1. The Myanmar National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC) was reconstituted with 11 Commission Members, including the Chairman, under Order No. 3/2020 of the Office of the President, on 14 January 2020.
2. Since then, the MNHRC has commenced its functions in full swing in accordance with the functions and powers conferred on it under the MNHRC Law Law No. (21/2014), by carrying out the activities to promote and protect human rights. These activities include, among others, giving human rights awareness lectures, participating in the Human Rights Awareness Raising Workshops for the officials of forest department held in Hmaw-Bi township, Yangon Region and Pathein township, Ayeyawady Region, inspection visits to the Mandalay Central Prison, Meikhtila Prison, 5 labour camps under the Prison Department, hospital guard-ward, police detention centres and court lock-ups in Mandalay Region, Pyay Prison, Paungde Prison, hospital guard-ward, police detention centres and court lock-ups in Bago Region (West), handling a total of (147) complaints and sending the findings on the complaints together with the recommendations to the relevant departments and organizations and sending MNHRC’s comments and recommendations on the Protection and Prevention of Violence against Women (POVAW) Bill to the Speaker of the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw.
3. The MNHRC had a working meeting with the UNDP led by UN Resident Representative Mr. Gordon Johnson, met with Democracy Reporting International (DRI), engaged with Shwe Min Tha Foundation (Myanmar) and met with the Ambassador of Singapore to Myanmar for further cooperation in the field of human rights.
4. To achieve the objectives of the MNHRC Law and, particularly to improve human rights situation on the ground to the extent possible and practicable, the Commission plans to further expand its usual activities by engaging, coordinating and cooperating with all stakeholders, including civil society organizations and registered non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights.
5. For these reasons, the MNHRC requests Civil Society Organizations and registered non-governmental organizations working in the field of human rights to provide the following to the MNHRC at 27, Pyay Road, Hlaing Township, Yangon, dydirectormnhrc@gmail.com, and fax no. 01 654 670:-
(a) Name and Profile of the organization, including contact information;
(b) Documents demonstrating that their work programmes are relevant to the activities to promote, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the list of their duties and work programmes;
(c) Information on the decision–making processes of the organization;
(d) Copies of the constitution or charter of the organization and registration papers;
(e) List of members of the organization’s governing bodies;
(f) A paper identifying areas in which the organization pro-poses to cooperate with the MNHRC;
(g) Information, if any, on the organization’s specific expertise or proven experience and capacity in the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms.
6. With the above information provided, the MNHRC will be able to consult the most relevant organizations whenever it plans to initiate an activity to promote, protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. This will provide an opportunity, if necessary, to consider their full participation in the said activity.
7. Through this approach, the MNHRC believes that the plural-ist representation of the social forces will be ensured in the activities of the MNHRC to some extent and an enabling environment will be created in which all relevant stakeholders have an important role to play in promoting and protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country.
Myanmar National Human Rights Commission
Date: 28 February 2020
Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar