Public Health
Individual Documents
Description:
"Seventy-seventh session
Item 72 (c) of the provisional agenda*
Promotion and protection of human rights: human rights questions, including alternative approaches for improving the effective enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms
Summary
In July, Myanmar’s military junta executed four political prisoners, including a prominent pro-democracy activist and a former member of parliament. These unconscionable acts are consistent with the junta’s unflinching embrace of violence against the people of Myanmar. In recent months, military forces have systematically bombed and burned villages and massacred innocent civilians, including eleven children in Sagaing Region who were shot and killed when junta forces attacked their school in September. These forces have killed thousands and displaced nearly one million people since the coup. Many of the more than 12,000 political prisoners have been tortured and an unknown number have died in custody.
In the midst of this darkness, however, Myanmar civil society is a shining light and inspiration. Activists, human rights defenders, aid workers, community leaders, journalists, health care professionals, and educators are among those who are taking great personal risks to document atrocities, deliver humanitarian assistance, and respond to the needs of displaced and traumatized communities. Human rights organizations, women’s associations, professional networks, trade unions and labour activists, and grassroots groups are adopting strategies to remain safe and effective in a deadly environment. In many cases, individuals and organizations are operating with little international support and few opportunities to communicate with the outside world.
In this report, the Special Rapporteur outlines the human rights and humanitarian catastrophe in Myanmar. He also describes the essential and awe-inspiring work being done by Myanmar civil society in the most challenging of circumstances. He calls on the international community to view Myanmar civil society as a vital partner in addressing the crisis in the country, working with grassroots networks to deliver aid and increasing financial and technical support to civil society organizations.
Myanmar’s fate depends on the activists, organizations, and networks that have risen up to defy military rule, defend human rights, and prepare for a free and democratic future. They need and deserve a significant increase in support from the international community..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations General Assembly (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-10-12
Date of entry/update:
2022-10-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Armed conflict and peace-building in Burma - theoretical, strategic and general, Human Rights and international relations, Collected resolutions of the GA on the situation of human rights in Myanmar
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270.73 KB
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"Highlights: As of 26 September, the number of internally displaced people has reached 1,347,400, including 1,017,000 displaced since the military takeover in February 2021 and 330,400 living in protracted displacement prior to the coup.
On 16 September, at least 11 children died as a result of an air strike and indiscriminate fire in civilian areas, including a school, in Tabayin Township, in the Sagaing region.
In Rakhine, the security situation continues to deteriorate. Movement restrictions are being imposed as a result of continuing clashes between the Arakan Army and Myanmar Armed Forces, severely affecting humanitarian interventions and the ability of aid workers to reach the affected population. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) reports that almost 13,400 people have been newly displaced in the region as of 26 September.
Although the UNICEF nutrition programme is facing a funding gap of 85 per cent, implementing partners have been able to reach 32,119 children aged 6–59 months (15,821 girls) with preventive nutrition services, including multiple micronutrient powder and vitamin A supplementation.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF Myanmar Country Office is appealing for US$151.4 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to displaced people and host communities across the country. The Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) estimates that, in 2022, 14.4 million people including 5 million children, need assistance. During September 2022, UNICEF has received generous contributions from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the European Commission’s Humanitarian Office (ECHO), the German Federal Foreign Office, the Global Thematic Fund, the Government of Denmark, the Government of Japan, the Government of Norway, the Korean Committee for UNICEF and UNOCHA.
UNICEF Myanmar has so far received US$34.13 million, representing an increase of US$2.2 million from the previous reporting period. The funds received contribute to delivering much needed assistance through UNICEF programmes covering: Nutrition, Health, HIV/AIDS, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Education, Child Protection, Genderbased violence in emergencies (GBViE), Protection of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), Social protection,
Accountability affected population (AAP) and Cluster coordination. UNICEF continues to respond to the Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal but experienced an overall funding gap of 77 per cent that significantly affects the provision of humanitarian assistance and services to the targeted populations, especially children in need. UNICEF can scale up responses and accelerate service deliveries to the targeted population with continued support from donors.
UNICEF expresses its sincere appreciation to all private and public sector donors for their contributions to supporting the children of Myanmar.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The escalating conflict and violence, rising poverty and a struggling economy due to inflation continues to severely affect children and families across Myanmar. As of 26 September, the conflict has displaced 1,347,400 people, including an estimated 471,590 children, who need critical humanitarian assistance. More than half of the displaced population is in Sagaing region, accounting for 545,200 people, where the volatility of the situation and active military operations continue to trigger displacements. On 16 September, in Tabayin township of Sagaing, at least 11 children died in an air strike and from indiscriminate fire in civilian areas, including a school, while another 15 children from the same school are still missing. Humanitarian actors are facing significant challenges posed by security risks in the northwest, particularly as there is a need to provide immediate assistance to children and communities there. In September,
UNICEF conducted a field assessment in some parts of the northwest to evaluate the operational environment and hopes that the recently established subnational inter-cluster coordination group will contribute to increasing coordinated efforts in response to the local needs.
The protracted humanitarian situation in Rakhine continues to deteriorate due to resurgence of conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Armed Forces, severely affecting the lives of thousands of children and their families.
People who have been displaced for a long time are confined in camps with limited access to health care, water and sanitation facilities, school or a livelihood, while increased population displacements have been reported from rural to urban areas. According to the latest OCHA figures, an estimated 13,400 people have been newly displaced across Rakhine as of 26 September. Humanitarian assistance is extremely challenged by movement restrictions and security measures, preventing access to the affected population. UNICEF and partners are monitoring the situation and have revised contingency plans and supplies, to respond in the event of further deterioration of the humanitarian situation.
In the southeast, conflict was also reported in Loikaw township in Kayah, resulting in civilian casualties and displacement.
At the end of September, UNICEF was able to reach the area and directly distribute much needed supplies, including WASH, child protection, health and nutrition. A total of 21,095 people (4,736 households) from 48 displacement sites in Loikaw and Demoso township were assisted, as a follow-up to the initial distribution held by UNICEF last June..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-10-06
Date of entry/update:
2022-10-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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pdf
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419.07 KB
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Description:
"Highlights
• Heavy fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan Army (AA) has continued across Rakhine and southern Chin.
• As of 27 September, more than 17,400 people have been newly displaced since August, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from past and present AA-MAF fighting to more than 91,000, according to UN latest figures.
• Particularly, intense fighting was reported in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Minbya, Buthidaung,
Rathedaung, Maungdaw townships in Rakhine and Paletwa township in southern Chin.
• Key roads and waterways remain blocked in northern Rakhine, restricting the movement of civilians and preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching people in need.
• Most of the humanitarian response in Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya,
Myebon townships has been suspended since 15 September after the de facto authorities imposed restrictions on the UN and INGOs delivering assistance to these key six townships until further notice, causing shortages in food, shelter and other relief items.
• Delays are being observed on the key transportation route between Yangon and Sittwe, the state capital, which will contribute to rising commodity prices and impact on the movement of relief items.
• Safe, unimpeded access and additional funding are urgently needed to address expected shortages in contingency supplies, especially for WASH, food, shelter, NFIs and health.
• Advocacy efforts are underway at the Rakhine state level to negotiate the lifting of the new restrictions on humanitarian activities..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Date of publication:
2022-09-30
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
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371.34 KB
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Description:
"KEY HIGHLIGHTS
126,500 people received core relief items including kitchen sets, blankets and sleeping mats, ensuring their basic needs were met.
37,000 people received shelter support for safe and dignified living conditions while in displacement.
1,055 people with specific needs benefited from cash assistance to meet their basic needs.
POPULATION OF CONCERN
600,000 Estimated stateless Rohingya in Rakhine State, of which some 153,000 are living in displacement camps as well as among the host community since 2012.
1,105,100 Internally displaced people (IDP) living in Rakhine, Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayin and Mon States, and Bago (East), Tanintharyi, Sagaing and Magway Regions. An estimated 758,500 people are displaced due to the resumption and intensification of clashes between the Tatmadaw and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and/or People’s Defense Forces (PDF) after 1 February 2021. Some 72,700 remain displaced in 172 sites in Rakhine and Chin States displaced following the Arakan Army-Tatmadaw conflict..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-09-22
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
951.47 KB
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS:
The security situation in Myanmar continued to deteriorate during the reporting period, resulting in an uptick in displacement. As of 6 September 2022, there were an estimated 1,312,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) across the country, including 982,000 people who have been newly displaced within the country since 1 February 2021.
In the South-East, indiscriminate shelling, armed clashes and landmines continued to affect civilians. Security checks, curfews, roadblocks and arbitrary arrests have also negatively impacted people’s freedom of movement. Displaced families remain particularly vulnerable and exposed to numerous risks due to a shortage of appropriate shelter. A lack of food and essential medicines are concerns in Kayah and Kayin States and Bago (East) Region. Despite ongoing response efforts, access constraints have seriously hampered humanitarian interventions.
In Rakhine State (Central) and Chin State (South), rising tensions and armed clashes caused new displacement. Internally displaced families in Paletwa, Chin State, are in urgent need of assistance although efforts are ongoing to ascertain displacement in all areas affected by conflict. Increased arrests and checkpoints on roads and waterways have been reported and are impacting communities’ security and freedom of movement. Tighter restrictions on the transportation of goods and freedom of movement have also been noted in villages in Maungdaw, Rakhine State (North), which face a shortage of food, medicines and other essential items.
In the North-West, the situation is increasingly volatile. Active armed clashes and security operations in various townships in Sagaing and Magway Regions continue to trigger displacement with most displaced communities living in informal displacement sites. Increased checkpoints have also been reported. With the price of fuel and other commodities rising, many are at risk of becoming more isolated due to access challenges.
In Kachin and Shan (North), tensions were high in many townships due to armed clashes. In urban areas such as Hpakant and Myitkyina, explosive devices featured heavily in armed conflict incidents. Drug trade, robberies, thefts and burglaries are also reportedly on the rise in urban areas..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via ReliefWeb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-09-16
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
8.42 MB
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Description:
"The volatile situation in Myanmar following the 01 February 2021 coup has increased armed conflict and subsequent population displacement within and across borders, including in Thailand.
As of 22 August 2022, the Royal Thai Government (RTG) reports that there are no refugees remaining on the Thai side of the border. Since February 2021, the RTG estimates that some 22,000 Myanmar refugees have sought temporary safety in Thailand.
Refugees are sheltered in temporary safety areas (TSA), which are placed under the general jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Army by the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) established by the RTG in March 2021
SITUATION OVERVIEW ON THE THAI MYANMAR BORDER – AUGUST 2022
In Kayah State, armed clashes continued around Demoso and Loikaw since the Military scaled up its troops' deployment in early August in an attempt to regain control of these areas. In Kayin State, clashes in Kawkareik Township have been reported between the Tatmadaw and Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Throughout August, daily battles reportedly took place between the Tatmadaw and the KNLA-led opposition forces – in the Karen National Union (KNU)-controlled areas of Dooplaya District (i.e., Brigade 6 controlled area), which is opposite Mae Sot, Phop Phra, and Umphang districts of Tak. The escalation of conflict around Myawaddy Township in late July and early August triggered displacement across the border into Thailand. On 29 July, the RTG reported new arrivals into Thailand caused by the resurgence of fighting in Myawaddy Town. The authorities recorded 244 individuals who sought safety in Thailand and were sheltered in one Temporary Safety Area (TSA) in Mor Ker Thai Temple, Valley sub-district, Pob Pra district, Tak province. All refugees reportedly returned to Myanmar once fighting subsided, and the TSA was officially closed on 13 August. In the Tanintharyi region, fighting intensified between the People Defense Force (PDF) and the Military in August, especially around Dawei Township.
As of 29 August, the total number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in Myanmar displaced since 1 February is 974,400, of whom 283,800 are in the southeast provinces – Kayah, Shan, Kayin, Mon States, and Tanintharyi and Bago regions. Most of the newly displaced were in Kayin State, where 1,100 people sought safety in the jungle in Thandaungyyi Township due to airstrikes. The number of IDPs continued to increase in Tanintharyi Region due to general insecurity. Local media reported that 700 people were displaced to the jungle nearby. In Kayah State, about 210 IDPs in Nyaung Shwe Township were able to return to Loikaw..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-09-13
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Education statistics and ranking - Burma/Myanmar, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
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402.96 KB
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Description:
"Immunization In Practice: A Practical Guide For Health Staff 2022 ( In Burmese Language)..."
Source/publisher:
Ministry of Human Rights
Date of publication:
2022-05-28
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
National Unity Government (NUG), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
12.9 MB (Original version) - 344 pages
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Description:
"YANGON, Myanmar— “There is social stigma existing in our community to speak about sexual and reproductive health especially concerning adolescents and youth. People are too shy to talk about it. Since we have grown up under this shadow, we don’t even know that young people have the right to access sexual and reproductive health information,” said Thura, 15, a local youth from Yangon.
Young people in Myanmar face different social and cultural barriers to get right information about sexual and reproductive health and rights. Without having access to sexual and reproductive health information including family planning, young people tend to experience consequences such as unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion, leading to other life-threatening complications. According to 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census, the fertility rate of females aged 15-19 was 33 births per 1,000 women. Comparing to urban areas, the teenage fertility is higher in rural areas of states and regions. The data highlights the needs to enhance protection and promotion of sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people in remote places and in areas undergoing humanitarian crisis.
The COVID-19 pandemic and political crisis has exacerbated the situation. “Movement restrictions and security concerns hinder young peoples’ access to information and services. How can our rights be fulfilled under these situations? We young people feel like we are lost,” said Thura.
UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, works closely with partner organizations in Myanmar to enhance protection and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and young people. In delivering its mandate of sexual and reproductive health and rights, overarching framework of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action and its follow-up convention of ICPD+25, addressing adolescent sexual and reproductive health issues, including unwanted pregnancy, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, through the promotion of responsible and healthy reproductive and sexual behavior and reducing adolescent pregnancies are also core areas of UNFPA’s work.
UNFPA, in collaboration with partner organizations and civil society organizations CSOs, facilitates access to sexual and reproductive health for adolescents and young people through innovative approaches. Aung Pike Tun, Programme Coordinator of Marie Stope Myanmar said, “Previously, we provided sexual and reproductive health awareness (in-person) sessions for young people at our youth corner. Due to COVID-19 pandemic and security concern, we adapted the situation and transformed these in-person awareness sessions into comprehensive online learning space. With the support of local youth networks and initiatives, we are able to connect virtually with many young people from different states and regions and provide SRHR awareness and information that they need. It is a huge step-up. For some young people, they feel comfortable and safe via this virtual platform and raise their issues openly for our support. We are so happy to see their interest and active participation going forward.”
