![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Asia-Pacific-Report.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1\")
<\/p>\n10 July 2025 | 11:25 CAT
\n2-minute read<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yasmin\u202fUllah, a Rohingya author and social justice activist based in Vancouver, has cautiously welcomed the recent United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution aimed at holding Myanmar\u2019s military regime accountable. But she warns that without sustained global attention and concrete measures, it risks becoming symbolic theatrics.<\/p>\n
Ullah, whose advocacy grew from her work with the Rohingya Human Rights Network, noted that the July 4 resolution\u2014adopted without a vote\u2014formally condemns the junta\u2019s gross human rights violations and for the first time calls for reparations for victims of land dispossession. She described the resolution as \u201crecognition in words, but it is meaningful regardless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yet Ullah cautioned that words mean little if they lack follow-through. The UN\u2019s recent resolution builds on the precedent set in April, where the Council condemned indiscriminate airstrikes, forced conscription, blockages on humanitarian aid, and crimes potentially amounting to war crimes.<\/p>\n
Still, the activist urged the international community to keep up the pressure. She emphasiSed that \u201cperpetrators are one and the same,\u201d linking Myanmar\u2019s abuses with other global crises\u2014from Palestinian communities to Uyghur forced labor.<\/p>\n
\u201cChinese government, for example, have been a huge supporter of the military junta in Myanmar. And that is something that we need to take into account.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Ullah, accountability must extend beyond rhetoric. She pointed to deadlines\u2014such as the September 2025 High\u2011Level Conference in New York\u2014wherein the UN Assembly is expected to discuss \u201cvoluntary, safe and dignified return\u201d of Rohingya refugees. She said the challenge now lies in turning internal UN mechanisms into enforceable actions.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are connections in terms of weaponry, transfer of these weapons, oil and gas companies,\u201d she asserted, stressing the role of corporate accountability.<\/p>\n
The scale of the crisis in Myanmar remains dire. More than 3,5 million people are internally displaced, and over 20 million rely on humanitarian aid. Rohingya communities, still living in refugee camps in Bangladesh, continue to suffer poor conditions: more than 120 000 have been newly displaced, many facing inadequate shelter and sanitation, worsened by funding cuts.<\/p>\n
Ullah stressed that international cooperation must prioritise capacity-building in these camps, rather than indefinite dependence on aid.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow about we ensure that the Rohingya can actually build on the skill set that they already have?\u201d she asked, highlighting the community\u2019s agrarian background and artisanal heritage, which have been stifled by prolonged displacement.<\/p>\n
Education, too, is a casualty. Over 2 000 learning centres in the camps have shut down due to funding shortfalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren\u2019s education\u2026over 3 000 learning centres\u2026have been completely closed down because of this funding cut,\u201d Ullah lamented, calling for renewed investment.<\/p>\n
With no immediate hope of return\u2014even if a junta collapse occurs\u2014Ullah urged policymakers to shift from repatriation fantasies to pragmatic empowerment. Only then, she argued, can Rohingya individuals contribute to their nation\u2019s eventual rebuilding\u2014akin to South Africa’s post-apartheid renaissance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people are kept in this kind of squalid condition, they will not be able to contribute,\u201d she said. \u201cWe hope that after\u2026we rebuild the country\u2026and the military has been kicked out, we would need a lot of people to be able to build this nation back up.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN resolution may mark a turning point on paper. But as Ullah\u2019s words underline, diplomacy must now translate into decisive, lasting change\u2014through accountability for perpetrators, tangible reparations, and enabling Rohingya agency rather than dependency.<\/p>\n