposing human rights violations in Myanmar, while mobilizing regional and global networks to pursue justice, accountability, and long-term peace.

Submitted by:

Public Services Labor Independent Confederation (PSLINK)

All Japan Prefectural and Municipal Workers Union (Jichiro)

Japan Public Sector Union (JPSU)

All Japan Water Supply Workers Union (Zensuido)

Japan Health Care Workers Union (JHCWU)

National Council of Japanese Firefighters and Ambulance Workers (Zenshokyo)

References

1. Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines. Statement on the Human Rights Situation in Myanmar, 1 April 2021. https://chr.gov.ph/statement-of-the-commission-on-human-rights-of-the-philippines-on-the-human-rights-situation-in-myanmar-and-the-role-of-the-myanmar-national-human-rights-commission/

2. UNOCHA. Myanmar Humanitarian Update No. 43: Reflecting on 2024 and Preparing for 2025. https://www.unocha.org/publications/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-update-no-43-reflecting-2024-and-preparing-2025

3. Human Rights Watch. World Report 2025: Myanmar Chapter. https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2025/country-chapters/myanmar

4. Ibid.; UNOCHA, 2025 Report.

5. Amnesty International. Myanmar Report 2023. https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/asia-and-the-pacific/south-east-asia-and-the-pacific/myanmar/report-myanmar/

6. Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor. Myanmar - Cluster Munition Ban Policy (2023). https://the-monitor.org/country-profile/myanmar-burma/cluster-munition-ban-policy?year=2023

7. UNHCR. Myanmar Situation Update. https://data.unhcr.org/en/situations/myanmar