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Report of the ILO mission to Burma



Report of ILO mission to Burma (17-19 May 2001)

The Mission report is now on the ILO website in pdf at
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc89/reports.htm

Scroll down to
C. App./D.7: Arrangements for an objective assessment of the situation of 
forced labour following
measures taken by the Myanmar Government (PDF version)

and click on the blue line.

I will post a Text version in a little while.

In the meantime, here is Appendix 5, which is the tofu of the report:

Appendix 5
Understanding on an ILO objective assessment

Recalling previous discussions which were reported to the Governing Body at 
its March 2001
session relating to the possibility of an objective assessment being 
carried out by the ILO with
respect to the practical implementation and actual impact of the framework 
of legislative, executive
and administrative measures reported by the Government, within the overall 
objective of the
complete elimination of forced labour in law and in practice;

Recognizing now the desirability of such an assessment being carried out as 
soon as practicable;

Noting the importance in this connection of the observation made by the ILO 
Committee of Experts
on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations in its 2001 report;

Aware of the need to respect the sovereign right of the country as well as 
the independence of the
Organization in the discharge of its functions;

The Government of Myanmar agrees to receive a high-level team (HLT) to 
carry out an objective
assessment under the following conditions designed to ensure its credibility:

1. The team will be composed of high-level persons appointed by the ILO 
Director-General on
the basis of their recognized qualifications, impartiality and knowledge of 
the region.

2. Taking into consideration seasonal weather conditions, the assessment 
shall be carried out in
September 2001. The time needed to carry out the assessment in Myanmar 
could involve up
to three weeks.

3. The members of the HLT shall enjoy, for the purpose and duration of the 
mission, the same
protection and status accorded to officials of comparable ranks in the 
United Nations.

4. The HLT shall have complete discretion to establish and implement its 
program of work,
meetings and visits, taking into account the indications provided, inter 
alia, in the
aforementioned observation of the Committee of Experts on the Application 
of Conventions
and Recommendations, and subject only to valid considerations of security. 
For this purpose,
the HLT shall be accorded full cooperation from the relevant Myanmar 
authorities. During the
establishment and implementation of the HLT's programme, the HLT and the 
Government
may call upon the assistance of a facilitator recognized by all parties 
concerned as being a
knowledgeable and fair intermediary.

5. Based on the results of the assessment, the HLT may provide such advice 
and comments as it
deems appropriate.

6. The report of the HLT will promptly be made available to the 
Director-General and the
Government and transmitted to the Governing Body for consideration at its 
November 2001
session.

19 May 2001. (Initialled) U Soe Nyunt,
Chairman of the Myanmar
Negotiating Team.
Francis Maupain.

*******************
On the surface, the trickiest point seems to be whether the HLT will get
access to the areas where most forced labour is used, namely the border
regions where the Burma Army is deployed in strength. If it doesn't, the
credibility of the Mission will undoubtedly be questioned.

David Arnott (Burma Peace Foundation, Geneva)