Myanmar Humanitarian Crisis
Yangon/New York: Reports from the ground say that civilians continue to suffer due to the worsening humanitarian crisis and continued fighting, particularly in Myanmar’s south-east and north-west. While the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan for Myanmar which is meant to assist 6.2 million people and requires $826 million, is only 6 per cent funded as of now.
Across Myanmar, as of March 14, 2022, over 889,900 people remain displaced, according to the figures available at the United Nations Secretariat in New York. This includes 370,000 men, women and children who were already displaced before the military took over the Government on February 1, 2021, and 519,500 people who have been displaced since then.
“Humanitarian needs, meanwhile, are growing but our access to people in need remains limited, hampering the planned scale-up of humanitarian assistance in 2022,” UN humanitarian workers on the ground said.
“The demand for support to people in need exceeds the capacity to respond, but we, along with our partners — including the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Myanmar Red Cross Society and national NGOs — are continuing to provide food, water, warm clothes, blankets and mosquito nets, as well as hygiene kits and COVID-19 prevention items,” Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General, told journalists at the UN headquarters on March 18, 2022 (local time).
“We, along with our partners, are also providing protection services to displaced people and communities in conflict areas across the country,” Dujarric added.
Clashes, road blockages and military checkpoints limit our access to areas where needs are critical. This has led to the needs of thousands of vulnerable families in displacement sites and camps increasing.
“We and our partners in Myanmar urge all parties to respect international humanitarian law to protect civilians and to ensure people in need have access to humanitarian aid. We urge donors to give generously in solidarity with the people of Myanmar,” Dujarric said.
– global bihari bureau
