World Happiness Foundation Statement for the High-Level Conference on Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar

By Luis Miguel Gallardo – Founder & President, World Happiness Foundation

Statement for UN High-Level Conference on Rohingya and Minorities in Myanmar

Introduction and Context

The World Happiness Foundation (WHF) welcomes the convening of the High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar on 30 September 2025 at the United Nations Headquarters. This gathering, mandated by UN General Assembly resolution 79/278, offers a crucial opportunity to mobilize political will and compassion for one of the most urgent humanitarian and human rights crises of our time. We stand in solidarity with all efforts to review the crisis in Myanmar, address its root causes, and propose a comprehensive plan for a sustainable resolution, including conditions for the voluntary, safe, and dignified return of Rohingya refugees to their homeland. In alignment with our mission, we affirm that lasting peace in Myanmar is inseparable from the happiness and well-being of its people. Indeed, the global call “A Call for Peace: The End of Wars and Respect for International Law” – which WHF fully endorses – underlines that today’s conflicts are “solvable through dialogue” and that oppression and poverty fuel violence. The plight of the Rohingya exemplifies this truth: decades of disenfranchisement and suffering have led to instability that can only be overcome through dialogue, justice, and fundamental respect for human dignity. Our Foundation has recently gained ECOSOC consultative status at the UN, and we are committed to bringing our principles of non-violence, trauma-informed conflict resolution, and Fundamental Peace to the forefront of the discussions.

Fundamental Peace is the cornerstone of our perspective. When we speak of peace, we mean more than the absence of war – we mean a deep harmony that aligns inner well-being with outer justice and freedom. It is what we call Fundamental Peace – a “quality of consciousness that arises when one’s inner life aligns with outer truth,” creating a harmony born of freedom, consciousness, and shared happiness. This kind of peace is both courageous and compassionate: it requires us to address tangible grievances while also healing hearts and minds. It recognizes, as the Dalai Lama’s Middle Way approach does, that true resolution lies in neither dominance nor secession, but in interdependence and mutual recognition. We believe that applying this principle of Fundamental Peace to Myanmar’s multi-ethnic society – fostering dialogue, understanding, and shared humanity – is critical to ending the cycle of violence and displacement. In this statement, we outline our position rooted in non-violence, trauma-informed peacebuilding, social integration, inner peace, and forgiveness as keys to resolving the Rohingya crisis and building a brighter future for all communities in Myanmar.

Non-Violence as the Only Path

At the heart of the World Happiness Foundation’s approach is an unwavering commitment to non-violence. We join the United Nations and global civil society in stressing that there is no military solution to the Rohingya crisis – only a human solution. All parties, especially those in positions of power, must categorically renounce the use of force and violence in addressing grievances. We echo calls for a universal renunciation of violence as a means of conflict resolution, to be replaced by dialogue, diplomacy, and restorative justice. The horrors inflicted upon the Rohingya and other minority communities – from village burnings to mass displacement – underscore that violence only begets further suffering and entrenches cycles of hatred. We commend the international community’s insistence that Myanmar’s authorities cease all military offensives and atrocities against civilians. Repatriation of refugees will remain impossible “if we are unable to put an end to the military junta’s indiscriminate airstrikes and bombings,” as a Myanmar representative to the UN recently noted. An immediate cessation of hostilities and human rights abuses is a non-negotiable first step.

However, non-violence is not passive – it is an active, powerful force for change. As our Foundation’s reflections on peace have observed, non-violence “is not passive – it is fierce with awareness. It is the refusal to let suffering define the future,” and this refusal, rooted in compassion, is where healing begins. We hold up examples like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and Aung San Suu Kyi’s early vision of a peaceful Myanmar (despite the complexities of history) as reminders that moral courage can disarm injustice. We urge all stakeholders – governments, ethnic leaders, and international actors – to commit to resolving disputes with words, not weapons. In practical terms, this means dramatically expanding support for mediation, dialogue forums, and diplomatic intervention. The United Nations should bolster its mediation capacity to facilitate talks between the Myanmar authorities, ethnic minority representatives, and refugee leaders so that grievances can be heard and negotiated in good faith. It also means implementing the culture of non-violence at every level of society: from how security forces handle unrest, to how communities handle tensions. Militarized responses to political and social problems have proven to only “breed further hatred and suffering”. We instead advocate for approaches like Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and community dialogue to defuse conflicts. Training programs in empathy, active listening, and conflict resolution – for soldiers, police, civil servants, youth leaders, and educators – can transform how disagreements are managed, replacing coercion with understanding. To reinforce this norm, WHF supports calls for an International Declaration of Non-Violence endorsed by all UN Member States. Such a declaration would serve as a global pledge that violence shall not be used to settle conflicts, whether between states or within them, and would strengthen the moral and legal framework that holds peace as the only acceptable option.

