Decision concerning the follow-up to the report of the Commission of Inquiry concerning the non-observance by Myanmar of Conventions Nos 87 and 29

Recalling the resolution for a return to democracy and respect for fundamental rights in Myanmar adopted by the International Labour Conference at its 109th Session (2021) and noting with utmost concern the absence of any action towards the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry in its 2023 report which emphasized the urgency of the national situation, the Governing Body:

(a) deplored once again the continued absence of progress towards respecting the will of the people, democratic institutions and processes, and the fact that, over three years since the military coup, the democratically elected Government had yet to be restored;

(b) once again called on the military authorities to end immediately all acts of violence, and the arbitrary arrest, detention and torture of trade unionists, labour activists and others, including the Rohingya, in the exercise of their human rights and ensure the immediate release of those detained;

(c) repeated its call for Myanmar to ensure that workers’ and employers’ organizations are able to exercise their rights in a climate of freedom and security, free from violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, by means of the full implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, which include the revocation of any military orders, legislative or other measures, decreed since February 2021 and identified as restricting freedom of association and the basic civil liberties of trade unionists;

(d) expressed once again its profound concern over the conclusions of the Commission’s report concerning the exaction of forced labour by the military authorities and called for immediate action to be taken to put an end, in law and in practice, to any forced recruitment into the military contrary to Convention No. 29, including the forced recruitment of children;

(e) called once again on the military authorities, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of 21 November 1947, to take immediate action to remove all restrictions on the operation of the ILO’s bank account, approve international staff visa extensions and facilitate the ILO’s continued operations to bring benefits to the people of Myanmar despite the expiry of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Decent Work Country Programme in September 2022;

(f) requested the Director-General to continue to inform it of the ILO’s engagement within the framework of the UN system to ensure that the Commission’s recommendations are acted upon within each body’s respective mandates;

(g) requested the Director-General to submit to the Governing Body at its 352nd Session (October–November 2024) a document providing an update on any developments and detailing options, taking account of the views expressed, for measures under article 33 of the ILO Constitution as well as other measures to secure compliance by Myanmar with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry, including setting out a draft resolution under article 33 of the ILO Constitution for decision.

(GB.351/INS/9(Rev.1), paragraph 29)