With the support from Global Affairs Canada, UNFPA Myanmar has launched Baykin 2 mobile application, partnering with 360ed team. Integrating with Augmented Reality (AR), Baykin 2 app is designed to introduce adolescent and young people in Myanmar to key topics on sexual and reproductive health & right, gender equality, gender-based violence and other youth related contents. This application integrates learning and gaming to increase the engagement of young users and provide better visuals for learning about their bodies and rights. It additionally seeks to equip adolescents and young people with knowledge and tools to be aware of and thus less vulnerable to gender-based violence.
Dr. Peter Kivunike Mukasa, SRHR Programme Specialist of UNFPA Myanmar said, “UNFPA as a Sexual and Reproductive Health Lead Agency, is working with its implementing partner organizations not only to deliver life-saving SRHR and gender-based violence services for women and girls in Myanmar, but also to promote essential SRHR information and GBV awareness for adolescents and young people. To ensure their rights even during this challenging context, we have adapted to the situation quickly and acted innovatively to support them.”
Mya Kalyar Kyaw, 23, a local youth from Kayin said, “Sexual and reproductive health information does save the lives and future of young people. This is not a luxury that we want. This is our fundamental right to access SRHR information without any exception”..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Population Fund
Date of publication:
2022-09-07
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
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Description:
"Changes in Context
The people of Myanmar continue to face an unprecedented political, human rights, and humanitarian crisis that is posing grave protection risks for civilians, limiting access to vital services including health and education, and driving deep food insecurity. Humanitarian needs have worsened across the country as conflict continues to rage, causing unprecedented levels of displacement, destruction of property, and land mine contamination especially in the country’s northwest and southeast and driving grave protection risks for civilians. Forced recruitment – including of children – is being increasingly reported. The use of heavy weapons, including air strikes and artillery fire, continues to claim lives and pose risks to the safety and security of civilians, while raids, random searches and arrests are of grave concern. The destruction of civilian properties, particularly homes, combined with the protracted fighting, is prolonging the displacement of IDPs and further degrading people’s fragile living conditions.
The arrival of the monsoon in the second quarter of the year has been a miserable time for the hundreds of thousands of displaced people living in informal sites and in the jungle or forest without proper shelter.
While there have been modest access openings, these are very localized, and the overall access environment remains heavily constrained with a strong reliance on and risk transfer to low-profile local responders.
Humanitarian operating space is under increasing threat from bureaucratic blockages imposed by the de facto authorities around registration, travel, banking, and visas. While the economy has shown a glimmer of improvement in the past few months, inflation is undermining this modest recovery at the household level with fuel and food becoming increasingly unaffordable and adding to financial stress in vulnerable households.
Expansion of conflict
In the first half of the year, fighting has further escalated across multiple states and regions in Myanmar, particularly in the Northwest and Southeast, with no signs of abating. According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, since the military takeover, nearly 2,000 civilians have been killed during hostilities and other fatal incidents, including as a result of landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs).1 Nearly 20,000 civilian properties, including houses, churches, monasteries, and schools, are estimated to have been destroyed during hostilities, although figures are difficult to verify.
The Northwest has seen the greatest intensification of conflict between the MAF and PDFs and the biggest surge in displacement since the original HRP was published. Now, more than half of all new IDPs are in the Northwest, with the heaviest concentration in Sagaing. There have been various waves of fighting in different states across the Southeast as the MAF has attempted to take control of EAO-controlled areas.
Across the Southeast, fighting intensified in January and February as the MAF intensified campaigns in Kayin and Kayah states. In Kayin state, combined MAF/Border Guard Forces and combined KNU/ PDF forces clashed frequently and intensely. Heavy artillery shelling and airstrikes in these areas caused mass displacement, including across the border into Thailand. During the same period fighting escalated substantially across nearly all of Kayah state between the MAF and the aligned Karenni resistance groups.
Loikaw town, in particular, experienced a sustained campaign of aerial bombardment that caused 80 per cent of the town to be displaced to other parts of Kayah state and southern Shan. Fighting also intensified throughout other parts of the Southeast, particularly during the second quarter, with heavy clashes and sudden spikes in displacement in Mon, Tanintharyi and eastern Bago between the MAF and aligned militia groups and the KNU and PDFs.
In Rakhine, a ceasefire between the MAF and Arakan Army (AA), continued to hold at mid-year but tensions are building with sporadic confrontations presenting the very real risk that the conflict could resume in the second half of the year. Intermittent clashes, numerous mine incidents, arrests, and counter-arrests on both sides have been reported with some smallscale displacement. Contingency planning has been undertaken in case the situation worsens..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-09-02
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.57 MB (Original version) - 43 pages
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Description:
"This regular update, covering humanitarian developments up to 25 August, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UN agencies. The next humanitarian update will be issued at the end of September 2022
HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES
• Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict while households are grappling with financial stress as a result of soaring inflation.
• Almost 1.3 million people are currently displaced across the country. This includes more than 974,000 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover last year.
• Tensions are rising in Rakhine state and southern Chin between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan Army (AA) with concerns for the impact of a resumption in fullscale fighting on civilians. Funding is urgently needed to procure depleted supplies for both the ongoing response and to meet new needs both for displaced people and affected communities.
• Rising food prices and constrained agricultural production nationwide are contributing to deep food insecurity as items become more unaffordable for much of Myanmar’s population. Fertilizer and other farm inputs are now prohibitively expensive, lowering productivity at the same time that fuel challenges and conflict are making transportation of produce more difficult. Concerns remain regarding food availability during the upcoming lean season as conditions are expected to worsen.
• Low availability of some medical products is being reported due to import issues.
• Despite the ongoing challenges, humanitarian partners have continued to rapidly scale-up in response to new needs, reaching a total of 3.1 million people with at least one form of assistance in the first half year of 2022.
• However, due to a shortfall in funding and access constraints, partners are not able to deliver the depth of relief required and there are significant unmet needs.
• The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is only 17 per cent funded, leaving a gap of US$688 million (FTS) that is forcing partners to make tough decisions about prioritization of assistance. Worryingly, funding remains below 2021 levels despite a dramatic increase in needs in 2022..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-09-02
Date of entry/update:
2022-09-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
738.63 KB
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"Thousands of people have been forced to flee Myanmar’s Kayah State as clashes escalate, with many relying on the goodwill of others to meet basic needs.
A father who wishes he could have warned his son about the risk of landmines near their village.
A mother who held her newborn close as she sought shelter and safety.
Parents who left their children at a church for safety while they risked their lives to return to their village to support the family.
These are some of the stories that we heard while meeting with displaced communities in Loikaw, following intense fighting in Demoso, Hpruso, Pekon and other parts of Kayah and Shan states in Myanmar.
"I thought the fighting would only last for one or two days," said Ma Kyi Kyi*, a mother of three children who has been moving from one displacement site to another in search of safety.
"When the fighting first broke out, we ran to a village near Hsi Hseng Township in southern Shan State," she said. It was her first-time leaving home.
We stayed there for one month with no electricity or water. Life is hard over there.
People displaced by violence often have to seek shelter in remote areas without safe and sustainable access to healthcare, education and livelihood opportunities. The lack of healthcare facilities poses a particular risk during the flu season and for communities without access to clean water, which can lead to the spread of waterborne diseases.
"We decided to come back to Loikaw in Kayah State as it is closer to our village. Now, I have been here for more than a year," Ma Kyi Kyi said.
I don't even know when I can go home, and I don't know if there is anything left to call home.
Increased clashes since the beginning of the year have seen thousands flee Kayah State to seek shelter not just in towns like Loikaw but also across southern Shan State. Monasteries, churches or the homes of extended family have served as places of shelter in Shan townships like Taunggyi, Hsi Hseng, Pinlaung, Nyaung Shwe, Kalaw, Pindaya, Lawksawk and Laihka.
With the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), the ICRC in Myanmar has sought to help communities affected by violence in Kayah and southern Shan since January this year. From January to July, more than 4300 families across southern Shan received urgent food rations, including rice, peas, oil and salt. In Kayah State, since May, we've helped more than 1000 families with financial support to cover their basic needs..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva)
Date of publication:
2022-08-31
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
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Description:
"ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်
အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရအဖွဲ့
ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန
ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက်အမှတ် (၁၀/၂၀၂၂)
၂၀၂၂ ခုနှစ်၊ ဩဂုတ်လ (၁၆) ရက်
၁။ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် အစိုးရမဟုတ်သော နိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအနေဖြင့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံခြင်းလုပ်ငန်းများအပြင် ကျန်းမာရေးနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှု ဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီအထောက်အပံ့များကို (က) ပြည်သူသာ အဓိက ဖြစ်ရမည်၊ (ခ) ပွင့်လင်း မြင်သာမှုရှိရမည်၊ (ဂ) ညီမျှသော ဆက်ဆံမှုရှိရမည် ဟူသော ပြည်သူအခြေပြုမူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ် နှင့်အညီ အမြန်ဆုံးအကောင်အထည်ဖော် ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီ (NHC)၊ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးအဖွဲ့ (CTF) နှင့် အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေး အစိုးရ၊ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာနတို့က အကြိမ်ကြိမ် အသိပေးထုတ်ပြန်ခဲ့ပြီးဖြစ်ပါသည်။
၂။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတွင် စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးနောက် (၂၀၂၁) ခုနှစ်၏ ခန့်မှန်းခြေ ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုး လွှမ်းခြုံမှု (Estimated Immunization Coverage) မှာ BCG 48%, DPT3 37%, MR1 44% ရှိ ကြောင်း သိရှိရပါသည်။ ထို့ကြောင့် တစ်နှစ်အတွင်း အသက်တစ်နှစ်အောက် ကလေးဦးရေ (၉) သိန်းခွဲ၏ တစ်ဝက်ကျော်သည် ပုံမှန်ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ အပြည့်အဝထိုးနှံနိုင်ခြင်း မရှိကြောင်း တွေ့ရှိရပါသည်။ တိုင်းရင်းသားဒေသများအပါအဝင် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံအနှံ့အပြား၌ အသက် (၅) နှစ် အောက် ကလေးငယ်များသည် ပုံမှန်ရရှိသင့်သည့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ မရရှိကြဘဲ ကာကွယ် ဆေးဖြင့် ကာကွယ်နိုင်မည့် ရောဂါများ (Vaccine Preventable Diseases) ဖြစ်ပွားနိုင်သည့် အန္တရာယ်များနှင့် ရင်ဆိုင်နေကြရပါသည်။
၃။ အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ၊ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာနသည် COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ၊ ကလေးငယ်များအတွက် ပုံမှန်ရရှိသင့်သည့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများအပါအဝင် ကျန်းမာရေးနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီ အထောက်အပံ့များ ရရှိရေးအတွက် ကုလ သမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ အစိုးရမဟုတ်သော နိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် စဉ်ဆက်မပြတ် တွေ့ဆုံဆွေးနွေးလျက်ရှိပါသည်။
၄။ စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးနောက်ပိုင်း ကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သားများ၊ ဆေးရုံ/ဆေးခန်းများ၊ လူနာတင်ယာဉ် များအပါအဝင်၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများအပေါ် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ အကြမ်းဖက်တိုက်ခိုက်မှုများအပေါ် ကမ္ဘာ့ကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့ (WHO) က နှုတ်ဆိတ်ပြီး မနေရန်နှင့် မြန်မာကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သားများကို အကာအကွယ်ပေးရန် ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာနအနေဖြင့် ကမ္ဘာ့ကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့ (WHO) ထံသို့ စာဖြင့် အကြိမ်ကြိမ် ဆက်သွယ်အသိပေး၊ တောင်းဆို ခဲ့ပြီးဖြစ်ပါသည်။
၅။ သို့ဖြစ်ပါ၍ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် အစိုးရမဟုတ်သော နိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ အနေဖြင့် နယ်စပ်ဒေသရှိ တိုင်းရင်းသားပြည်သူများ၊ စစ်ဘေးသင့် ပြည်သူများ၊ အကြမ်းဖက် စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ ဘေးအန္တရာယ်မှ ထွက်ပြေးတိမ်းရှောင်နေရသည့် ပြည်သူ့ဝန်ထမ်းများနှင့် ပြည်သူများအတွက် အမှန်တကယ် လိုအပ်လျက်ရှိသော COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ၊ အသက် (၅) နှစ်အောက် ကလေးငယ်များအတွက် ပုံမှန်ရရှိသင့်သည့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ အပါအဝင် ကျန်းမာရေးနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှုဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီ အထောက်အပံ့ များကို ပြည်သူအခြေပြုမူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ်နှင့်အညီ ထိထိရောက်ရောက်နှင့် အမြန်ဆုံးအကောင် အထည်ဖော်ဆောင်ရွက်ရန်နှင့် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ အကြမ်းဖက်လုပ်ရပ်များကို နိုင်ငံ တကာအသိုင်းအဝိုင်းအနေဖြင့် ဖြစ်နိုင်သည့် နည်းလမ်းမှန်သမျှအသုံးပြု၍ အချိန်မီထိရောက်စွာ တားဆီးအရေးယူ ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် တိုက်တွန်းအသိပေးထုတ်ပြန်အပ်ပါသည်။
ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန
အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ..."
Source/publisher:
Ministry of Health, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-08-16
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-16
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"Sometimes, in our work, community members stop just to talk with our colleagues. They share stories, feelings or experiences – seeking distraction or relief from stress.
"I had heard about the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) but had never met anyone working with the organization before," a teacher in Mindat recently told a member of the ICRC team visiting the area as part of our humanitarian response. "When I did meet them, I felt quite sad because I realized that I am also one of those who have been internally displaced," he said.
In June this year, the ICRC returned to Mindat in Chin State to provide support to communities displaced by conflict. This was our fifth trip to the area since clashes escalated more than a year ago. We were able to help around 900 people by supplying basic cooking materials such as rice, oil, salt and peas as well as providing hygiene supplies and water storage buckets.
"We really appreciate receiving these items in this [rainy] season, as they can be hard for us to buy," that same teacher told our colleague.
A man caring for his 90-year-old father talked to the team about the challenges many in the community are facing. "We cannot take sides in this situation; instead, we are fearful of everyone, which makes neutrality essential for us," he said.
"If we don't send our kids to school, they'll grow too old and be unable to complete their education... but we are also reluctant to enroll our kids in school because we never know when the fighting may start again." Needing to stay and care for his father, the man is unable to go elsewhere in search of work or safety.
In Mindat, many doors and windows remain closed. Some families spend the day working on upland farms and return home in the evening. Questions about how families are planning to access food during the rainy season are often met with silence.
The monsoon season pummels the region with strong rains. These rains can cause landslides, which can damage roads and make travel unsafe. In these months, access to Mindat – high up in the hilly regions of southern Chin – can be a challenge for civilians, businesses and humanitarians alike.
Despite the challenges and though the main market remains closed, more groceries and eateries have emerged compared to our last visit to Mindat in March.
"I am pleased that the team was able to reach Mindat just as the rainy season began, both for the community and for the ICRC," said Kyaw Myint Tun, who led the ICRC response in Mindat.
"Because of our previous experiences we all know how tough it is for the local people and international relief providers to get to hilly Chin State, like Mindat."
People in Chin State – from Mindat and beyond – still require urgent humanitarian assistance. Clashes are ongoing and civilians continue to be caught in the crossfire. We plan to return to help meet those humanitarian needs soon..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva)
Date of publication:
2022-08-12
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
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"CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
Adequate nutrition during infancy and early childhood is fundamental to the normal growth and development of each child to its full potential.
Malnutrition is responsible for about half (45%) of all under five deaths each year. In Myanmar, under five mortality is 45/1,000 livebirths which is the highest national rate in the region.
Globally, 149 million under five children were malnourished in 2019. In Myanmar, 1.3 million under five children are stunted and at risk of not growing or developing to their full potential and more than 300,000 under-five children are wasted. Stunting has a major negative impact on under five mortality, learning, production and sports. It contributes to almost 15% of child deaths each year. A 10% increase in the prevalence of stunting results in the proportion of children reaching the final grade in school falling by 8%. Adults affected by malnutrition in infancy and childhood earn on average 20% less than adults not affected by malnutrition. Low performance in sports is well visible.
In Myanmar, children who are not breastfed are at significantly increased risk of stunting. Annual inadequate breastfeeding in Myanmar results in more than 4,000 child deaths and more than 1 million cases of diarrhoea and pneumonia. In addition, families have to use more than 182 million US$ to purchase infant formula and government have to use more than 2 million US$ for treatment of their illness.
The best and most cost-effective interventions to reduce under-five mortality and stunting is Infant and Young Child Feeding. Breastfeeding is the single most effective intervention to save children’s lives; 823 000 child deaths could be prevented each year through scaling up recommended breastfeeding practices globally. About half of all diarrhoea episodes and a third of respiratory infections (major killers resulting in the loss of 2 million young lives each year) could be avoided through breastfeeding. Appropriate complementary feeding could prevent another 6% of deaths.
In emergencies, infants and young children are more vulnerable, the younger the age, the higher the risk of mortality and malnutrition. If poor IYCF practices, weak policy and legislation and low awareness and knowledge are present in pre-emergency, it is sure to become worse in emergency situation. The following factors lead children to have poorer IYCF practices and malnutrition resulting in increasing morbidity and mortality.
Myths and misconceptions
Exhaustion
Severe stress and trauma
Lack of resources and supports
Lack of privacy
BMS donations and blanket distributions
Lack of safe water and poor hygiene, sanitation
Lack of access to complementary food..."
Source/publisher:
Save the Children and UN Children's Fund via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-08-07
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Children, Children's rights: reports of violations in Burma against more than one ethnic group
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"HIGHLIGHTS:
Armed clashes across Myanmar continued to trigger displacement and affect civilians. As of 1 August, there were an estimated 1,244,000 internally displaced people (IDP) across Myanmar, including some 897,000 people who have been displaced within the country since 1 February 2021.
In the South-East, small-scale IDP returns to their place of origin were reported in areas where fewer clashes have occurred in the last few weeks in Kayin State. Overall, the security situation remained dynamic with armed clashes continuing to trigger new displacements, mainly in Bago (East) Region and Kayin State. Local partners still face security risks and access challenges in areas of active conflict. UNHCR is monitoring the situation in these locations despite the challenges this unpredictable context has on displacement data collection and information verification and the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance.
In the North-West, the situation remained increasingly volatile following an intensification of armed clashes. Artillery fire, aerial attacks and airstrikes, security operations, destruction of houses and properties as well as use of landmines continued to pose significant risks to people’s safety and security.
In Kachin and Shan (North), armed clashes and airstrikes risks further exacerbating an already fragile humanitarian situation with displaced families finding safety in churches and monasteries in nearby villages. The situation has been worsened by heavy seasonal rains and flooding in Kachin State, where affected civilians are now staying in collective centres. Daytime robberies, thefts and burglaries are also reportedly on the rise in urban areas.
In Rakhine State, humanitarian activities in the north of Maungdaw, Rakhine State (North), have been temporarily suspended since 18 July due to clashes. In Rakhine (Central), civilian arrests (including youth), increased military checkpoints and road and waterway closures were reported. The capacity to meet basic needs have also been diminished by rising commodity and fuel prices and reduced livelihoods..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-08-05
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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1018.58 KB 11.71 MB
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"Highlights
From January to June 2022, the number of people fleeing from conflict[1]affected locations has increased by nearly 200 per cent, bringing the current number of people displaced since the military takeover to 866,400. 346,600 people who were displaced prior to February 2021 remain living in displacement sites.
The “Bright Start: Mobile-based Health Microinsurance” programme for primary health care services has so far helped 27,500 people (69 per cent of the annual target).
Despite the reopening of schools in June, UNICEF estimates that 6 million children currently have restricted or no access to learning.
During the first half of 2022, UNICEF and its 12 health programme partners have provided 203,277 women and children with primary health care services. COVID-19 has led to increasing health needs and primary health care consultations, responsible for UNICEF HAC target to be exceeded mid-way through the year.
Child protection case management interventions have reached 69 per cent of the annual target, helping 1,962 children (49 per cent girls), most of whom have experienced multiple deprivations including physical abuse, neglect, and maltreatment..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-08-05
Date of entry/update:
2022-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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"This regular update, covering humanitarian developments up to 31 July, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UN agencies. The next humanitarian update will be issued in August 2022.
HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES
• More than 1.2 million people are currently displaced across the country. This includes nearly 866,400 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover last year.
• Inflation in commodity prices, including for food, fuel, shelter materials and NFIs, remains a major concern to partners in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable. Interim measures are being applied to mitigate against its impact on humanitarian programming where possible, but communities are struggling in the face of cost pressures.
• Humanitarians are stepping up efforts to expand support to affected people in northwest Myanmar which hosts the majority of the country’s new IDPs (583,100 as of 25 July 2022).
• Contingency planning is underway as tensions escalate in Rakhine.
• The unstable security situation and cyclical displacement across the Southeast and Northwest are exacerbating mental health issues among children and their caregivers, generating increased need for child protection responses in these areas.
• In northern Shan, forced recruitment, extortion and landmines continue to put IDPs and host communities at risk.
• In Rakhine, there remain significant shelter gaps for displaced people. There are also significant deficits in water availability in the AA-MAF sites in Rakhine and Chin.
• In the Southeast, shelter and other humanitarian support is urgently needed for newly displaced people including 5,400 new IDPs in Kyaukkyi township in eastern Bago.
• The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is only 13 per cent funded prompting the need for prioritization in the second half of the year.
KEY FIGURES
1.2M People internally displaced across Myanmar
866K People currently displaced by clashes and insecurity since February 2021
346K People internally displaced due to conflict prior to February 2021, mainly in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, and Shan
21K Civilian properties estimated burnt or destroyed since February 2021.
Displacement figures fluctuate during any given month. These figures represent the number of people currently displaced. Cumulative numbers for returns and displacement are not always available.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
The people of Myanmar continue to bear the brunt of ongoing hostilities and a crippling economic situation that has been compounded by increasing inflation since May. Both crises have entrenched people’s pre-existing vulnerabilities and generated new needs. There are currently, more than 1.2 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in camps and informal displacement sites across the country. Of those who are displaced, 866,4002 fled their homes since the 2021 military takeover. A further 346,600 people are in protracted displacement as a result of conflict prior to 2021, the majority of whom are in Rakhine State. Many of the new IDPs have been displaced multiple times. Many have been sheltering for months in the jungle, where it is difficult to reach them with humanitarian assistance, particularly during the rainy season.
During the past year, limited numbers of IDPs have managed to return to their places of origin, but this is sometimes short-lived and most people have been unable to return due to insecurity and ongoing hostilities in their places of origin, the destruction of their homes, or lack of livelihood opportunities. More than 21,000 civilian properties, including homes, churches, monasteries, and schools, have reportedly been destroyed since the military takeover.
Humanitarian partners are trying to reach 6.2 million people with life-saving assistance this year, including IDPs in conflict areas, wherever access is possible. Despite the ongoing access challenges and shortfalls in funding, humanitarian partners have been providing affected people with critical life-saving assistance, including emergency shelter and NFIs, food and livelihood assistance, health and nutrition, education, as well as protection services, including child protection, gender-based violence, legal aid and mine action, to alleviate their suffering and strengthen their resilience. Mid-year results are being finalized now and are expected to show at least 3 million people or almost half the 2022 target have been reached with humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the year. The Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) is working to identify ways of expanding reach into under-served, high displacement areas, particularly in the Northwest where the response has been challenging. On 29 July, the HCT endorsed a proposal to proceed with the establishment of a sub-national ICCG for the Northwest to improve coordination and information sharing, as well as access advocacy.
Myanmar remains one of only four countries in the world classified by ACAPS as having “extreme” access constraints, alongside Eritrea, Ukraine and Yemen.3 A new analysis of the physical, conflict and stakeholder constraints that are affecting accessibility in different parts of the country has been produced by the Humanitarian Access Working Group.
The analysis indicates that humanitarian access is considered ‘difficult’ or ‘very difficult’ to at least 1.4 million people of the 6.2 million targeted for assistance this year. High-level efforts continue to advocate for access to these areas and donors are encouraged to support efforts by partners in underserved locations where needs are severe, on the understanding that this work may take longer, require more human resources and deliver results on a smaller scale because of the access constraints.
Several inter-agency needs monitoring missions have taken place in the first half of the year. In late June, several UN agencies visited one relocation site, one temporary displacement site and three protracted IDP camps in Kyaukme,
Manton and Namtu townships in northern Shan to assess the overall humanitarian situation of the IDPs and identify need and gaps in responses. Based on the findings of this mission, IDPs are in need of more vocational training activities to support their livelihoods. In Namtu township, IDPs are in need of desludging services and water purifying chemicals. Displaced children have access to public education in these two towns, and health services are also provided, but there is a need to scale-up. With the ongoing increase of commodity prices, the running costs for camps have become challenging within existing allocations, especially in protracted IDP camps and relocation sites in Manton and Namtu townships. The UN, in collaboration with its partners, including local organization, is currently arranging responses to the identified needs. The joint distribution mission to southern Shan that was scheduled for early July in response to a prior needs monitoring mission, remains pending due to travel authorization issues. Advocacy is underway to resolve this delay.
It is critical that humanitarian partners have unconditional, unimpeded and safe access to all affected people wherever they are in Myanmar. Funding is also critically needed, especially in light of the increasing inflation since May 2022, in order to save more lives, protect people and alleviate their suffering. As of 27 July, the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan is only 13 per cent funded, leaving a gap of $719 million (FTS) and clusters will be working to make difficult prioritization decisions for the second half of the year..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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"World Vision has been present in Myanmar for over two and a half decades working for the most vulnerable children and families, partnering with the Government departments, local partners and different stakeholders. Commenced with Health intervention in 1993, WVM has expanded its area of work and has been operating programmes on Education, Child Protection, Health and Nutrition, Livelihoods, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Emergency Response, ensuring that children are well educated, protected from violence and hostile environments, and benefited from their families' secured livelihoods..."
Source/publisher:
World Vision Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-07-21
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma
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Format :
pdf
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5.03 MB
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"SITUATION AT A GLANCE
6.2 MILLION People Targeted for Humanitarian Assistance in Burma UN – July 2022
783,400 People Displaced Since February 2021 Who Remain IDPs in Burma UNHCR – July 2022
1.1 MILLION People Displaced in Burma UNHCR – July 2022
1.5 MILLION People in Need and Targeted by 2022 Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis JRP UN – March 2022
926,606 Estimated Number of Refugees in Bangladesh UNHCR – June 2022
The total number of IDPs in Burma surpasses 1.1 million people in June, with more than 783,000 individuals displaced by ongoing violence and insecurity since the February 2021 coup.
Approximately 1.3 million children in Burma remain unable to access critical nutrition support, and less than 40 percent of children are enrolled in school, the UN reports.
Severe wind and rain following the onset of the Juneto-October monsoon season destroys more than 9,500 shelters and displaces nearly 9 individuals in Cox’s Bazar from mid-May to late June...."
Source/publisher:
US Agency for International Development (Washington, D.C.) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-20
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
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pdf
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330.51 KB
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"In 2012, when violence erupted between Rohingya and Rakhine communities, Zaw Rina’s home in Pauktaw town was burned down. She was forced to flee with her family to a camp in Ah Nauk Ywe, on an island in the remote western part of the state. The impermanence of the fragile bamboo structure she lives in now belies the decade she has spent in the camp.
Flimsy shelter next to flimsy shelter line narrow, muddy pathways through the overcrowded camps in which more than 5,000 people live. Drainage is insufficient, with puddles of stagnant water a breeding ground for mosquitos and disease. There are too many people for too few toilets, while low water supplies, particularly in the dry season, means the facilities are typically filthy. Privacy is almost impossible to find.
Violence in 2012 that saw Zaw Rina’s home destroyed and killed hundreds, drove some 140,000 people, both Rohingya and Kaman Muslims, into these camps. Most remain there today where they have limited freedom of movement, denying them access to paid work, education and healthcare. Many embark on perilous journeys over sea and land to Bangladesh and Malaysia in the hope of a better life.
The impact on mental health
The day-to-day existence for Zaw Rina and thousands of others like her living in Rakhine state is underlined by fear, struggles to afford food, and feelings of hopelessness. This protracted status quo has drastic consequences on mental health.
The stress of living in these conditions was compounded when Zaw Rina’s 20-year-old daughter attempted suicide after her husband asked for a divorce.
“She was having a lot of serious fights with her mother-in-law and her husband turned around and said ‘I don’t like you and I want to get divorced, I did not marry you because I loved you’,” says Zaw Rina.
Across Myanmar, there are huge gaps in mental healthcare services. Rakhine state is no different, leaving people like Zaw Rina and her daughter with few options. There is one dedicated private mental health clinic in Sittwe, but it is too expensive for most people, while psychiatry services at the public hospital are hugely limited.
Exacerbating their challenges, the city is some 10 kilometres across the Kaladan River from the camps in Pauktaw township - both the distance and movement restrictions make it incredibly difficult for Rohingya living in camps to even reach these facilities.
Through our clinics in the camps, we are able to come to Rohingya to provide vital mental healthcare support, with counsellors and doctors offering one-on-one appointments, group sessions and home visits. These services are available to anyone who comes to our facilities, no matter their ethnicity or religion.
Both Zaw Rina and her daughter received counselling from MSF, helping them better manage their symptoms. “I really felt lost and didn’t know where to ask for help until I met with the [MSF] counsellor,” she says. “I am feeling better now in terms of my mental health, a lot better, and for my daughter too.”
Struggling to earn an income from Sittwe’s ghetto
Although Daw Than Than was born to Buddhist parents in Mandalay, she married a Kaman Muslim, changed her religion and now lives together with Rohingya and Kaman in Aung Mingalar, a Muslim ghetto in the centre of Sittwe.
