A/HRC/16/59 capable of providing remedy, including independent courts to receive claims regarding the right to education. Best practices in other places have shown the importance of the participation of parents and children in school governance and in the adoption of educational policies, thus underscoring the value of a human rights-based approach to education. E. International cooperation 82. With additional serious investment in education, Myanmar could achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to education. The Special Rapporteur encourages the Government of Myanmar to continue cooperation with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency to address the many challenges in ensuring the right to education as well as to consider expanding the range of partners for this very important area of development, particularly in regard to local groups. 83. The Special Adviser to the United Nations Secretary-General was able to continue the good offices dialogue through his visit on 27 and 28 November 2010, the first visit since the Secretary-General’s own visit in July 2009. The Special Rapporteur hopes that this renewed direct engagement by the Special Adviser with authorities in Myanmar and other stakeholders, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, representatives of political parties who participated in the elections, and civil society, heralds an era of greater cooperation with the United Nations. 84. According to reports, the cooperation between the Government and the United Nations and the international humanitarian community in ensuring that emergency relief assistance was delivered to the victims of Cyclone Giri, which hit Rakhine State in October 2010, was both effective and timely. Cyclone Giri affected at least 200,000 people in Myanmar, causing 45 deaths, destroying 15,000 houses, damaging another 60,000 houses, and leaving 71,000 people homeless. The Government and Myanmar Red Cross Society had taken preparedness measures, including evacuation of the populations, and responded quickly by deploying senior Government officials to the affected areas. 85. Nevertheless, the Special Rapporteur remains concerned that full humanitarian access continues to be elusive and that practical problems, such as timely issuance of visas for United Nations staff and other humanitarian workers, continue to hamper efforts. 86. Ongoing consultations between the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Government on the United Nations strategic framework for the period of 2012-2015 have resulted in the Government’s endorsement of the four strategic priorities identified by the UNCT, one of which includes promoting good governance, democracy and human rights. 87. The Special Rapporteur is pleased to learn that a two-year Memorandum of Understanding has been signed by the Government and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for operations in south-eastern Myanmar aimed at assisting communities affected by the long-running conflict in the area. In 2010, the Government agreed to allow two new international humanitarian partners to work with UNHCR in this region. 88. The Special Rapporteur notes with appreciation that the International Labour Organization (ILO) has continued to address the elimination of forced labour in Myanmar with the one-year extension of the Supplementary Understanding in 26 Feb 2010. The ILO reports that during 2010, 327 complaints were received, of which 54 alleged traditional forced labour and 201 concerned cases of underage recruitment, while the others encompassed issues outside the ILO mandate, such as land confiscation, corruption and labour disputes. 17

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