Crucially, a commitment to non-violence in Myanmar’s context must come from all sides. We appeal not only to the government and military, but also to any armed groups operating in Myanmar, including factions associated with the Rohingya or other minorities: lay down arms and choose dialogue. The Rohingya people’s quest for rights and safety does not need to be waged with bullets; it can and must be pursued through the force of truth and the moral weight of international law and human rights. Likewise, the grievances of other ethnic minorities in Myanmar (Kachin, Karen, Chin, Shan and others who have experienced conflict) must be addressed through political negotiation and inclusive nation-building, not through protracted insurgencies or crackdowns. By banning violence as a policy tool, we create space for meaningful discussions on autonomy, citizenship, resource-sharing, and justice. WHF believes that if the habit of dialogue is cultivated persistently – through regular peace talks, “track II” diplomacy with civil society, and community peace workshops – trust can slowly be rebuilt even after the darkest chapters of violence. Non-violence is both a principle and a practical strategy: it lays the groundwork for all other solutions to take root.

We also encourage the international community to reinforce this principle of non-violence. The upcoming conference itself is a testament to diplomacy. We urge Member States to consider concrete outcomes such as: a renewed call in the General Assembly for the protection of civilians in Myanmar; support for a global arms embargo against those who continue to commit atrocities; and robust backing for ASEAN and UN special envoys to broker talks. Additionally, on the eve of the conference, we note the significance of the calendar: October 2 – just two days later – is the International Day of Non-Violence, commemorating Gandhi’s birthday. Let us use this symbolic moment to recommit to peace. We propose that all nations present at the conference pledge to report progress on reducing violence and hate crimes at next year’s UN meetings. Civil society and religious leaders, too, can mark that day with public statements rejecting violence in all forms. By making non-violence not just a reactive measure but a proactive global norm, we can move humanity toward a future where war and persecution are unthinkable.

Trauma-Informed Conflict Resolution and Healing

As we address the Rohingya crisis, we must remember that peace is not built only on political agreements, but also on healing wounds – visible and invisible. The Rohingya people have endured unspeakable trauma: families torn apart, villages razed, rampant sexual violence against women, and years of deprivation in refugee camps. Other minority communities in Myanmar have likewise suffered from decades of civil strife and state repression. These deep grievances and traumas drive the cycle of violence, and unless they are compassionately addressed, any political solution will remain fragile. The World Happiness Foundation advocates a trauma-informed approach to conflict resolution – one that places restoration and healing at its core rather than retribution or neglect.

A trauma-informed peace process starts by acknowledging the pain and humanity of all those affected. We urge that any comprehensive plan include mechanisms for truth-telling, justice, and reconciliation. Rather than responding to violence with more violence or with punitive measures alone, societies should respond with “justice that heals”. This means prioritizing avenues for survivors to voice their experiences, for perpetrators to acknowledge wrongdoing, and for communities to rebuild trust. The world has powerful examples to draw upon. In South Africa, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) allowed a society fraught with atrocity to confront its past through public testimony and conditional amnesty – helping to “prevent a spiral of retribution after apartheid”. In Rwanda, community-based Gacaca courts and reconciliation programs enabled many perpetrators of the 1994 genocide to confess and seek forgiveness, which has been vital for communal healing. In Colombia, truth commissions and reparations programs have been instrumental in addressing decades of civil war trauma. We recommend similar restorative justice mechanisms for Myanmar when the conditions permit. Any future peace agreement or transition in Myanmar should formally incorporate a truth and reconciliation process. This could take the shape of an independent commission to investigate the crimes against the Rohingya and other minorities, to document the truth of what happened, and to give survivors their day to be heard. Such a body, ideally supported by the UN and regional partners, can lay the groundwork for forgiveness and coexistence by establishing an authoritative record of events and recognizing the suffering endured.

Forgiveness, difficult as it may be, is a powerful tool for breaking cycles of vengeance. We do not propose a naive absolution of h

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