This is where the remnants of Sittwe’s Muslims, which used to number almost half the city’s 200,000 residents, live. The rest fled during the violence in 2012 or were forced into camps like the one where Zaw Rina lives. For 10 years, Muslims in downtown Sittwe have been confined to this small neighbourhood, denied freedom to move and with police outposts guarding it day and night.
Daw Than Than is widowed. She has no children or family to support her. When she can, she cooks and cleans in people’s homes. But unable to come and go from the neighbourhood she often struggles to earn an income. Although movement restrictions into and out of the ghetto have eased in the past year, allowing her to move around Sittwe, her physical health worsened, preventing her from working.
“I feel sad because I struggle alone in my life. I feel lonely and sad because I have no one to support me when I feel sick. I can’t afford to go to a private hospital,” she says, adding how she does not have enough money to eat properly, often subsisting on rice and green tea.
Every Friday, MSF opens a clinic in Aung Mingalar where people from within the ghetto come to receive basic healthcare, mental health support and treatment for non-communicable diseases. “When I speak [to MSF counsellors], I feel some relief. They help me with breathing exercises, which are really helpful for relaxing. During counselling sessions, I cannot control my feelings though, and I cry,” says Daw Than Than
Violence exacerbating Rohingya women’s mental health
The challenging, stressful conditions in which Rohingya are detained in cramped camps, with limited economic opportunities and reliant on humanitarian assistance leaves women and girls at greater risk of abuse, sexual harassment and domestic violence.
Khin Phyu Oo first came to MSF’s Sin Thet Maw clinic after having a seizure. When staff from the clinic told her to be careful around the stove when she is cooking because of her condition, her husband was frustrated she could not do her house chores and beat her. This was one of a number of incidents of her husband attacking her, which left her feeling suicidal. This was when she began to receive counselling from MSF, alongside her seizure treatment.
“I have no one to open up to [in the community]. Nobody wants to listen to me. I am happy to come here and say everything that is on my mind,” she said.
“I feel happier. I think getting treatment is good for me. I can open up to the doctors here and they motivate me, give me suggestions [about how to make myself feel better]. The doctors also gave my husband mental health education.”
Overcoming the root causes of mental health
Rohingya will continue to struggle with their mental health while the root causes of their distress remain unresolved.
“I have hope my children can get an education one day,” says Zaw Rina.
“And I want a good shelter so I can live a normal and enjoyable life, like I had back in Pauktaw town. When I lived in my own house, I felt secure.”
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been working in Myanmar since 1992, assisting people affected by conflict and struggling to access healthcare. Today, over 1,000 staff provide basic healthcare, HIV, hepatitis C and tuberculosis treatment, and referrals to hospitals for emergency and specialised treatment across Kachin, Rakhine, Shan, Tanintharyi and Yangon states and regions. In Rakhine, MSF teams support communities displaced by conflict, including Rakhine Buddhists, and Rohingya and Kaman Muslims..."
Source/publisher:
Médecins Sans Frontières
Date of publication:
2022-07-14
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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"Shan State in Myanmar is home to many diverse communities.
It is the largest state in the country, bordering China to the north, Laos to the east and Thailand to the south. But for decades, this beautiful land has experienced ongoing clashes leading to waves of displacement.
While long-term displacement in the north exacerbates vulnerability both to conflict and COVID-19, newly displaced communities in the south also need urgent humanitarian support.
"I lost everything," says Daw Nu Rai*, a mother of five children who now lives in Hsi Hseng, southern Shan. "We've been displaced for a year now. We couldn't sleep properly till we arrived at this camp three months ago."
Following intense clashes in Kayah State, several thousand people from Loikaw, Demoso, Hpruso and Pekon were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in southern Shan State. "I didn't know what to do first when the fighting started. I have five children who depend on me," says Daw Nu Rai.
Some undertook their journey by car, some took trucks and others rode motorbikes as they left their homes behind. "We tried to fit four people on one bike when we crossed the Shan and Kayah border. It took us about 12 hours to reach a place that we felt safe in," Daw Nu Rai says.
When people are forced from their homes by conflict, they often have to leave almost everything behind. They arrive at sites of temporary shelter without daily household items like soap, water filters or a roof overhead -- things all too easily take for granted. Many rely on the hospitality of temporary host communities in monasteries, churches or the homes of relatives.
"They have gone through so much over the past months. I can't even imagine the physical and mental trauma that they are going through right now," says Daw Myint* from one such displacement site in Hsi Hseng. As a member of the host community, she has been helping to care for the displaced people from Kayah State.
With multiple generations of a family -- children to grandparents -- displaced together, there is a range of humanitarian needs within the community.
"Every weekend we try to conduct psychosocial support sessions for adults, where we listen to their stories of trauma and comfort them," says Daw Myint.
While dealing with conflict trauma is always challenging, it can be even more difficult for children who are still learning and growing. "We organize playtime and lessons for children to help them refocus their mind and slowly process what is going on around them, at their own pace," says Daw Myint
Alongside the hospitality of the host communities, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been working with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) to support people displaced by violence in Pin Laung and Hsi Hseng and provide emergency aid.
"We recently completed our second trip to Hsi Hseng and Pin Laung. Together with the MRCS, we were able to provide rice, peas, oil and salt to nearly 2000 families to ensure that they don't go hungry," says Martin Samtan from the ICRC Lashio team.
Beyond emergency assistance, we shared life-saving information about landmines and other explosive hazards that continue to be a risk to all communities. We also shared our ICRC hotline number to help people connect with loved ones separated by clashes or displacement.
Our teams are still on the ground, working with communities affected by conflict, alongside the MRCS, to identify and respond to those most urgent needs..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-13
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS
Armed clashes across Myanmar continued to trigger displacement and affect civilians. As of 4 July, an estimated 1,116,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were reported, including some 769,000 people who have been displaced within Myanmar since 1 February 2021.
In the North-West, ongoing fighting continued to undermine the safety and security of civilians with sporadic clashes reported in Chin State and Magway and Sagaing regions.
In the South-East, armed clashes generated some displacement largely due to the deteriorating security situation in Mon State, Bago (East) and Tanintharyi regions. Humanitarian access remained challenging although new displacement and IDP returns to areas of origin continues to be monitored. In protracted situations, many IDPs face acute food and supply shortages, which have been exacerbated by a shortage of essential goods and services in the host community.
In Kachin and Shan (North), IDPs’ limited access to financial services continued to undermine their capacity to engage in sustainable livelihoods. Access to education was another challenge, particularly in Kachin and Shan (North) as a result of school closures in response to COVID-19 and security-related measures. Other challenges facing children and adolescents include forced recruitment and child marriage.
In Rakhine State, simmering tensions spilled over into clashes in Chin State’s Paletwa Township on 27 June. The abduction of two teachers in Maungdaw (North) also heightened existing anxieties within communities. The evolving situation stands to impact the already limited freedom of movement for the Rohyinga communities, further impeding access to services and social cohesion.
RESPONSE
Myanmar
In the South-East, UNHCR and partners distributed core relief items (CRIs) to 14,000 people in Kayin and Kayah States and Bago (East) Region. 850 people in Kayah State and Shan State (North) received corrugated galvanized iron sheets to help them construct transitional shelters.
In response to several landmine related incidents in Kayah State, UNHCR, in collaboration with UNICEF, distributed 750 mine risk education leaflets to IDPs.
In Rakhine State, UNHCR and partners distributed CRIs to 6,300 people living in Rohingya IDP camps and IDP sites. Following heavy rains and strong winds, 19,750 people living in camps and sites received emergency shelter assistance. The distribution of shelter-related materials is also planned for some 5,000 people in displacement sites.
As part of COVID-19 prevention and response measures, UNHCR and partners provided personal protective equipment to 3,400 people. In Rakhine State (North), humanitarian access continues to be restricted, particularly for some 1,400 families currently residing in IDP sites.
In the North-West, preparations for a multi-sectoral needs assessment by UNHCR and partners are already underway in Magway Region. This exercise is intended to promote responsive humanitarian assistance for all affected populations.
In Kachin and Shan (North), UNHCR and partners provided 270 corrugated galvanized iron sheets to support the maintenance of existing shelters and reconstruction of shelters burned down in a recent fire. In addition, 3,275 IDPs living in 10 displacement sites in Shan State (North) received solar lamps. In order to better understand the diverse needs and protection..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-13
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
8.65 MB
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS
Armed clashes across Myanmar continued to trigger displacement and affect civilians. As of 4 July, an estimated 1,116,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were reported, including some 769,000 people who have been displaced within Myanmar since 1 February 2021.
In the North-West, ongoing fighting continued to undermine the safety and security of civilians with sporadic clashes reported in Chin State and Magway and Sagaing regions.
In the South-East, armed clashes generated some displacement largely due to the deteriorating security situation in Mon State, Bago (East) and Tanintharyi regions. Humanitarian access remained challenging although new displacement and IDP returns to areas of origin continues to be monitored. In protracted situations, many IDPs face acute food and supply shortages, which have been exacerbated by a shortage of essential goods and services in the host community.
In Kachin and Shan (North), IDPs’ limited access to financial services continued to undermine their capacity to engage in sustainable livelihoods. Access to education was another challenge, particularly in Kachin and Shan (North) as a result of school closures in response to COVID-19 and security-related measures. Other challenges facing children and adolescents include forced recruitment and child marriage.
In Rakhine State, simmering tensions spilled over into clashes in Chin State’s Paletwa Township on 27 June. The abduction of two teachers in Maungdaw (North) also heightened existing anxieties within communities. The evolving situation stands to impact the already limited freedom of movement for the Rohyinga communities, further impeding access to services and social cohesion..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-06
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
8.65 MB
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Description:
"On Monday April 12, 2021 State Administrative Council (military junta) forces in plain clothes entered Yangon General Hospital and arrested Dr Maw Maw Oo, the head of the Department of Emergency Medicine and the emergency clinical lead for Myanmar’s COVID-19 response. At the time of his arrest Dr Maw Maw Oo was treating patients. He was reportedly affiliated with the Civil Disobedience Movement. After his arrest he was detained in Insein Prison without charges and reportedly contracted COVID-19 while imprisoned.
OVERVIEW
The Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC) identified 411 incidents of violence against or obstruction of health care in Myanmar in 2021, compared to 17 in 2020.
In these incidents 535 health workers were arrested, 118 health facilities attacked, 41 ambulances attacked, and 29 health workers killed.
This factsheet is based on the dataset 2021 SHCC Myanmar Health Data, which is available for download on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)..."
Source/publisher:
Insecurity Insight and Safeguarding Health in Conflict
Date of publication:
2022-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
4.74 MB (13 pages) - Original version
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"SITUATION OVERVIEW:
The people of Myanmar are dealing with an evolving humanitarian crisis where humanitarian needs have continued to escalate since the third wave of COVID-19 in 2021 and the ongoing political unrest since Myanmar’s military intervention on 1 February 2021.
The country is now entering the second year of this crisis, where ongoing inter-factional tensions have fueled its complexity and multi-dimensional characteristics. The Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) continues to be supported by many in Myanmar, impacting public services, including health, schools, and government administrations in states and regions across the country.
Clashes and targeted attacks between various armed actors, including the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF), continue and have intensified in several states/regions. Simmering historical tensions exist across certain key states, and, in some locations, these tensions have become exacerbated as a consequence of military intervention. Numerous new forces have emerged, and several ethnic armed groups, established many years before the military intervention, have become increasingly recommitted to the insurgency resulting in fighting occurring in areas that have been without conflict for decades.
Some sources have recorded nearly 13,000 political violence and protest events throughout 2021. The degree of violence against civilians has been severe. The number of casualties has increased, while thousands of houses and the properties of other civilians have been burnt down or destroyed. This has triggered multiple large scale population displacements. As of 28 February 2022, roughly 873,000 people have been internally displaced in Myanmar. About 502,600 people have been displaced by insecurity and the increased vulnerability of host and resident communities in affected areas since 1 February 2021. The northwest part of Myanmar (Sagaing, Magway and Chin) has recorded the highest level of new internal displacements, with 246,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) (49 per cent), followed by the southeast part of Myanmar (Kayin, Kayah, and Shan) with 233,600 IDPs contributing 46.5 per cent. Displaced populations face significant challenges in access to basic needs and services, specifically, food, healthcare, shelter materials, clean water, and sanitation facilities.
Myanmar is also experiencing a socio-economic crisis exacerbated by the protracted COVID-19 epidemic. The local currency, the Kyat, has fluctuated with a significant drop in value by 60 per cent7 in the month of September 2021, while costs for food items, fuel, and other essential goods have soared. In September 2021, inflation increased to 7.3 per cent. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that in 2021, some 1.6 million jobs were lost, leaving only 18.9 million women and men employed. The farming, construction, garment, tourism, and hospitality industries are among the hardest hit. The economic and political volatility is projected to have driven almost half of the population into poverty in 2022.
The 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Myanmar , which was published on 31 December 2021, predicts that approximately a quarter of the population (14.4 million people – 4.9 million women and five million children) will be classified as requiring humanitarian support during 2022, up from about one million people in need before February 2021. This increase is driven by the social, economic and health impacts of COVID-19, worsening food insecurity, and the mass movement of the population since the events of 1 February 2021 and subsequent need for protection. These factors have generated an array of new needs and exacerbated the vulnerability of specific groups.
The HNO analysis estimated that 14 out of 15 states and regions in Myanmar are now within the critical threshold for acute malnutrition. Prices for key commodities in some states and regions have increased significantly, resulting in some food items no longer being affordable to many families. At the beginning of 2022, fuel prices increased by 14-18 per cent from the previous month. Compared to the pre-crisis period through to March 2022, fuel prices skyrocketed by 82-150 per cent , impacting transportation costs and contributing to unpredictable commodity prices.
Humanitarian access to reach conflict-affected populations remains a major challenge for the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and other humanitarian organizations. Travel restrictions are currently in place due to the security context, military checkpoints, stringent administrative authorization requirements, and COVID-19 regulations.
This has impacted the distribution of humanitarian resources, direct support from personnel and disrupted monitoring and evaluation activities, including data collection and verification. Several private companies have withdrawn and/or halted services in Myanmar, which has impacted transportation, the supply chain, and costs, eventually delaying humanitarian assistance from reaching those most in need.
With continuous dialogue and advocacy efforts with all stakeholders and state administrators, the MRCS gradually secured safe access to wider vulnerable populations. This engagement is based on autonomous Red Cross Red Crescent-led needs assessments and a decision-making process that supports independent humanitarian action. The MRCS collaborates with both International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (the Movement) and non-Movement partners, such as UN agencies, to deliver assistance to broader geographic areas. The National Society remains flexible and adaptive to the dynamic operational context to reach the most vulnerable and affected populations whilst ensuring compliance with security protocols for mobilizing personnel..."
Source/publisher:
International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Date of publication:
2022-07-06
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Public Health, Anti-coup protesters, Human Rights and international relations
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pdf
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1.37 MB (27 pages) - Original version
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"EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
This report covers the period January to December 2021 and outlines TBC’s progress based on the organisation’s Strategic Directions for Thailand and Myanmar 2020–2022.
