United Nations refuses to recognize Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing as president in updated diplomatic list

Mizzima

The United Nations has officially declined to recognize Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as the president of Myanmar, despite his recent swearing-in ceremony.

In an updated list of heads of state and foreign ministers released by the UN Department of General Assembly and Conference Management (DGACM) on 13 April, the global body reaffirmed its recognition of the pre-coup leadership.

According to the official UN designation, Win Myint remains the President of Myanmar, while State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi continues to be listed as the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

This list serves as the definitive guide for the UN regarding diplomatic ceremonies, official invitations, and formal international communications, effectively signaling that the military leader’s transition to the presidency lacks international legitimacy within the UN framework.

On 3 April, Myanmar military leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing was elected president for 2026 in a parliamentary vote and was sworn in on 10 April at the Union Parliament.

According to the 2026 Pyidaungsu Hluttaw statement, the swearing-in ceremony was attended by 16 ambassadors and seven chargés d’affaires from 23 countries, along with senior officials including the Vice Chairman of the Political Consultative Conference of China, the Speaker of Belarus’s House of Representatives, the Vice Speaker of Russia’s State Duma, Cambodia’s special representative to ASEAN, and Thailand’s former deputy prime minister and foreign minister.

Following the Myanmar military’s seizure of power in February 2021, President Win Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi were sentenced to a combined 27 years in prison on charges including violations of the Export-Import Law, the Environmental Management Law, and the Anti-Corruption Law.