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Organization of Islamic Cooperation welcomes decision of the Government of Maldives to file a declaration of intervention in the International Court of Justice, in support of the Rohingya people

10 March 2020

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has welcomed the decision of the Maldives to file a declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in support of The Gambia’s case against Myanmar, to seek accountability for the acts of Genocide against the Rohingya people. Pakistan, on behalf of the OIC, welcomed the decision when delivering the Organization’s statement during the discussion on Secretary-General’s Oral Update on the Involvement of the United Nations in Myanmar.

The delegate from Pakistan, on behalf of the OIC, stated that the Maldives’ decision to file a declaration of intervention at the ICJ to facilitate The Gambia’s case adds crucial momentum for the pursuit of justice for the Rohingya people.The OIC considers the plight of the Rohingya people to be one of the most important issues faced by the Islamic Ummah. In 2018, during the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, it was decided to establish an “Ad-Hoc Ministerial Committee on Accountability for Human Rights Violations Against the Rohingya”, with The Gambia as the Chair. In 2019, during the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers meeting held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, the OIC adopted a unanimous resolution to file a case at the ICJ to restore the human rights of all Rohingya people. In 2019, during the 14th Islamic Summit held in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, the Heads of States of the OIC endorsed the Final Communique of the Summit which gave authority to The Gambia, on behalf of the OIC, to pursue the case at the ICJ with a view to restoring the basic human rights of the Rohingya people, and to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Following the imposition of provisional measures on the Government of Myanmar by the ICJ, to stop acts of Genocide, the Maldives’ decision to file a declaration of intervention was welcomed throughout the Islamic world, including the 57 Member States of the OIC. This decision by the Maldives has also been welcomed by many of the Rohingya diaspora and groups advocating for the human rights of Rohingya people.The decision to file the declaration of intervention in the ICJ was announced by His Excellency Abdulla Shahid, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his remarks at the High-level Segment of the ongoing session of the Human Rights Council.

The Maldives has consistently advocated for accountability against the perpetrators of violence against the Rohingya people, the provision of unfettered humanitarian access to UN personnel, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar and the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

ENDS