Myanmar’s UN Ambassador attends 81st General Assembly as critical credentials battle begins

Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, led the country’s delegation to the opening of the 81st U.N. General Assembly in New York on Sept. 8, on the same date that a nine-member credentials committee was appointed to decide whether he will remain in his post or be replaced by a representative of the military regime in Naypyidaw. The U.N. Credentials Committee comprises the Bahamas, Belgium, Benin, China, Jamaica, Russia, Uganda, the U.S. and Vanuatu. It is responsible for examining the credentials of all U.N. member states’ representatives. The U.N. continues to face competing claims over who should represent Myanmar. Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun has retained Myanmar’s U.N. seat through successive deferrals since the 2021 military coup, while Naypyidaw has sought to have him replaced with retired colonel Aung Thurein. Jailed Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s son, Kim Aris, called on Myanmar nationals in the U.S. to support Kyaw Moe Tun ahead of a planned rally outside the U.N. headquarters in New York on Sept. 19. The rally is part of an international coordinated support campaign for Kyaw Moe Tun to remain in his U.N. post by the Myanmar diaspora. Kyaw Moe Tun was appointed Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. in 2020 by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) administration months before it was ousted in the 2021 coup. Following the coup, the regime in Naypyidaw terminated Kyaw Moe Tun and nominated Aung Thurein to replace him. But the U.N. Credentials Committee has deferred the decision at the General Assembly over the last five years, allowing Kyaw Moe Tun to remain in Myanmar’s U.N. seat in New York, while the regime occupies Myanmar’s seat in Geneva. During the 80th General Assembly session, which ran from September 2025 until Sept. 7, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun and his delegation attended meetings of the General Assembly’s six main committees, according to the National Unity Government (NUG). The NUG, which Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun represents at the U.N. rather than the regime, stated that he delivered more than 80 speeches at U.N. sessions over the last year. In those speeches, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun addressed the situation in Myanmar, including alleged human rights violations and international crimes committed by the military. He also repeated calls for an end to military rule in Myanmar and the establishment of a federal democratic union. The 81st General Assembly was opened by its newly elected president Bangladesh Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman, who said the session would focus on six priorities such as peace and security, sustainable development, climate resilience, human rights, technology governance and multilateral reform. The U.N. General Assembly’s annual high-level general debate is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. No date has been set for the U.N. Credentials Committee to decide whether it will accept Kyaw Moe Tun as Myanmar’s representative at the U.N. for another year or have him replaced by Aung Thurein. The post Myanmar’s UN Ambassador attends 81st General Assembly as critical credentials battle begins appeared first on DVB.