A/HRC/25/64 border areas and the absence of accountability. In advance of a national ceasefire accord that is implemented by all sides, he reiterates his call for military and non-State actors to abide by humanitarian and human rights law. Furthermore, he hopes to see included in the eventual nationwide ceasefire accord specific references to respect for human rights and humanitarian law, which could be incorporated into a code of conduct for the military and ethnic armed groups. 36. The ethnic armed groups the Special Rapporteur met during his latest visit retain high levels of mistrust towards the Government and the military. That is partly due to the poor implementation of ceasefire agreements. Establishing a comprehensive system of monitoring will need to form an integral part of the next stage of negotiations. Monitoring groups should be given freedom of movement and include representation from civil society and community-based groups. During his meeting with Aung Min, the Special Rapporteur welcomed the news that progress is being made with the establishment of local monitoring groups, and was encouraged by his openness to future international participation in such monitoring. The United Nationalities Federal Council in Chiang Mai, Thailand informed the Special Rapporteur that international participation in monitoring would play an important role in reassuring the ethnic armed groups that agreements were being implemented and, subsequently, help to build trust. 37. The Government has made clear that political dialogue will follow the signing of a national ceasefire agreement. However, in the Special Rapporteur’s meetings with ethnic armed groups, there was deep-seated mistrust that this would happen, which finds its source in a long history of ceasefires which have not led to political dialogue on underlying grievances. The Government will therefore need to set a clear time frame for prompt progress towards political talks following the signing of a national ceasefire accord, and stick firmly to that timetable. 38. In October’s monthly radio address (2013), the President acknowledged that ceasefire agreements alone would not lead to lasting peace and that the root causes of the problems would have to be resolved through political means. He also stated that the peace process would only be successful if it was fully inclusive, which the Special Rapporteur welcomes. The Special Rapporteur emphasizes the importance of political dialogue abiding by the human rights principles of participation, transparency, accountability, equality and non-discrimination. This will require greater participation and representation of local communities and women. Ceasefire talks have so far been limited mostly to male leaders on both sides. Addressing those flaws in the process will help to ensure that political talks forge agreements which address the underlying grievances of the ethnic minority groups, including their full range of human rights concerns. 39. The Special Rapporteur notes that, since his visit in August 2013, humanitarian access has improved to the over 50,000 IDPs in non-government controlled areas in Kachin State and northern Shan State. However, access is still granted on an ad hoc basis and he urges the state and national governments to ensure regular, systematic access for humanitarian organizations, including the United Nations. 40. About 400,000 people remain internally displaced in the south-east of Myanmar, with a further 120,000 refugees living in temporary sites along the Thai-Myanmar border. Some of the refugees have been residing in the Thai-Myanmar border camps for more than 25 years. During his latest visit, the Special Rapporteur heard from refugees about their feelings of insecurity when contemplating a return to Myanmar, which included uncertainty about access to land and livelihoods and concerns about how secure their land would be from confiscation by the military or the ethnic armed groups. The Special Rapporteur highlights the relevance of the Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement and the Principles on Housing and Property Restitution for Refugees and Displaced Persons. He 10

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