(YANGON, June 30, 2023)—On June 30, 2023, the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar appointed Rohingya human rights defender Aung Kyaw Moe as Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Human Rights, making him the first Rohingya person in a ministerial position within the NUG. Aung Kyaw Moe previously served as an advisor on human rights to the NUG. As an advisor, Aung Kyaw Moe helped the NUG develop a policy on ensuring the inclusion of the Rohingya community in the political process in Myanmar. Aung Kyaw Moe is also the founder and former director of the Center for Social Integrity, a humanitarian organization working across Myanmar.
Fortify Rights long advocated for Rohingya rights and engaged the NUG on ways to advance Rohingya rights, including through the appointment of an ethnic-Rohingya representative. In mid- 2021, just months after the coup d’etat, NUG appointed Aung Kyaw Moe as the first Rohingya advisor on human rights