"Myanma Military Regime, Stop the Vortex of Violence"

21 Domestic and International Local Governments Issue Joint Statement Urging Democratization in Myanmar

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced a joint statement on the 3rd, together with 21 domestic and international local governments, supporting the Myanmar democratization movement and urging the protection of human rights.

This statement marks a step beyond the individual announcements previously made by local governments, as mayors of cities worldwide united their voices in solidarity with the UCLG (United Cities and Local Governments) Human Rights Commission.

Gwangju led the announcement of the statement as a co-chair city of the UCLG Human Rights Commission.

On the 6th of last month, Gwangju Mayor Lee Yong-seop held a video conference with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Secretary-General of UCLG, and the Mayor of Barcelona, agreeing to issue a joint statement at the UCLG level and to express support at the UN level.

The joint statement was actively participated in by 17 domestic cities and provinces and 4 overseas cities.

Domestically, all cities and provinces joined to express nationwide interest and support for the Myanmar situation.

Overseas, the French cities of Gonesse and the Council of Saint-Denis, the Dutch city of Utrecht, and the Spanish city of Barcelona, all chair cities of the UCLG Human Rights Commission, participated. Subsequently, the UCLG Human Rights Commission plans to expand participation in the statement to cities worldwide.

The participating cities called on the Myanmar military regime to stop the spiral of violence, restore peace and democracy in Myanmar, and take concrete measures to ensure respect for human rights principles.

They also requested local governments worldwide to adopt their own statements on the Myanmar situation and to join in solidarity with Myanmar nationals in their countries and support the activities of local civil society organizations in Myanmar.

Mayor Lee Yong-seop of Gwangju said, “This joint statement announcement is the result of active cooperation among the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, UCLG, and Gwangju City, and it holds great significance in inducing interest and support from local governments worldwide regarding the Myanmar situation.” He added, “Gwangju will continue to cooperate with these two organizations on international human rights issues to enhance the status of Gwangju as a city of democracy, human rights, and peace.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.