IIMM continues to collect evidence despite staff reductions

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), a body of the United Nations, has continued to collect evidence of serious international crimes committed in Myanmar, despite reducing its staff due to funding difficulties, according to a report released in July 2026. The IIMM has reduced its staff by one-fifth of its regular budget positions due to the UN's liquidity crisis and a decrease in voluntary contributions. The number of staff hired with voluntary contributions has reportedly fallen to about half compared to the previous year. However, the mechanism has collected data from over 1,600 sources, including 756 witnesses, the report states. The IIMM was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2018 with the aim of collecting, preserving, and analyzing evidence related to serious international crimes committed in Myanmar for potential use in domestic or international courts in the future. Armed conflict has continued across Myanmar since the military coup in February 2021. The IIMM stated that the staff reductions have affected its ability to analyze evidence obtained in the Myanmar language, its open-source investigation work, and its specialized expertise in investigating sexual and gender-based violence and crimes against children. Funding for witness protection has also decreased. Despite these challenges, the IIMM has shared 146 collections of evidence and analysis with national and international investigative, prosecutorial, and judicial authorities to date. The report also states that eight cases under universal jurisdiction related to alleged crimes committed in Myanmar are ongoing in eight countries. In Argentina, the Federal Criminal Court ordered the issuance of arrest warrants for 25 suspects in February 2025 for genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya. Meanwhile, the Australian Federal Police rejected a complaint regarding crimes against humanity and war crimes in June 2026, and the German Federal Prosecutor General's Office rejected a similar complaint in September 2023. There has been no public response from the relevant authorities regarding complaints filed in Indonesia, the Philippines, Timor-Leste, and Turkey. The IIMM has also signed a judicial cooperation agreement with France, which came into effect on July 1. Austria and Belgium had previously taken similar legislative steps in 2022. The report states that civil society organizations cooperating with the IIMM in Myanmar are also affected by unstable internet access and a shortage of funds, which hinder their ability to securely document information and share it with victims. In early July, the IIMM held its fourth in-person consultation with civil society organizations, attended by 22 representatives from ethnic communities. Before the consultation, only 6% of participants reported a clear understanding of the IIMM's mandate, but this figure rose to 80% after the consultation. "While achieving accountability may take time, the opportunity to reach that goal still exists," said Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM.