Ministers of Foreign Affairs and of International Development and La Francophonie welcome final report from Special Envoy to Myanmar

Statement

April 3, 2018 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, today issued the following statement on the release of the final report of the Honourable Bob Rae, Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar:

“We welcome today’s release of the final report and recommendations from Canada’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, which affirms the urgent need to resolve the humanitarian and security crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State and to alleviate its tragic impact on the more than 671,000 Rohingya who have fled their homes since August 2017, crossing the border into neighbouring Bangladesh.

“We continue to engage like-minded countries as well as regional and international partners on a resolution to the crisis. We are seized by the unacceptable persecution of hundreds of thousands of people, including the Rohingya, and other religious and ethnic minorities, and particularly women and girls. Such acts are crimes against humanity. It was in this context that we sanctioned a key military leader in February 2018 and it is why we continue to speak out in defence of human rights.

“Canada was one of the first countries to respond to this humanitarian and security crisis and remains one of the top global donors. In November 2017, Minister Bibeau traveled to Bangladesh to witness the devastating impact of the Rohingya refugee crisis and assess the best ways for Canada to assist. In advance of the upcoming monsoon season, we announced on March 16, 2018, $8.15 million in funding for emergency preparedness and assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities. This brings the Government of Canada’s total humanitarian assistance contribution to $45.9 million since the beginning of 2017. During the eligibility period of the Myanmar Crisis Relief Fund, Canadians also generously donated $12.5 million to charities.

 “We can and must do more. That is why we will continue to engage at home and abroad over the coming days and weeks to register our deep concern about the crisis and to seek a path forward with the international community.

“As mentioned in the Prime Minister’s statement earlier today, in the coming weeks, we will assess the recommendations in this report and outline the further measures we intend to take.”

Associated links

Contacts

Adam Austen
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Adam.Austen@international.gc.ca

Justine Lesage
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-5977
justine.lesage@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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