ADVISORY COMMISSION ON RAKHINE STATE (c) The scope of the report This report contains the final recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission, submitted to the Government of Myanmar at the end of the Commission’s mandate. As far as possible, the Commission has sought to keep the report short and concise. First and foremost, the report is a reflection of the Commission’s extensive consultation process, and the input and advice received from a variety of different stakeholders. Secondly, the report builds on the Commission’s interim report, published on 16 March 2017. While the interim report was limited to addressing urgent issues necessitating immediate government action, the final report addresses all issues covered by the Commission’s mandate. As such, some of the recommendations provided in this report represent a continuation or expansion of the Commission’s interim recommendations, while others – in particular those related to more long-term and structural issues – have been added. The Commission is not mandated to investigate specific cases of alleged human rights violations. Rather, it seeks to address institutional and structural issues which undermine the prospects for peace, justice and development in Rakhine, and to propose concrete steps that may contribute to improving the well-being of all communities in the state. (d) The Commission’s modus operandi: A short overview of the consultation process The Commission has sought input and advice from a wide range of stakeholders. It has sought to ensure full participation of the Rakhine and Muslim communities, and has consulted an equal number of Rakhine and Muslim stakeholders. The Commission has also made special efforts to include youth, women, and small minority groups in its consultations. In Rakhine State, the Commission met with the Rakhine State Government, the Rakhine Parliament (on the Commission’s first visit to Rakhine in September 2016), political parties, religious institutions, civil society organizations, village elders, private sector representatives, and residents of various villages and Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps. Beyond the two main communities in the state, the Commission has also consulted representatives of smaller ethnic and religious FINAL REPORT 13