The Myanmar Armed Forces staged a coup on 1st of February, citing false claims of electoral fraud. following the coup nationwide protests were held in opposition to the unconstitutional seizure of power by the SAC. Over 1,300 people were killed by the military in its crackdown against protests and conflict between both EAOs and PDFs against the military increased. The National Unity Government was formed in opposition to SAC and has played a major role in opposition to SAC in the international arena. In southeastern Myanmar indiscriminate artillery attacks against civilians in northern Karen and Kayah States were the primary cause of displacement for 200,000 people by the year’s end. The humanitarian situation inside Myanmar became increasingly dire, with few avenues for positive developments. TBC provided an emergency response where over 200,000 civilians benefitted from access to multi-sectoral humanitarian aid to alleviate basic needs. The coup, and subsequent breakdown in central government exacerbated the threats of COVID-19 and facilitated a failing vaccine drive and inadequate healthcare support to those with COVID-19. By the end of the year 16,000 people had died from COVID-19. The coup also devastated Myanmar’s economy and banking system and vastly increased the number of people living in poverty.
In Thailand, outbreaks of COVID-19 occurred in eight refugee camps. Coronavirus Infection Prevention & Control (IPC) protocols continued to be implemented throughout the year and has led to largely remote communications with camps. Despite these challenges food security remained strong and stable in all camps. Indeed, the humanitarian needs of encamped refugees of food, cooking fuel and shelter were met, while TBC also facilitated key activities in nutrition, shelter and camp governance. Due to COVID-19 and the military coup, the UNHCR-facilitated voluntarily repatriation, postponed in 2020, as well as TBC’s assistance for return preparedness, remained on hold. TBC also provided emergency humanitarian support to those displaced from fighting in Myanmar and who sought refuge in Thailand. Since February 2021, approximately 16,000 refugees crossed into Thailand to flee fighting and seek protection. They were disallowed entry to the established refugee camps and the majority of these new refugees returned to Myanmar, mostly under duress, with 3,200 still in Thailand in Temporary Safety Areas at the year’s end. At the end of December 4,800 officially remained in Temporary Safety areas. Meanwhile, 80,982 people remained in the nine camps in Thailand of whom, during the year, 410 were resettled to third countries and 1,313 children were born in the camps..."
Source/publisher:
The Border Consortium (Thailand) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-01
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, TBC, TBBC, : Annual reports and 6-monthly Programme Reports, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
12.77 MB (50 pages) - Original version
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"Introduction
The nutrition situation and wasting treatment/ integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM) in Myanmar Globally, 45.4 million children under five years of age are wasted. In 2012, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) incorporated the World Health Assembly Resolution’s 2025 global targets to reduce and maintain wasting/ acute malnutrition to less than 5% but these targets are off track. In Myanmar, while wasting/ acute malnutrition has decreased from 13%3 in 1991 to 7%4 in 2018, the prevalence of wasting/ acute malnutrition remains above the global target and progress has likely deteriorated due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the coup d’etat in February 2021.
Wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment in Myanmar is integrated into the existing health service delivery system where healthcare workers who provide wasting/ acute malnutrition services also treat children with pneumonia, malaria and other diseases. Integrated management of acute malnutrition (IMAM) or wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment is delivered by basic health staff (BHS), community volunteers, local/ international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and through government hospitals.
Nutrition-specific service provision in Myanmar had been decreasing since 2017, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many children untreated and thus increasing the risk of malnutrition, morbidity and mortality. Nutrition services, including active wasting/ acute malnutrition case detection, referral and treatment, have been severely disrupted by insecurity and increased access restrictions since 2017.5 Service provision, including outside of Rakhine, has been further reduced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent political instability. Scale-up and uptake of wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment in Myanmar remains low with only 42.3% of children with severe wasting/ acute malnutrition and 20.4% of children with moderate wasting/ acute malnutrition targeted receiving treatment in 2021.6 A recent barrier analysis of wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment in Rakhine State, Myanmar identified the following key challenges and barriers:
● Difficulties obtaining travel authorisation (TA) for service provision for international and national NGOs to operate and for caregivers to travel to health facilities to seek treatment leads to gaps in providing and accessing wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment services. Caregivers who often have to travel long distances to seek treatment and cannot afford the transportation costs do not seek treatment. Therefore, children are either not treated or treatment is delayed, increasing risk of mortality.
● There is limited coverage of treatment services even in locations where nutrition partners and governments are operational. There has always been a low coverage of treatment services in Rakhine State but since the coup d’etat, several outpatient therapeutic programme (OTP) sites provided through government health facilities that were operational have not provided consistent services and funding for those locations was at times discontinued due to the approach of limiting engagement with the de facto authorities.
● Obtaining a memorandum of understanding (MOU) required by organisations providing services is a long process and is typically inflexible in changing service activities and locations, making scale-up of wasting/ acute malnutrition treatment difficult..."
Source/publisher:
Crown Agents and Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme
Date of publication:
2022-07-01
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.36 MB (78 pages) - Original version
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Description:
"Highlights:
• Halfway throughout the year, UNICEF has only received 19 per cent of the required financial resources to respond to increasing humanitarian needs. This is severely affecting the capacity to respond. Without additional resources, targeted children in need will not access humanitarian assistance and services.
• The national total of internally displaced people (IDP) has reached an unprecedented 1.1 million, including 758,500 IDPs since 1 February 2021, consequently increasing the multisectoral needs of the displaced communities.
• Direct distribution was provided by UNICEF to IDPs in Loikaw and Demoso townships in Kayah from 7 to 14 June. A total of 16,023 individuals from 3,566 households received much-needed WASH, child protection, education, health and nutrition supplies.
• 1,862 children suffering from severe acute malnutrition have received treatment since the beginning of the year, representing 5 per cent of the target. The nutrition programme has a funding gap of 86 per cent. With additional funding, the targeted 37,503 severely malnourished children could be provided with therapeutic treatment.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF Myanmar Country Office is appealing for US$151.4 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to the displaced and host populations across the country. The Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) estimates that a total of 14.4 million people, including 5 million children, are in need of assistance this year. UNICEF has received generous contributions from the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), the Government of Denmark, the European Commission/ECHO, the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO), the Government of Japan, the Korean Committee for UNICEF, the Government of Norway, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and the Global Humanitarian Thematic Funding. These funds will contribute to delivering much-needed assistance through UNICEF Child Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Education, Health and Nutrition programmes and responses to affected populations. Although US$29.13 million has been received so far through the UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal, the funding gap of 81 per cent is severely affecting our ability to provide aid to the targeted populations, especially children in need of humanitarian assistance and services. Continued donor support is critical to continue scaling up the response. UNICEF expresses its sincere appreciation to all private and public donors for their contributions to supporting the children of Myanmar.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The humanitarian and security situation remains extremely serious across the country, particularly in the northwest and southeast regions, where active fighting continues to be reported, resulting in continuous population displacement. As of 20 June 2022, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported a national total of more than 1.1 million displaced civilians1 , including 758,500 internally displaced people (IDP) across the country since the military takeover of 1 February 2021, in addition to 346,600 IDP estimated to be displaced before the coup. For the past two months, a considerable surge of displacement has been reported in Sagaing, with a total of 395,600 IDPs located within the region, including an estimated 146,000 children and their families with immediate needs for essential services. Clashes and insecurity are currently hindering most partners from accessing the area, and the deteriorating situation is triggering severe concerns as needs are expected to increase, while access remains restricted. The restrictions and barriers on access to internet, in addition to the constraints related to transportation of basic supplies, pose further obstacles to the coordination and distribution of aid in the region.
In the southeast, the overall number of people displaced by conflict remains stable, and new displacements during this period have been offset by reported returns. At the beginning of June, UNHCR reported2 approximately 83,000 IDPs in Kayah and more than 50,000 IDPs in southern Shan. UNICEF accessed Loikaw township in Kayah state, where a significant number of IDPs was reported to have returned. Immediate delivery of humanitarian assistance was provided by UNICEF through the direct distribution modality from 7 to 14 June. A total of 16,023 individuals from 3,566 households in Loikaw and Demoso townships received basic WASH, child protection, education, health and nutrition supplies. UNICEF provided mine risk education through pamphlets to 1,500 families, 340 pregnant and lactating mothers received multi-vitamin tablets covering a period of 3 months, 864 children aged 6 to 59 months received nutrition bowls and feeding messages, 1,400 children aged 5 to 12 years received storybooks about COVID-19 prevention and social skills to reinforce reading capabilities, 2,500 children under the age of 18 received child protection kits, and 33 communities received water purification tablets and knowledge on how to use them in order to prevent waterborne diseases. The overall distribution was achieved successfully and brought considerable relief to the returned communities. UNICEF hopes to build upon this experience to foster continuous access to areas previously out of reach. Unimpeded access remains crucial for the delivery of life-saving assistance and appropriate coverage of essential services for the most vulnerable population, including children, often located in areas with severe operational constraints..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-07-01
Date of entry/update:
2022-07-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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"This snapshot traces the journeys of Rohingya refugees traveling to Indonesia. It also presents the needs and risks reported by Rohingya while in Indonesia, as well as their intentions for onward movements. Following two previous snapshots highlighting journeys and risks in transit for Rohingya traveling to Malaysia, this snapshot contributes to building a solid evidence base to inform targeted responses that improve protection for Rohingya refugees and shape advocacy efforts related to movements and protection of Rohingya refugees in Asia.
Key findings
• 62% of respondents started their journey in Myanmar; 34% set off from Bangladesh; 4% traveled from Malaysia. For those leaving Myanmar, Bangladesh was a frequent transit country.
• 69% of respondents reported at least one dangerous location along the journey.
Most of them reported the risk of physical violence (67 out of 75 respondents).
• Most respondents who reported protection risks considered border guards/ immigration officials as the main perpetrator (52 out of 75 respondents), followed by military/police (39 respondents) and criminal gangs (33 respondents).
• 89% of respondents perceived that there are fewer resettlement options since COVID-19. Nearly half reported being stuck in Indonesia because of the pandemic.
• 96% of respondents were in need of assistance in Indonesia at the time of the survey. Of those, most said they needed assistance with resettlement, access to work, and cash..."
Source/publisher:
Mixed Migration Centre
Date of publication:
2022-06-30
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Public Health, Human Rights and international relations, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
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500.92 KB
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"Nang Khin Shwe dreams of becoming a nurse one day. A couple of years ago, she took part in an auxiliary midwife training in her northern Shan State village to move one step closer to that dream.
"I always wanted to become a nurse or work in a medical field," she says. But when intense clashes broke out in Kyaukme Township, Nang Khin Shwe's family had to leave their home behind, like many others.
Displaced communities in Kyaukme Township and other parts of northern Shan State remain vulnerable to the dual threat of ongoing clashes and COVID-19. "My family and I have been here for more than seven months now," says Nang Khin Shwe, who is living in a displacement camp in Kyaukme Township.
Despite the challenges, she has been looking after her community, especially the elderly, children and pregnant women. "When someone is ill in the camp, I try my best to provide basic health care," says Nang Khin Shwe. "I mainly provide maternal care to pregnant women in the camp. I've helped six pregnant women deliver children." She refers those with serious illnesses or medical conditions to Kyaukme District Hospital, where they can receive proper medical care.
"We have been facing many challenges since October 2021, when we had to flee," says Nang Khin Shwe. Living in a temporary shelter, some of these challenges include heavy rain in the monsoon season, dry heat in summer and freezing cold in winter. "When it rains, the water drips down from the tarpaulin," she says, concerned about the rainy season.
The leader of the camp where Nang Khin Shwe is staying knows that everybody wants to return home. "But we have not had the opportunity yet. Our camp is in a little isolated location on the outskirts of Kyaukme town. The focus has been more on people displaced in southern Shan State. We get forgotten," he says.
As days go by, communities seek solutions to ensure access to food and livelihood, as daily life continues in the camp. "Most of the men and women in the camp try to get work for daily wages in nearby villages," says Nang Khin Shwe. "But they don't get paid much, only about five thousand kyat a day." In these challenging times, that amount often only lasts a day.
Beyond providing medical care, Nang Khin Shwe also teaches the Shan language to children in the camp. "I want the children here to have an education and learn both Myanmar and Shan languages," she says..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross
Date of publication:
2022-06-28
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"YANGON, Myanmar – With the support from Global Affairs Canada, UNFPA Myanmar has launched Baykin 2 mobile application, partnering with 360ed team. Integrating with Augmented Reality (AR), Baykin 2 app is designed to introduce adolescent and young people in Myanmar with key topics on sexual and reproductive health & right, gender equality, gender-based violence and other youth related contents such as self-defense.
Baykin 2 app integrates learning and gaming to increase the engagement of young users and provide better visuals for learning about their bodies and rights. It additionally seeks to equip adolescents and young people with knowledge and tools to be aware of and thus less vulnerable to gender-based violence.
UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is continuously investing in adolescents and youths to realize their full potential and their rights and providing supports to meet sexual and reproductive health needs and eliminate all forms of gender-based violence..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Population Fund
Date of publication:
2022-06-24
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), Public Health, Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma
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Description:
"LIFT/UNOPS response addresses immediate needs while also supporting longer-term development.
Thousands of Myanmar families share a typical plight of being stuck in a cycle of conflict, rising levels of food insecurity and protracted healthcare crisis, and many have experienced multiple displacements, leaving behind their homes, crops, and livestock. For the first time, the number of displaced men, women and children in Myanmar has exceeded one million, including 700,000 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover in February last year. Host communities who were already struggling to sustain their livelihoods are also supporting those that have been displaced.
The Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT), a multi-donor fund managed by the United Nations Office for Projects Services (UNOPS) delivers relief, livelihood and resilience programming to vulnerable communities across Myanmar aiming to sustainably improve household food security and community resilience to economic and climatic shocks and stresses. Below are several examples of how LIFT/UNOPS and its partners help support vulnerable communities and households through income generation and employment creation, strengthening of food systems and nutrition support, natural resource management, and community asset creation in a challenging environment.
Support for community-based health services
LIFT and partners work with local health practitioners, volunteers and ethnic health service providers to strengthen the community-based health services by providing a wide range of integrated health, WASH and essential nutrition services to more than 300,000 people including internally displaced people, the elderly, people with disabilities, migrants, pregnant and breastfeeding women and their children, and adolescent girls.
Cash-for-livelihoods support
38-year old Ma Toe Lwin (name changed) from Mawlamyinegyun has what’s called a ‘strong business intuition’. Knowing that a high fishing season is approaching, she launched a fishing net weaving and repairing business, with cash-for-livelihoods support from LIFT’s partners. Having been in the fishing business since her early 20s, Ma Toe Lwin is able to distinguish the quality of fishing nets but it was the lack of capital that didn’t allow her to stock nets for trading before the fishing season.
