Date: 19/01/2017
1:-The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of
Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an Extraordinary Session on the Situation of
the Rohingya Muslim Minority in Myanmar, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 19
January 2017, under the Chairmanship of Malaysia.
2:-The Meeting expressed grave concern at the recent
eruption of violence in northern Rakhine that resulted in the loss of innocent
lives and displaced tens of thousands of Rohingya people, and called upon the
Government of Myanmar to take decisive steps to restore calm to the affected
areas. The Government of Myanmar should ensure that the security forces act in
accordance with the rule of law and that all perpetrators of acts of violence
be held accountable.
3:-The Meeting also urged the Government of Myanmar to abide
by its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law and
human rights covenants, and take all necessary measures to stop the violence
and discrimination against the Rohingya Muslim Minority and continued attempts
to deny their culture and identity.
4:-The Meeting further urged the Government of Myanmar to
eliminate the root causes affecting the Rohingya Muslim Minority. In this
regard, the Meeting renewed its call upon the Government of Myanmar to restore
the citizenship of the Rohingya Muslims which was revoked in the Citizenship
Act of 1982.
5:-The Meeting urged the authorities of Myanmar to take
effective measures to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in
Rakhine State. The Meeting also expressed appreciation to OIC Member States
that have extended humanitarian assistance to the affected communities and
urged the international community and OIC Member States to do so.
6:-The Meeting called upon the Government of Myanmar to take
all necessary measures to restore peace and inter-communal harmony through
dialogue and a comprehensive national peace and reconciliation process
involving all segments of society in Myanmar. In this regard, the importance of
moderation was underlined as a core value in countering extremism and terrorism
in all their aspects.
7:-The Meeting invited OIC Member States to continue to
share the substantial costs incurred by those countries that have provided
temporary shelter and protection to Rohingya refugees, in accordance with the
principles of burden-sharing and shared responsibility, and in the spirit of
Islamic solidarity.
8:-The Meeting called on the Government of Myanmar to ensure
an inclusive and transparent policy towards ethnic and religious communities,
by including the Rohingya Muslim Minority as an integral part of this process
and considering them as an ethnic minority, as called for by relevant UN
General Assembly and Human Rights Council resolutions.
9:-Having deliberated on the situation of the Rohingya
Muslim Minority in Myanmar, the Meeting decided on the following:
*To request the Secretary General to coordinate with the
Government of Myanmar for a high level delegation from the OIC Contact Group to
visit Rakhine State to meet with local officials and the affected Rohingya
Muslim Minority. In this regard, the Meeting further requested the cooperation
of the Government of Myanmar to receive this visit.
*To further request the Secretary General to explore joint
initiatives with his counterparts in the UN and ASEAN , that can support the
Government of Myanmar to develop and implement inter-faith and inter-communal
dialogues in the country and in the wider Southeast Asian region.
*To request the OIC Groups in New York, Geneva and Brussels
to regularly review the evolving situation and explore sustained engagement
strategies with Myanmar, the United Nations, the European Union, and other
international organizations.
*To encourage the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights
Commission (IPHRC) to continue examining the situation of the Rohingya Muslim
Minority in Myanmar as a priority issue on its agenda.
10:-The Meeting expressed its deep appreciation and
gratitude to the Government of Malaysia for its hospitality and excellent
arrangements in hosting the meeting.
