Response on Christian Solidarity Worldwide “Change for Burma” Campaign

June 2008

Thank you for your letter about the humanitarian situation in Burma.

The UK’s overall contribution to the relief effort now stands at £27.5 million, delivered though the UN, the Red Cross, and NGOs experiences in humanitarian crises in Burma. We have made some progress in getting aid to the 2.4 million people who desperately need it. As you are aware, three weeks of intense diplomatic activity in New York, Brussels and regional capitals, culminating in Ban Ki-moon’s visit to Burma and the 25 May donor’s conference, has resulted in concessions on access from the regime and the creation of a UN/ASEAN mechanism to monitor and oversee the relief effort. The challenge now is to ensure that the regime’s promises and ASEAN’s good intentions are turned into concrete action. This is where we are focusing our efforts.

In responding to the humanitarian crisis in Burma, our priority has always been to find the most effective ways of saving lives in the delta. We believe that the best way forward is to accelerate the incremental improvements on access which have already been made, and to keep pressing our international partners to increase their efforts to deliver assistance. Delivering aid without the consent of the Burmese regime is not something that we believe would be appropriate or practical at present. It would also put at risk the diplomatic progress that has been made so far and which we are continuing to pursue vigorously.

On the issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC), I am replying on behalf of the Foreign Secretary. While 106 states are parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty under which the ICC was founded, Burma is not one of them and as a result, it would require a Chapter VII Security Council Resolution to refer the situation in Burma to the ICC Prosecutor. Our efforts to get the current crisis in Burma addressed by the Security Council have been blocked and this is unlikely to change in the short term.

Through the Human rights Council and bilaterally, we have called for the new Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Tomás Ojea Quintana, to be given full and unfettered access to all parts of Burma. An early visit by him would be best to secure an authoritative assessment of the situation on the ground.

The world is watching Burma’s military government very carefully. If the Burmese regime does not fulfil the commitments they have made to allow more aid into the delta, we will not hesitate to raise the issue again in the Security Council.

Douglas Alexander
Secretarty of State for International Development

For further information on DFID and Burma

Press release: UK Government to give additional aid to relief efforts in Burma - 9 July 2008
 

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