With cash support from LIFT, Ma Toe Lwin mobilised a group of women to produce about 100 fishing nets, in time for the upcoming fishing season so they can be sold to the fishermen. During high seasons, Ma Toe Lwin’s enterprise can employ up to 75 women allowing for a faster production chain. Proceeds from their sales are shared between the group members while a portion of earnings is saved for future investments.
Agriculture development support
“We keep using traditional growing methods and our planting has faced a lot of problems like pest infection and plant diseases. We did not know very well about the proper usage of fertilizers and pesticides, which caused us low yields”, said U Saw. Having struggled for years, U Saw sought knowledge of advanced agricultural techniques that would help him to improve his farm production and support better access to healthy food for his family.
When the LIFT-supported project reached the village, U Saw eagerly joined the training on agriculture to learn small-scale agri-business, good agricultural practices, and plant protection techniques. The practical sessions led him to explore natural composting methods, soil preparation methods and soil pH measurements. “In the past, I used to apply ready-made pesticides on my farm. So, it was costly and I also didn’t wear any protection while I was using chemical fertilizers and I often suffered from nausea and vomiting”.
Saw was convinced of the health benefits of organically grown crops, and he upgraded his farm to an organic farm. “The project supported me with a capital fund and black bamboos which are necessary in cultivating tomatoes. Tomato is the main crop I grow and I had an acre for purely organic cultivation this year. I applied all the agricultural techniques I learned from the training and the capital support of the project also helped me step up my farm. The yield this year has really increased as I expected. I am really happy that my earnings are pretty well and I can even repay all my debts,” said U Saw with a big smile on his face.
The traditional farmer who used the chemical fertilizers in the past is now stepping up as a leading farmer in the area who shares with his peers on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) that he received from the training. “We need to protect our land and environment by reducing the usage of chemicals so we are introducing organic farming step by step”, a proud and dedicated farmer U Saw said.
Support and assistance for internally displaced persons
But as the COVID-19 crisis deepened, Khine Mar lost all sources of income. “It has not been easy for us since the pandemic hit. Some organizations provided us with assistance such as food and essentials, but travel and access restrictions made such support irregular”, he said.
So he sought domestic work around his neighbourhood but there was little demand. He thought he had left such uncertainty behind when he fled his home village. Khine Mar was among other residents of the camp to receive a cash transfer of 65,000 MMK, provided by LIFT through its partners as a means to help IDPs cover their most basic food needs or purchase other basic items and services to protect themselves from COVID-19 and its socio-economic impacts.
“It’s the first time I receive such significant support and it was timely and helpful”, said Khine Mar of the cash transfer.
He used part of the payment to buy food for his children and is cooking more nutritious meals for his children. By scaling up multi-purpose cash transfer assistance, food assistance in kind and vouchers, cash/food for work schemes, psychosocial support and counselling services for trauma and gender-based violence, LIFT and partners have reached over 131,000 vulnerable people with social protection programmes in 2021 alone.
Supporting small-scale community enterprises
“We all joined a dry fish (snakehead fish) production training and learned how to cut fish by removing skin and bones and preserve it without using chemicals. We sell our product locally and online, and then share the profit while keeping 5 per cent of earnings in our group’s saving fund,” said Daw Myint.
It takes the group seven to ten days for a full production cycle - from purchasing raw fish to selling the ready product. Each member’s profit is sufficient to cover their household expenses such as food, education and healthcare while savings are planned for investing into other businesses. “Dried fish production is a seasonal business, and we are thinking of launching some farming enterprises too”, concluded Daw Myint.
Relief & Resilience response across Myanmar, including people living with disabilities
In 2021, 30 of LIFT’s partners from different thematics and geographic regions utilized $11.6 million USD for Relief & Resilience response to reach about 900,000 vulnerable people including internally displaced persons and people living with disabilities in different states and regions of Myanmar with multi-sectoral emergency aid. It is the hand-in-hand collaboration with partners that enabled LIFT-funded support to help restore and boost resilient livelihoods while strengthening the food security of vulnerable groups.
Nutrition and WASH awareness
In Kachin and Northern Shan, over 12,000 women from the most vulnerable households have been part of LIFT-funded nutrition-sensitive activities which included nutrition and WASH awareness, training in home gardening and in-kind support (food and WASH items).
Improving working conditions for women garment factory workers
Everyday, hundreds of unskilled women come from rural areas to cities to work in one of over 400 garment factories. Working in a garment factory is often the only possibility for young women from rural areas to earn money and become economically independent, and the income they generate is also used to support the families they’ve left behind. However, working in a garment factory also poses several challenges for these young women: while trying to navigate life in a new city without their family, friends and support network, the women also face harsh working conditions in the factory every day. In an effort to improve working conditions for women workers at garment factories, LIFT’s partners initiated a pilot to collaborate with a factory to upgrade its infrastructure by building or renovating canteens, toilets and healthcare facilities as well as installing cooling systems to provide some basic comfort and amenities as well as to create a space where the women are able to interact with each other. Though at its very early stage, the pilot has already proved success as workers appreciated improvements and it resulted in higher productivity and higher incomes..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Office for Project Services via United Nations Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-06-23
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
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Description:
"The first thing the villagers noticed when they returned was the destruction of homes, roads and other infrastructure.
“We had to return because there was no way to make a living at the camp and our livelihood is here. But the roads are severely damaged since they were abandoned for more than three years,” says Oo Aung Thein Kyaw, a leader of Ywar Haung Taw village
The ICRC team in Mrauk U recently met with communities to identify their most urgent needs.
Damaged roads posed challenges to the villagers' daily livelihood and social activities, prompting our support to help repair the roads.
More than 170 people, including those living with disabilities, have come together to repair the roads from dawn till dusk.
“I don't realize how time passes because we talk and work at the same time,” says Ma Oo May Thein, a tailor by trade and a member of the working group.
Our goal with this effort is to support community livelihoods by providing job opportunities.
“Even though they have returned home, the impact of COVID-19 and economic challenges have made it difficult for villagers to re-establish a livelihood,” explains Pyae Sone Tun, from the ICRC team in Mrauk U. “After the roads are repaired, it will become easier for them to travel, work and collect water.”
The project is carried out in partnership with the community and the Myanmar Red Cross Society.
Every day, Myat Hnin Wai, a Red Cross volunteer, visits this village to meet and talk with people – to hear about their challenges and offer help. “People are incredibly motivated and united. Seeing them work happily together makes me happy as well,” says Myat Hnin Wai.
Despite the challenges, the people of this village continue to help one another in any way they can.
“I lost my leg to a landmine, but it doesn't stop me from working because my friends give me a hand every now and then,” says U Zaw Lwin, a villager participating in the project.
In Rakhine, as across the country, we are committed to working together with all communities, providing humanitarian aid to people affected by armed conflict. We remain neutral and impartial in all our work..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-06-21
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Regional Director for the Asia Pacific Christine Cipolla visited Myanmar last week for meetings with State Administration Council ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Health. The meetings followed up on key humanitarian concerns and requests expressed by ICRC President Peter Maurer during his visit to Myanmar in June 2021.
During the meetings in Nay Pyi Taw from June 15 to 18, the Regional Director discussed ICRC's humanitarian response and expressed deep concern about worsening armed conflicts and other situations of violence in states and regions across the country, as well as the escalating toll on civilians.
At times when working conditions for the ICRC are increasingly challenging and access to hundreds of thousands of people in need of urgent help remains very limited, the Regional Director called for the facilitation of humanitarian responses in Chin, Kayah and Kayin States, as well as in Magway or Sagaing regions, including in areas where ethnic armed organizations are present. Regarding Rakhine State, she also emphasized that after more than eighteen months without major clashes and while COVID-19 preventive measures are being progressively lifted, restrictions over humanitarian access that have been in place since early 2019 should be re-assessed.
"Many communities displaced by violence are in dire need of basic necessities – such as food, water and shelter – and have no access to healthcare and other essential services. Parties to the conflict must do their utmost to facilitate the rapid and unimpeded passage of neutral and impartial humanitarian relief," the Regional Director said. "I reiterated ICRC's offer to do more for those people most in need in both old and new areas of conflict, as ICRC is one of the few organizations able to work in today's very difficult security environment and who enjoys the trust of all sides".
During her visit, the Regional Director also called for the earliest possible resumption of ICRC and family visits in prisons, both suspended by Myanmar authorities in March 2020, following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide.
"Capitalising on the recent improvement of the COVID-19 situation and at a time of growing concerns and distress of families of detainees, I asked for the gradual resumption of our humanitarian visits and underlined the importance of allowing families to be in contact with their loved ones in prison as soon as possible," the Regional Director said.
The ICRC regrets that no agreement on these two points was found yet with the detaining authorities but remains determined to continue its action in support of people detained and their families.
In the framework of ICRC's bilateral and confidential dialogue with all parties to the conflicts, the Regional Director also shared the ICRC's view on issues pertaining to respect of International Humanitarian Law and other applicable standards on the use of force by armed and security forces.
Finally, the ICRC Regional Director met with the leadership of the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) to discuss further cooperation and coordination at a time of growing humanitarian needs. She emphasized the importance of building on the complementarity of the ICRC and the MRCS respective mandates, expertise and capabilities to assist more people, particularly in hard to reach areas. In the current polarized environment, both organizations reiterated their commitment to uphold principled humanitarian action and to act in line with the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement's Fundamental Principles of impartiality, neutrality and independence..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-06-20
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
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Description:
"It has been a decade since intercommunal violence began causing waves of displacement in Rakhine State, Myanmar – disrupting lives and livelihoods for thousands of people. COVID-19 and the military intervention has further increased the need for humanitarian support.
Some people, like 54-year-old Kyaw Aye Thein, have been working with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) as part of a new programme that helps displaced families support themselves despite the overlapping humanitarian challenges they face.
Kyaw Aye Thein, who used to work as a labourer, was forced to leave his home, along with thousands of others, because of ongoing clashes, seeking shelter in a camp for displaced people in Rathedaung.
Years earlier, Kyaw Aye Thein had lost his leg after stepping on a landmine. Finding work after life has been disrupted by conflict can be hard. Living with a disability can make that search even more complex.
But working alongside the ICRC as part of programme that provides cash grants and vocational training to people living with disabilities in areas affected by conflict has helped give Kyaw Aye Thein the renewed start he needs.
With support from our physical rehabilitation team, Kyaw Aye Thein received his first prosthesis in April 2021. Since then, together with the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), we have organized a series of training sessions and provided grants that have helped Kyaw Aye Thein to start a small grocery store, ensuring a sustainable income.
Kyaw Aye Thein was one of the 13 people using the services of the physical rehabilitation centre in Sittwe who participated in this pilot programme, which included a two-day business skills training workshop. Opening a grocery store was his idea.
"Our teams helped Kyaw Aye Thein hone the plan and provided opportunities for him to learn the basics of financial management, accounting and marketing," says Zin Min Htike, who works with the ICRC in Yangon.
"These were new skills for Kyaw Aye Thein and helped him to turn his business idea into a reality."
Kyaw Aye Thein's grocery store began as a wooden extension to his house in the displacement camp. Now, he's able to source grocery items from a wholesaler to serve the entire community.
Going forward, Kyaw Aye Thein plans to save up to eventually expand his business and also cover emergency needs in case clashes break out again. He is one of many people living with a disability in Myanmar who we work with, supporting them to participate fully in society and earn sustainable livelihoods..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-06-15
Date of entry/update:
2022-06-15
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"Executive Summary:
Introduction:
Key nutrition services in Rakhine could not be implemented as planned in 2021. The nutrition dashboard for Rakhine (January to December 2021) showed that 41% of the target for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) treatment was reached (3,758 children out of 9,105 targeted), while for moderate acute malnutrition treatment (MAM) only 20% of the target was reached (6,425 children out of 31,509 targeted).....
Many more (185,401) children 6-59 months of age were screened with mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in 2021 as compared to the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) target for the year of 87,327. The 4W overview (UNICEF August 2021) showed that MUAC screening was done in half of all villages and wards in Rakhine. The fact that many more children were screened and that substantially less were reached for MAM/SAM treatment (as compared to the annual targets) suggests that there is a discrepancy between screening and treatment.....
Purpose:
It is well-known that the context in 2020/2021 has been difficult and nutrition partners have faced many barriers, some of which were beyond their control. To increase coverage of nutrition services in Rakhine State, Myanmar, it is essential to understand and address the key barriers. This report aimed to identify key challenges and bottlenecks within the current situation and to develop realistic actionable solutions to overcome identified challenges for the treatment of wasting/ acute malnutrition as well as other nutrition services: infant and young child feeding (IYCF) services, blanket supplementary feeding programmes (BSFP), cash/food distributions and maternal and child cash transfer (MCCT) programmes).....
Methods:
A secondary literature review and key informant interviews (KII) with key stakeholders were conducted to identify barriers and solutions. A workshop with the Nutrition Cluster was conducted virtually to validate the key findings and prioritise barriers and solutions. Information was triangulated to formulate seven key barriers and recommended solutions.....
Findings:
The following are the priority barriers and solutions identified. There are five priority barriers related to nutrition treatment services and two priority barriers related to other nutrition services..."
Source/publisher:
Crown Agents, Humanitarian Assistance and Resilience Programme
Date of publication:
2022-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.03 MB
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES
• For the first time, the number of displaced men, women and children in Myanmar has exceeded one million. This includes almost 700,000 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover in February last year.
• The monsoon season is now in full swing with strong storms and heavy rain hitting Rakhine, Kachin, southern Shan, and Kayin since April, causing damage to shelters and further compounding existing vulnerabilities.
Humanitarian responses and preparedness efforts are underway in high-risk areas.
• Humanitarians continue providing critical life-saving assistance to the most vulnerable people despite access challenges and limited funding. During the first quarter of 2022, 2.6 million people were reached with humanitarian assistance (41 per cent of the 2022 HRP target).
• Inflation in commodity prices, including food, fuel, shelter materials and NFIs, has become a major concern to partners in addressing the needs of the most vulnerable people.
• The Nutrition Cluster is facing possible pipeline breaks for both preventative and therapeutic nutrition supplies due to under-funding and taxation issues. Resolution of taxation issues for humanitarian supplies is an urgent priority.
• Funding for agriculture support to vulnerable farmers is a priority for food security partners with fears that this lack of investment in livelihoods assistance could lead to food unavailability and unaffordability in rural areas.
• Funding has been secured for 270 out of the 550 IDP camp longhouses that need immediate reconstruction in Rakhine. However, there remains a $2.4 million funding gap to repair the remaining 281 longhouses as the monsoon season arrives.
