Call for Written Submissions

15 June 2022

Today, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) is launching an inquiry into the ongoing military and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar in order to provide concrete, time-sensitive recommendations to the international community in response to the Myanmar coup. Our Committee is formed by eight parliamentarians from seven countries in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe who share a concern for the worsening situation in Myanmar.

We are calling for written submissions for the International Parliamentary Inquiry (IPI) into the global response to the crisis triggered by the Myanmar military coup d'état in February 2021. This is a call open to all stakeholders and persons affected by the crisis in Myanmar for texts providing information and analyses about the situation in the country, as well as the international response after the coup.

The International Parliamentary Inquiry Committee welcomes evidence and analyses on the following points:

1. How can international actors improve their response to the crisis in Myanmar?
2. How can, and should, governments engage and support the democratic opposition, civil society, and ethnic organizations?
3. What has the UN contributed to resolve this crisis so far? What else can be done given the impasse at the UN Security Council?
4. What has ASEAN contributed so far in resolving this crisis? What else can be done?
5. What alternative mechanisms or actions could be considered to influence the situation in Myanmar?
6. How can the international community/governments support justice for victims and provide redress for the junta's crimes?
7. To what extent is humanitarian aid reaching the people in need in Myanmar? What can be done to ensure effective delivery of aid?
8. What protection is being given and what is lacking for Myanmar refugees?
9. What may have triggered the coup? How did the international community contribute to the environment and situation in Myanmar that eventually resulted in the coup?

Written submissions:

Besides its oral hearings, the IPI will also welcome written submissions, in English or Burmese, offering specific information that throws light on the current situation in Myanmar and can help answer the questions above.

These are some guidelines for the submissions:

• Authors should include a brief introduction about the person or organization submitting — for example, explaining their area of expertise or the relevance of their personal experience.
• They should also include their contact information, which will be kept confidential, for the Committee to follow up with questions if necessary.
• Authors should prioritise the inclusion of precise and detailed information to support the evidence, claims and analysis presented in the submission.
• The committee also invites authors to offer pragmatic recommendations for action by international actors.
• Submissions should be no longer than 2,000 words and be presented in a malleable format such as MS Word (rather than as PDFs), with no colour or logos. Please number each paragraph in the main body.
• Appendices with relevant documentation supporting the main text are welcome.