Myanmar’s Weaponization of COVID-19 To International Donors, NGOs, Financial Institutions and Governments „ Call on the Myanmar government and Myanmar military to comply with its international obligations, to abide by international human rights laws and principles and humanitarian law by: z Immediately implementing a meaningful and comprehensive nationwide ceasefire z Halting the perpetration of grave human rights violations in ethnic areas z Ending the internet shutdown and blocks on ethnic media z Ensuring the free and unobstructed passage of humanitarian aid z Ceasing the prosecution and harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, activists and artists; „ Hold Myanmar accountable for grave international crimes, either through a UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court or an ad hoc tribunal; „ Support a moratorium on and withdraw from large-scale investment and natural resource extraction initiatives and demand the Myanmar government give decisionmaking power on the future of these projects to local communities; „ Amid serious and credible charges against Myanmar for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide, all international donors have a responsibility to ensure that their funds are not misused to offset the cost of ongoing military offensives against ethnic nationalities. It must be understood that in this extremely sensitive political context, the central government is not a neutral actor, and funding directed solely through Naypyidaw threatens to exacerbate armed conflict and undermine ethnic rights and existing ethnic health infrastructures. Therefore, international actors supporting COVID-19 relief efforts must: z Make their assistance available to parties on all sides of the conflict through a variety of aid channels to ensure that it reaches the country’s most marginalized communities affected by the civil war, including z The provision of direct cross-border and equitable funding to EHOs and ethnic community-based organizations providing essential services to displaced persons and other conflict-affected areas for COVID-19 response. 47