• The funding situation for 2022 is now dire with the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) only 10 per cent funded, 5 months into the year, leaving a gap of US$740m (FTS). All clusters are seriously underfunded, threatening their ability to respond to the growing needs and gaps in response.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
During the reporting period, various parts of Myanmar have witnessed an escalation in fighting, further entrenching the already fragile humanitarian situation. The impact on civilians is worsening daily with frequent indiscriminate attacks and incidents involving explosive hazards, including landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERWs). According to UN figures, the number of IDPs people since the 2021 military takeover s now exceeds 694,300, bringing the overall number of displaced people across the country to more than one million. 2 Thousands of IDPs who have already fled their homes are being forced to move for a second or third time. An estimated 40,200 people have crossed the borders into neighbouring countries since the takeover.3 More than 12,700 civilian properties, including houses, churches, monasteries, and schools are estimated to have been destroyed during hostilities, although figures are difficult to verify.4 This will make IDP returns more difficult even if the situation improves. Consequently, complex needs are surfacing, requiring immediate humanitarian responses to save lives and protect those affected, supporting them to live in dignified conditions.
In addition to this constant risk and fear they are enduring daily, thousands of people across the country are living in distress due to the increasing price of essential commodities, including food and fuel, partly due to the conflict in Ukraine which has impacted global supplies. The price of diesel soared by 20 per cent from February to March 2022, and by another seven per cent from March to April 2022.5 On average, as of mid-April 2022, fuel prices are nearly two and a half times higher than February 2021. 6 This inflation has affected people’s purchasing power and is starting to impact on the work of several clusters, particularly food security and shelter, who depend on commodities to implement their humanitarian programming. Some clusters are facing issues with their suppliers who are no longer honoring contracts because of the price increases.
On top of the continued fighting, strong storms and heavy rain have already hit coastal areas of the country, mainly lowlying areas in Rakhine, Kayin, Kachin and Shan states, since April this year, causing varying degrees of damage to civilian structures, including houses and shelters. This has further compounded pre-existing vulnerabilities of the affected people, particularly IDPs in protracted displacement sites. Humanitarian actors, including local partners, have immediately reached affected families, where possible repairing the damage and providing tarpaulins and emergency NFIs, but the needs far exceed existing resources, capacities and access. Preparedness efforts by both humanitarian actors and the de facto authorities have been underway since the first quarter of 2022 (see details in article below). More funding is critically needed to ensure efficient responses in the event of a wide-scale natural disaster.
Across the country, humanitarian actors, including the UN, INGOs, and local partners, continue responding to both preexisting and emerging needs wherever possible, providing critical life-saving assistance in spite of the constrained operational environment and limited funding. As of the end of the first quarter of 2022, 2.6 million people had been reached with humanitarian assistance. This represents 41 per cent of the people targeted (6.2 million) in the 2022 HRP7 demonstrating the humanitarian community’s capacity to scale-up logistically when access and funding are available.
The funding situation for 2022 is now dire with the Humanitarian Response Plan only 10 per cent funded, 5 months into the year, leaving a gap of US$740m (FTS). The consequences will be grave if this level of underfunding continues in the remainder of 2022. Humanitarian partners will be forced to cut back on their support at a time when this assistance is needed the most, particularly as the monsoon season is just getting underway..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
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pdf
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732.9 KB
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"Highlights:
• The conflict in Myanmar has caused many areas to become contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war, with the number and frequency of casualties propelling Myanmar into becoming one of the most mine-affected countries in the world. UNICEF is protecting children from this risk by ensuring that Explosive Ordnance Risk Education is integrated across all relevant sectors of its humanitarian response.
• As of 23 May, a reported 694,300 civilians have been displaced nationally by the conflict, more than double that of the figure of 320,900 at the end of 2021.
• June will mark the traditional start of the academic year, and safe access to education for all children remains an urgent priority across the conflictaffected areas.
• The reporting period usually sees the onset of water shortages, especially in Rakhine. To ensure an uninterrupted water supply for internally displaced people (IDPs) and the host communities, UNICEF has initiated a scarcity response to meet the daily water needs of 28,078 IDPs in Pauktaw in Sittwe, and at Ah Agnu IDP site in Meybon township.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
The UNICEF Myanmar Country Office is appealing for US$ 151.4 million to respond to the multi-sectoral humanitarian needs of the targeted 1.1 million children in Myanmar in 2022. The Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates that, in 2022, a total of 14.4 million people are in need of assistance, including 5 million children. UNICEF wishes to express its deep gratitude to all public and private sector donors for the contributions and pledges received, which have made the current response possible. UNICEF would especially like to thank the generous support received this year from the governments of Japan, Norway, Denmark and the United Nations office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA). These funds will contribute to delivering services to affected populations, notably for Child Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Education, Health and Nutrition programmes and responses. Although 19 per cent of the UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children requirements were received, the funding gap of 81 per cent is severely affecting the capacity to respond. Without these resources, targeted populations, especially children, who need basic social services will not be able to receive assistance. Continued donor support is critical to continue scaling up the response. UNICEF is thankful for the commitment and dedication of all its partners and colleagues in Myanmar who continue to stay and deliver lifesaving assistance to affected children and women, amidst an incredibly challenging context.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
Children in Myanmar continue to face unprecedented needs, compounded by the national political, security and humanitarian crises, limiting access to services. During the last few weeks, the conflict has continued to deteriorate in the northwest regions of Sagaing, Magway and Chin, with armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces, local People’s Defence Forces and Chinland Defence Forces, resulting in an escalation in the displacement of children and their families. At the end of 2021, more than 320,900 civilians had reportedly been displaced. However, in the first quarter of 2022 this figure has more than doubled and, as of 23 May, approximately 694,300 people have been internally displaced in Myanmar since the military coup, with nearly 49 per cent of them (336,600 people) within the Sagaing region. The support from humanitarian partners to civilians in new areas of conflict remains limited to urban zones, as constraints on access to rural conflict-affected regions are resulting in lower coverage there.
The Mine Action Area of Responsibility (AoR) reports that, as a direct result of the conflict, many areas have become contaminated with landmines and explosive remnants of war. The consequent number and frequency of casualties have propelled Myanmar into becoming one of the most mine-affected countries in the world. To protect children against these risks, the Mine Action AoR is working towards supporting the integration and mainstreaming of Explosive Ordnance Risk Education across sectors of the humanitarian response, in order to teach children and adults how to identify, report and protect themselves against explosive hazards. Although a recent survey in Rakhine has highlighted the dangers of mines and explosive remnants of war in six villages, a national mapping has demonstrated the gaps across all regions in mine action interventions.
To reach the children in dire need of assistance, improved and unimpeded access is necessary, including secured physical access, reduced bureaucratic impediments, lessened scrutiny, functioning telecommunication networks and alleviated banking restrictions. Nevertheless, UNICEF and its partners continue to scale up their response and adapt their activities through prioritizing strengthening capacity and tailoring programming modalities to cope with the security risks and severe travel restrictions..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (Myanmar) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
404.86 KB (8 pages) - Original version
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Description:
"On 1 February 2021 the Myanmar armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) seized control of the country following a general election that the National League for Democracy (NLD) party won by a landslide. The military junta that the Tatmadaw established to run the country is officially known as the State Administration Council (SAC). Over the period February–November 2021 hundreds of people, including children, were killed and many injured during nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) protests against the coup and violent SAC crackdowns on those opposing it.
Doctors and nurses were arrested for providing medical care to protesters, health workers were injured while providing care to protesters, ambulances were destroyed, and health facilities were raided. In the first few months of 2022 health care in Myanmar continued to be under attack.
By the end of 2021 what began as an urban-based protest movement had escalated into a wider conflict extending into the countryside. In September the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) declared war on the Tatmadaw. Shortly after, the Tatmadaw began a brutal offensive throughout the country, razing villages, damaging or destroying health infrastructure with artillery or air strikes, and blocking medical aid to opposition-controlled areas.
This update to the one-year report published in February has been prepared by Insecurity Insight, as part of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC). It highlights reported incidents of violence against health workers, facilities, and transport in Myanmar between 1 January and 31 March 2022 to highlight the impact on the health system as a whole. It does not include information on violence against patients. It is drawn from credible information that is available in local, national, and international news outlets, online databases, and social media reports..."
Source/publisher:
Insecurity Insight (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-24
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Anti-coup protesters, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
418.12 KB
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Description:
"The MIMU 5W gathers inputs from participating humanitarian and development agencies on Who is doing What,
Where, When and for Whom across Myanmar. It is normally conducted every 6 months and provides information on agencies’ activities at various levels (village/village tract/township, and IDP camps).
In total, 209 agencies participated in the March 2022 round of the MIMU 5W, providing information on their humanitarian and development activities across 22 sectors and 157 sub-sectors as defined by technical/sector working groups. 5W reporting is quite comprehensive for projects of INGO, UN and Red Cross agencies, but there is underreporting of activities for local NGOs and CBOs, since not all are participating. Note that Agencies must report to a sufficiently detailed level (village or camp level) for their work to be reflected fully in the MIMU 5W products.
This Overview describes projects reported as under implementation in Kachin as of March 25th, 2022. Further information on planned and recently completed projects is available from the 5W dataset, which can be requested by 5W Partners. Projects under implementation can also be viewed on our interactive dashboards - 5W Township Dashboard and 5W Village Tract Dashboard..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Information Management Unit (Myanmar) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-19
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.35 MB
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Description:
"The MIMU 5W gathers inputs from participating humanitarian and development agencies on Who is doing What,
Where, When and for Whom across Myanmar. It is normally conducted every 6 months and provides information on agencies’ activities at various levels (village/village tract/township, and IDP camps).
In total, 209 agencies participated in the March 2022 round of the MIMU 5W, providing information on their humanitarian and development activities across 22 sectors and 157 sub-sectors as defined by technical/sector working groups. 5W reporting is quite comprehensive for projects of INGO, UN and Red Cross agencies, but there is underreporting of activities for local NGOs and CBOs, since not all are participating. Note that Agencies must report to a sufficiently detailed level (village or camp level) for their work to be reflected fully in the MIMU 5W products.
This Overview describes projects reported as under implementation in Rakhine as of March 25th, 2022. Further information on planned and recently completed projects is available from the 5W dataset, which can be requested by 5W Partners. Projects under implementation can also be viewed on our interactive dashboards - 5W Township Dashboard and 5W Village Tract Dashboard.
1. Organisations active in Rakhine State as of March 25th, 2022
In total, 72 agencies reported activities in Rakhine state: 37 are engaged in Development-focused projects (700 village tracts/towns), 26 are engaged in support to other vulnerable groups (not IDP related, 267 village tracts/towns), 32 are engaged in activities which target IDP and Host Communities (419 village tracts/towns and 27 camps) and 22 are active in IDP-focused activities (104 village tracts/towns and 27 camps). IDP-related projects were reported in a total of 30 camps or camp-like settings.
A total of 134 projects were reported in Rakhine State: 41% of the projects involve work with IDPs (54 IDP & Host Community or IDP-only focused projects), and 59% have a focus on other populations (80 Other Vulnerable Groups and/or Development-focused projects).
Non-IDP focused projects (Other Vulnerable Groups and/or Development activities): 57 organisations reported 80 village or township-based projects under implementation in 813 village tracts/towns. The majority are implemented by INGOs. Most of the reported projects are in Maungdaw (68 village tracts/towns), Ponnagyun (64), Buthidaung (63), Rathedaung (59), Thandwe (58), Minbya (57), Mrauk-U (57), Toungup (55), Kyaukpyu (52), Kyauktaw (51), Myebon (47), Ramree (45), Pauktaw (42), Gwa (35), Ann (31), Sittwe (28), Munaung (1).
IDP & Host Community and IDP-only focused activities: 39 organisations reported 54 projects under implementation in 441 village tracts/towns and 30 IDP camps. The majority are implemented by INGOs and UN agencies. Most of these projects are in Ponnagyun (85 village tracts/towns, 0 camp), Rathedaung (67, 0), Minbya (54, 1), Kyauktaw (50, 1), Myebon (48, 2), Buthidaung (38, 0), Mrauk-U (35, 1), Sittwe (23, 18), Maungdaw (21, 0), Pauktaw (15, 6), Ann (3, 0), Kyaukpyu (2, 1)..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Information Management Unit (Myanmar) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-12
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.66 MB
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Description:
"UNODC in Myanmar aims to prevent drug abuse, enhance access to community-based drug treatment & reintegration services, especially among vulnerable populations.
"My son wanted to stop using drug, but we did not know how to help him, but through the advice received at the Rebirth Rehabilitation Service Center my son is now healthy and has got a second chance to build back his life better and I am really thankful to the drug treatment and rehabilitation services in the community," said U Naw Tawng, a concerned father from Myitkyina, Kachin state.
Stories like U Naw Tawng’s show the impact of illicit drug use on people especially in vulnerable communities such as IDP camps and surrounding areas in Myitkyina, where UNODC continued to deliver and support community based drug prevention, treatment and services for people suffering from drug addiction problems.
Illicit drug use is having a significant impact on people's health and wellbeing, and negatively affects the long-term prospects for an eventual return of the expanding numbers of IDPs to their home areas. Aiming to minimize the adverse health and social consequences of drug abuse in Kachin state's IDP camps and surrounding areas, UNODC’s experts work directly with and mentor volunteers in IDP camps to ensure people who use drugs can access health-centered services within their community setting.
Ze Hkawng, an ex-drug user from Mawhpawng Lhaovo camp, overcame drug addiction with the help of community-based drug treatment and services programme. He has been trained by UNODC and is volunteering at the programme now actively. While screening risky drug behavior, he said
"I was happy when I heard about the community-based drug treatment and services initiated by UNODC because I did not know how to get help to stop using drugs. The programme helped me to rid myself of the addiction and I am now healthy and happy. I think many youths like me need help, so I hope this programme will help them just like it helped me."
Since October 2021, the program supported the referral of 30 clients to government, INGOs and NGOs run service centers based on the client’s needs such as methadone maintenance therapy, HIV testing, Hepatitiis screening, counselling services, as well as community based treatment and rehabilitation services in coordination and cooperation with relevant partners. To reach more people, UNODC has started to roll out hybrid online training of trainers to participants from local faith-based organizations, enabling them to pass on their knowledge on a community-based approach to drug dependence treatment and services to members of the community.
With their new knowledge, they will be able to conduct training sessions such as the one organized by UNODC's field staff for volunteers (half of whom were female and have of whom were male) from IDP Camps in Myitkyina together with NGOs and faith-based organizations working on drug and health areas. The workshop improved the skills of the IDP camps volunteers to screen and refer people who use drugs to the community based services, while at the same time facilitating improved networking and coordination among services providers and the volunteers.
Mrs. Hkawn Ra, a camp leader from Du Kahtawng camp, said that joining the workshops has provided them with information on the referral pathway for service delivery, not only in the camp but also to surrounding areas as well. Mr. Joseph, a camp leader from Manhkring IDP camp, agreed with Mrs. Khawn Ra and added that the training also provided urgently needed assistance to the volunteers in their camps who will assist with drug-related issues in the camp.
