A/HRC/RES/39/14
Welcoming the announcement of the President of Burundi not to run in the
presidential election in 2020 as an encouraging sign contributing to opening up public and
democratic space ahead of the election and to attaining a rule-based change of power,
Welcoming also the efforts of the facilitator for the inter-Burundi dialogue led by the
East African Community, President Benjamin William Mkapa, and the mediator, President
Yoweri Museveni, and the renewed commitment expressed by the Heads of State at the
nineteenth ordinary summit of the East African Community on 23 February 2018 to a
peaceful resolution of the political situation in Burundi by opening up political space and
through inclusive dialogue based on the principles of the Arusha Agreement, notably ahead
of the presidential election in 2020,
Noting with appreciation the repeated efforts made by the international community,
including those by the African Union, the East African Community, the African
Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the Peacebuilding Commission, the Special
Envoy of the Secretary-General for Burundi and the European Union, to find a peaceful,
consensual and long-lasting solution to the current crisis,
Taking note of the report of the Secretary-General on the situation in Burundi 1 and
the observations and recommendations contained therein, including those on the need to
convene an inclusive dialogue and to re-establish cooperation with United Nations human
rights mechanisms,
Recalling the statement made by the President of the Security Council on 5 April
20182 and Council press statement of 22 August 2018, in which the members of the Council
voiced their deep concern at the political situation in Burundi, the slow progress of the
inter‑Burundian dialogue and the lack of engagement by the Government of Burundi in that
process, while expressing alarm at the continuously worrying human rights and
humanitarian situation, in particular regarding fundamental freedoms, and recalled the
commitments made by the Government during the thirty‑sixth session of the Human Rights
Council to re-establish full mutual cooperation with the Office of the United Nations High
Commissioner in Bujumbura and to accept the visit of a team of three experts from the
Office of the High Commissioner,
Recalling also resolution 396 on the human rights situation in Burundi, adopted by
the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at its sixty-second ordinary
session, held from 25 April to 9 May 2018, in which it called upon the Government of
Burundi to conduct without delay transparent and impartial investigations against all those
responsible for human rights violations and abuses in order to bring the perpetrators to
justice,
Welcoming the work of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi, including its recent
report,3 and deploring the continued refusal by the Government of Burundi to cooperate
with the Commission by, inter alia, denying it access to the country,
Deploring the decision by the Government of Burundi to declare the three members
of the Commission of Inquiry on Burundi persona non grata in retaliation for the report
presented by the Commission to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-ninth session,3 and
urging the Government to reconsider and revoke its decision,
Deploring also the threats, intimidation and personal attacks being directed by
representatives of the Government of Burundi against the members of the Commission of
Inquiry, including during the interactive dialogues held by the Human Rights Council and
the Third Committee,
Deploring further the lack of follow-up by the Government of Burundi on the
recommendations made the Commission of Inquiry in its previous report,4
1
2
3
4
2
S/2018/89.
S/PRST/2018/7.
A/HRC/39/63.
A/HRC/36/54 and Corr.1.