Zaw Naing

Co-Chair

Zaw Naing, born in Maungdaw, Arakan State, is a lifelong advocate for the dignity, rights, and liberation of the Rohingya people. His journey began in the classrooms of Sittwe and Maungdaw, and continued through the halls of Yangon University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science (Honours). During the historic 1988 student uprising, he stood at the forefront of change, later becoming General Secretary of Maungdaw Township Mayu Students League for Democracy and Development. In the 1990 elections, he was not only a political organiser but also a driving force in the campaign, engaging with communities and championing their voice for democracy.

From 2007 to 2011, while building a professional career in business management, Zaw Naing served as a committed member of the Rohingya League for Democracy, a Saudi-based advocacy group that amplified the Rohingya struggle on the global stage. Throughout his life, he has been relentless in exposing human rights abuses against the Rohingya, speaking truth to power, and mobilising support wherever it can be found.

As a founding member of the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC), Zaw Naing has devoted to negotiation, strategic planning, and uniting the Rohingya movement around common goals and principles. At the heart of his mission is the vision of the ‘Road to Arakan’—a pathway for the Rohingya to return to their ancestral homeland with dignity, respect, full rights, and belonging. Guided by the principles of international law, he affirms the Rohingya people’s inherent right to struggle, by all legitimate means, for their return and restoration as a free and equal people.

Email: grcc@thearnc.org