US Lawmakers Urge Ambassador to UN to Support Myanmar's Permanent Representative Kyaw Moe Tun

A bipartisan group of prominent U.S. lawmakers has sent a formal letter to U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, urging the United States to support Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun in retaining his position representing Myanmar at the UN.

The October 14 letter was signed by key congressional leaders, including Congressional Burma Caucus Co-Chairs Bill Huizenga and Betty McCollum, U.S. Representative Jefferson Shreve, House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Gregory W. Meeks, House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific Chairwoman Young Kim, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Ami Bera.

The text of the congressional letter to Ambassador Waltz reads as follows:

"Dear Ambassador Waltz,

We write in advance of the Burmese military junta’s attempt to legitimize its sham electoral process before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly Credentials Committee by replacing the current Permanent Ambassador to the UN for Myanmar, U Kyaw Moe Tun, with a junta-appointed representative.

We respectfully urge the United States Mission to the UN to continue supporting the current Permanent Ambassador and oppose any effort to credential or seat a junta-appointed official.

Even before the 2021 military coup in Burma, the United States has long supported democracy, human rights, and accountability in the country. Following the coup and amid the ongoing civil war, Burma’s representation at the UN has remained unchanged due to the UN Credentials Committee's deferment on the issue. During this time, Burma’s democratic representatives have engaged effectively with the UN on humanitarian access, civilian protection, and atrocity prevention. Any alteration to that deferral would pose concrete risks to American interests and the integrity of the United Nations.

As you well know, allowing the Burmese junta to align its UN votes and participation with American adversaries, such as Iran and China, sends a detrimental message abroad. The military regime relies heavily on these principal partners for diplomatic protection, military cooperation, economic backing, and access to fuel for airstrikes against its own civilians. Furthermore, the junta's recent electoral maneuvers occurred amid armed conflict, mass displacement, severe repression, the detention of political opponents, and the exclusion of major democratic parties. This electoral façade does not alter the underlying character of military rule, which continues to exercise power through coercion, violence, and emergency decrees, nor does rebranding military control as civilian governance cure the absence of democratic legitimacy, constitutional authority, or popular consent.

Any such changes to UN representation would fail to reflect the will of the Burmese people and their democratic aspirations. Credentialing the junta would reward a military regime for seizing power, brutalizing its population, staging a non-credible electoral process, and deepening its reliance on foreign authoritarian backers. Timing is crucial, and the United States is especially well-positioned to act.

As a leading UN Member State and a customary member of the Credentials Committee, we urge you to make your intentions clear by engaging early and directly with fellow Committee members, the Office of the President of the General Assembly, and like-minded Member States to support the continued deferral of competing credentials. Thank you for your attention to this matter, and we look forward to learning about your strategy to fulfill this request."