The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) convened an Extraordinary Session on the Situation of the Rohingya Muslim Minority in Myanmar, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 19 January 2017, under the Chairmanship of Malaysia. The Meeting expressed grave concern at the recent eruption of violence in northern Rakhine that resulted in the loss of innocent lives and displaced tens of thousands of Rohingya people, and called upon the Government of Myanmar to take decisive steps to restore calm to the affected areas. The Government of Myanmar should ensure that the security forces act in accordance with the rule of law and that all perpetrators of acts of violence be held accountable. The Meeting also urged the Government of Myanmar to abide by its obligations under international law, international humanitarian law and human rights covenants, and take all necessary measures to stop the violence and discrimination against the Rohingya Muslim Minority and continued attempts to deny their culture and identity. The Meeting further urged the Government of Myanmar to eliminate the root causes affecting the Rohingya Muslim Minority. In this regard, the Meeting renewed its call upon the Government of Myanmar to restore the citizenship of the Rohingya Muslims which was revoked in the Citizenship Act of 1982. The Meeting urged the authorities of Myanmar to take effective measures to prevent the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State. The Meeting also expressed appreciation to OIC Member States that have extended humanitarian assistance to the affected communities and urged the international community and OIC Member States to do so. The Meeting called upon the Government of Myanmar to take all necessary measures to restore peace and inter-communal harmony through dialogue and a comprehensive national peace and reconciliation process involving all segments of society in Myanmar. In this regard, the importance of moderation was underlined as a core value in countering extremism and terrorism in all their aspects. --More
