Decision concerning the follow-up to the resolution concerning the measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the ILO Constitution on the subject of Myanmar

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 the resolution concerning the measures recommended by the Governing Body under article 33 of the ILO Constitution on the subject of Myanmar, adopted by the Conference at its 113th Session (2025), and noting with utmost concern that, while certain limited steps have been taken to release some detained unionists, those isolated measures fall short of demonstrating genuine engagement or credible progress towards full implementation of the recommendations formulated by the Commission of Inquiry in its 2023 report, which emphasized the urgency of the national situation, the Governing Body:

(a) as regards the 2021 resolution:

• (i) deplored once again the continued absence of progress towards respecting the will of the people and restoring democratic institutions and processes over five years since the military coup, and expressed deep concern over the military-organized general elections;

• (ii) 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 and unconditional release of those detained without resorting to section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure;

(b) as regards the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry and the 2025 resolution:

• (i) called on the military authorities to:

  • immediately cease all violations identified by the Commission of Inquiry and ensure that employers' and workers' organizations be able to exercise their rights in a climate of freedom and security, free from violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, and revoke without delay 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;
  • take immediate action to put an end, in law and in practice, to any forced recruitment into the military contrary to the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), including the forced recruitment of children;
  • provide the necessary guarantees and assurances at the highest level which would allow an ILO mission to visit the country and to carry out its mandate in full independence and security, with no retaliation, sanction or prejudice to any person being in contact with it, and continue to engage with the Office to determine the modalities of a possible mission;
  • submit to the Director-General all information on the measures taken to implement the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry by 24 April 2026 for transmission to the Committee on the Application of Standards for its special sitting and any relevant information on further developments by 21 September 2026 for transmission to the Governing Body at its 358th Session (November 2026);

• (ii) invited the Organization's constituents - governments, employers and workers - to continue taking steps to ensure an effective follow-up to the 2025 Conference resolution, including a review of their relations with the military authorities to ensure that they do not enable, facilitate or prolong, the violations of workers' rights in respect of freedom of association and forced labour, and respect for the principle of non-refoulement, and provide information to the Director-General on any measures taken and other developments by 21 September 2026 for transmission to the Governing Body at its 358th Session (November 2026);

• (iii) took note of the Office's plan of action to implement the Conference resolution and called on the Director-General to:

  • continue taking steps to implement the 2025 Conference resolution, including through direct support to Myanmar workers, employers and their organizations in line with the United Nations Country Team programmatic engagement guidelines, and through increased collaboration within the United Nations system to ensure coordinated action on the implementation of the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry;
  • continue to closely monitor the situation in Myanmar with regard to the exercise of freedom of association and the prohibition of forced or compulsory labour, including through the finalization of the preparatory phase of the proposed monitoring mechanism, in consultation with the International Organisation of Employers and the International Trade Union Confederation, for the confidential and credible documentation of ongoing violations, subject to the identification of available resources under Part I of the programme and budget for the current biennium or, failing that, through the use of the provision for unforeseen expenditure under Part II given that the necessary financial and human resources were not budgeted in the Programme and Budget for 2026-27;
  • submit a report on the latest developments in the country to inform the special sitting of the Committee on the Application of Standards at the 114th Session (2026) of the Conference;
  • submit to the Governing Body at its 358th Session (November 2026) a document providing an update on relevant developments in the country, including progress made by Myanmar regarding compliance with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry and measures taken by the Organization's constituents to implement the 2025 Conference resolution, as well as an update on the operationalization of the monitoring mechanism for documentation of ongoing violations of fundamental rights;

(c) called once again on the military authorities to continue to ensure, in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the Specialized Agencies of 21 November 1947, that no restrictions be placed on the operation of the ILO's bank account, to approve all international staff visa extensions requested and to facilitate the ILO's continued operations to bring benefit to the people of Myanmar despite the expiry of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Decent Work Country Programme in September 2022.

(GB.356/INS/13(Rev.2), paragraph 78)