The trainings are part of UNODC’s collaboration with NGOs and faith-based organizations working on drug prevention, treatment, harm reduction, drug rehabilitation and social reintegration services, aimed at strengthening capacities to provide community-based services in particular in IDP settings. In Kachin, the programme focuses on preventing drug use and addressing drug-related issues among people in IDP camps and surrounding communities in three selected area of Kachin state: Myitkyina, Waimaw and Mogaung.
In line with international standards and a balanced approach to drug control as reflected in an outcome document during the 2016 UN General Assembly Special Session on the world drug problem, UNODC in Myanmar aims to prevent drug abuse, and enhance access to community-based drug treatment and reintegration services, especially among vulnerable populations..."
Source/publisher:
United Nations Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-05-11
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma, Public Health, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups.
Language:
more
Description:
"Highlights
Escalation of conflict in the northwest and southeast regions resulted in increased numbers of internally displaced person (IDP), to 327,400 and 186,200 IDPs in these two regions respectively. The ongoing clashes and movement restrictions in the northwest are impeding access and delivery of humanitarian assistance.
As of 25 April 2022, 578,200 people were displaced nationally since the 1 February 2021 military takeover.
9,084 children under the age of 7 and 1,007 pregnant women in peri-urban Yangon benefited from primary health care services through the “Bright Start: Mobile-based health microinsurance” pilot programme.
Since the beginning of 2022, a total of 53,332 people, including 36,258 children, have accessed critical child protection services nationally through 28 partners. Services include access to mental health and psychosocial support, gender-based violence risk mitigation, prevention and response interventions as well as explosive ordnance risk education.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
The UNICEF Myanmar Country Office is appealing for US$ 151.4 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to displaced populations across the country. The Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview estimates that a total of 14.4 million people are in need of assistance this year. In 2022, UNICEF received generous support from the governments of Japan,
Denmark and UN OCHA Global Humanitarian Thematic funding to support Child Protection, Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Education, Health and Nutrition programme and response. These funds will contribute to delivering services to affected populations. The UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) currently has a funding gap of 82 per cent.
Without this funding, targeted populations especially children who need basic social services will not be able to receive assistance. UNICEF expresses its gratitude to all donors, private and public, for their contributions to supporting the children of Myanmar.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The humanitarian situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate with intense clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF), Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs). Intensified clashes between MAF and PDFs were reported in the northwest and southeast region where MAF used heavy artillery, airstrikes, and torched and destroyed civilian properties. As of 25 April 2022, an estimated 578,200 people were internally displaced including more than 327,400 people in the northwest and 186,200 in the southeast, accounting for almost 89 per cent of the national displacement figures since the military takeover of 1 February 20211 . Increased use of landmines and explosive ordnance in conflict-affected areas has been reported. More than 8,200 houses and public places such as churches, monasteries and schools were destroyed or burned down, mainly in Sagaing (4,416), Magway (1,751), and Chin (1,071), Kayah (819)2 .
In the northwest region, frequent displacements of IDPs have been reported, as children and their families are struggling to escape the surge of conflict affecting the area. In Sagaing, one of the most affected regions, an estimated 240,600 people are in need of humanitarian assistance. However, numerous challenges are being faced such as the security risks posed by the escalation of conflict, the increased number of checkpoints, the travel restrictions and transportation of supplies, and the limited number of humanitarian partners, all factors severely hampering the humanitarian response capacity to reach the people in need..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) (New York) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-30
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
463.1 KB
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS
Armed clashes across Myanmar continued to trigger displacement and affect civilians. As of 2 May 2022, there were an estimated 936,700 internally displaced persons (IDPs) across Myanmar including 590,100 newly displaced since 1 February 2021.
In the South-East, the security situation continued to deteriorate with intensified armed clashes), including indiscriminate artillery shelling. Landmines continue to pose grave protection risks for civilians and restrict access to farmland, markets, hospitals and schools. In the South-East, the majority of IDPs are located in Kayah State (89,700), Kayin State (82,000), Shan State South (49,800), as well as in Mon State (18,000), Tanintharyi Region (9,100) and Bago Region (900).
In Kachin and Shan (North) states, there is increasing restriction of movement, including physical obstacles on some main roads as well as fear of arrest or detention. This in turn impacts access to basic services and livelihoods opportunities of displaced people. In Shan (North) State, while no new displacement has been reported, forced recruitment and landmines remained key protection issues for civilians.
In the North-West, the situation remained tense with continued armed clashes, including aerial attacks, and reports of human rights violations. The main needs of IDPs are food, core relief items, healthcare and shelter. In Chin State, some displaced people came back to their place of origin to check their properties. They are however unable to return home permanently because of the presence of armed groups or because their homes have been destroyed. In the North-West, displacement figures remain high with 240,600 IDPs in Sagaing Region, 50,500 in Magway Region and 36,300 in Chin State, with very limited humanitarian access.
In Rakhine State, while some return movements have been observed from Rakhine displacement sites as a result of conflict, mainly in Sittwe, Pauktaw, and Minbya townships, Rakhine IDPs continue to raise concerns related to their security. Their return is hindered by the presence of antipersonnel mines, lack of access to livelihoods and lack of reliable information for them to make informed and free decisions to return to their places of origin/choice.
The Rohingya population continues to suffer serious limitations on their enjoyment of basic human rights, such as freedom of movement, education and healthcare..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-05-04
Date of entry/update:
2022-05-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and displacement in Burma, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
8.63 MB
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Description:
"Key Updates
• Afghan evacuees are stuck in legal limbo: Months after hundreds of thousands of Afghan nationals were evacuated from Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover, many remain stuck in resettlement limbo in the western countries.
• Myanmar and Bangladesh resume talks on repatriating Rohingya refugees: While the two countries agreed on a repatriation date in June, many Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar say they are unwilling to return to Myanmar before a series of long-standing issues are addressed, including the granting of full citizenship rights and protection from persecution.
• Rohingya refugees continue onward movements from Bangladesh: On 25 March, 57 Rohingya refugees were captured by the Bangladeshi authorities while attempting to leave for Malaysia by a trawler. This was the second boat to attempt to leave Bangladesh in the first quarter of 2022.
• Escalating conflicts on multiple fronts displaced thousands of people in Myanmar: Fighting has intensified in Kayah and Kayin states since December 2021, creating volatile new conflict zones. In Kayah alone, up to 170,000 people have been internally displaced and forced to seek shelter in community centers, churches, the jungle, or in the neighboring Shan state after a January military crackdown.
• Refugees and migrants across the region still face barriers to accessing COVID-19 vaccine and treatment: Refugees and migrants in countries such as Thailand and Indonesia continue to face critical vaccine inequality due to logistical and administrative challenges.
• Refugees in Australia’s offshore processing centers are eligible for resettlement in New Zealand:
On 24 March, Australia announced that up to 450 refugees from its regional processing centers will be resettled in New Zealand over the next three years..."
Source/publisher:
Mixed Migration Centre
Date of publication:
2022-04-21
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights and international relations, Public Health, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.83 MB (Original version) - 17 pages
Local URL:
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Description:
"This regular update, covering humanitarian developments up to 12 April, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UN agencies. The next humanitarian update will be issued in May 2022.
HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES
• Across Myanmar, as of 11 April, 912,700 men, women and children remain displaced. This includes 566,100 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover in February last year. For the first time, displacement in the northwest has exceeded 300,000 people.
• Humanitarians continue providing critical life-saving assistance to displaced people and host communities wherever they can, including through local partners in the face of serious access constraints.
• Increasing challenges are being reported by clusters around roadblocks and checkpoints, transportation of supplies and incomplete coverage by local partners in several conflict areas.
• Despite access challenges and funding shortfalls, food security partners have reached 1.4 million people with life-saving assistance – a quarter of the Cluster’s target for 2022.
• The Nutrition Cluster is facing pipeline breaks for both preventative and therapeutic nutrition supplies as early as June.
• Amid escalating dangers from landmines and explosive ordnance in conflict areas, clusters have agreed to scale-up mainstreaming of risk education across all sectors.
• There remains high risk of transmission of acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) in protracted IDP camps in Rakhine amid significant WASH gaps, as well as reliance on water trucking, and potentially boating, at the peak of the dry season in some areas.
• Shelter repair gaps in Rakhine’s IDP camps are a significant concern heading into the monsoon season with more than 550 longhouses, sheltering more than 28,000 IDPs, considered structurally unsound and in urgent need of reconstruction.
• Preparedness plans are being updated ahead of the rainy season to ensure a timely and efficient response in the event of an emergency in high-risk areas.
• Funding for the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), which requests US$826 million to reach 6.2 million people in need of life-saving support, is critical. Only 5 per cent ($37.2 million) of required funds have been received at the end of the first quarter of 2022 (FTS). All clusters are underfunded, which impedes their ability to respond to the growing needs and gaps in response.
KEY FIGURES
912K People internally displaced across Myanmar
566K People currently displaced by clashes and insecurity since February 2021
346K People internally displaced mainly in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, and Shan due to conflict prior to February 2021
8K Civilian properties estimated burnt or destroyed since February 2021.
Displacement figures fluctuate during any given month. These figures represent the number of people currently displaced.
Cumulative numbers for returns and displacement are not always available.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
Ongoing fighting in the country’s east and northwest has exacerbated the humanitarian and displacement situation.
The use of heavy weapons, including airstrikes and artillery fire, as well as landmines and the presence of explosive remnants of war (ERW) continues to claim lives and pose risks to the safety and security of the civilian population, especially Internally Displaced People (IDPs). Since the military takeover, at least 1,600 people, including over 100 children, have been killed, and thousands injured or maimed according to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).2 During the first two months of 2022, UNICEF recorded 53 casualties from landmines and ERW alone. (See page 5 of this update for more details)
Hundreds of thousands of men, women, boys and girls have fled their homes for safety since the February military takeover, many of them forced to move multiple times exposing people to grave protection risks. As of 11 April 2022, the number of new IDPs since the military takeover in 2021 stands at 566,100, according to UN figures, bringing the total number of IDPs across the country to 912,700. In addition, it is estimated that 36,100 people from Myanmar are currently displaced in neighbouring countries. This includes 34,500 in India and 1,600 in Thailand.
At least 8,262 houses and other civilian properties, including churches monasteries, schools, and markets have reportedly been either burnt down or destroyed, mainly in Sagaing and Magway regions and Chin and Kayah states. (See page 3 of this update for more details)
The stressful financial situation already facing many vulnerable families after COVID-19 and the recent conflict has been placed under further strain by fresh price rises, especially for fuel since the start of the conflict in Ukraine which has impacted on global supply. According to WFP price monitoring, the price of fuel has increased by 18 per cent from February to March 2022 and is more than double the price (up 133 per cent) compared to February 2021.3The next round of monthly data is expected to show even steeper hikes. This has serious implications for people’s ability to purchase food and other essentials and if it becomes protracted, will also have an impact on the cost of humanitarian operations in 2022. In the HRP 2022, clusters anticipated continued inflation (ranging from 15-35 per cent depending on the cluster) but the ICCG will conduct a fresh stocktake of these impacts in the coming weeks.
Against this backdrop of conflict, the monsoon season is now approaching, placing another burden on the lives of vulnerable and displaced people in high-risk areas and adding new urgency to addressing shelter and NFI funding gaps. While the first storm of the season reached the Rakhine coast with limited impact at the end of March, the weather system was a timely opportunity to refresh preparedness planning. In the lead up to the storm, the de facto Rakhine State authorities evacuated some 300 people to a primary school in Yone Ka Htoe village in Gwa township and at least 90 vulnerable IDPs, including elderly people and persons with disabilities, were relocated to cyclone shelters in Sittwe. The de facto authorities immediately activated the respective township-level Disaster Management Committees (DMCs), instructed Village Tract leaders to prepare cyclone shelters around camp areas to accommodate Rohingya IDPs in Sittwe and put in place a plan to relocate IDPs in Pauktaw township to high ground, if needed. Each district office of the Department of Disaster Management stored non-food items to cover 1,000 families as part of the initial response. Operational humanitarian partners in Rakhine immediately undertook preparedness activities at the sub-national level, disseminating disaster preparedness messages around cyclone, flood and landslide risks in Rohingya languages in camps in Sittwe and in Pauktaw townships. The Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) also convened an emergency meeting in Yangon to take stock of preparedness actions before the storm hit. Humanitarian partners have been recently updating their national emergency response preparedness plans for 2022 in preparation for the monsoon season and in the event of an emergency, will coordinate with the relevant de facto authorities to ensure an immediate and efficient response.
Overall, humanitarian actors, in close coordination with local partners, continue providing critical life-saving assistance to the most affected people but face ongoing challenges in addressing urgent needs due to access constraints and funding shortfalls. To meet their obligations to people in need, humanitarian actors, including the UN, international and national NGOs, need quicker, simpler and more predictable access processes. Visa, banking, registration, and MOU blockages remain major obstacles to effective response and must urgently be resolved. It is critical that new banking rules introduced by the Central Bank on foreign currency transactions do not hamper the ability of humanitarian organizations from accessing funding for life-saving work. Significant funding gaps persist, a quarter of the way into 2022. To date, only 5 per cent ($37.1 million) of the $826 million requested in the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan, has been received (FTS). Continued underfunding of this magnitude will have life-threatening consequences for millions of people in 2022. Donors are urged to give generously, in solidarity with the people of Myanmar to save lives and protect hard-fought development gains while there is still a window to do so. Donors and funding recipients are also reminded of the importance of up-to-date and complete reporting of funding flows to the Financial Tracking Service to ensure that a clear picture of gaps is available to support decision-making..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-19
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-19
Grouping:
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Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Public Health, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations
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"HIGHLIGHTS:
The security situation remained tense across Myanmar with armed clashes which continued to trigger displacement. As of 4 April 2022, there were an estimated 907,500 Internally Displaced persons (IDPs) across Myanmar including 560,900 newly displaced since 1 February 2021. These include 234,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South-East Myanmar and 227,300 IDPs in the North-West.
In the South-East, intensified armed clashes continued with incidents reported in Kayin State’s Hpapun, Kawkareik, Myawaddy and Kyainseikgyi townships, Mon State’s Kyaikhto Township and Bago Region’s Shwegyin Township. In Myawaddy Township, Kayin State, some 1,700 IDPs who were already displaced in IDP sites or living in villages on the riverbanks that borders Thailand have arrived in Tak border villages after they fled clashes which began at the end of March 2022. In Kayin State, some 1,500 IDPs have returned to their place of origin in Kawkareik Township due to fewer armed clashes over the past weeks. Clashed have however intensified in Southern Kawkareik, resulting in new displacements. Clashes intensified in Kayin, Mon and Kaya States and in Tanintharyi Region. There were reports of the killing of civilians during airstrikes and shelling. In Palaw Township, Tanintharyi Region, some 1,000 IDPs living in displacements sites are in urgent need of food assistance. In the South-East, the majority of IDPs are located in Kayah State (92,600), Kayin State (74,00), Shan State South (50,600), as well as in Mon State (7,600), Tanintharyi Region (8,900) Bago Region (900)
In Rakhine State, return movements of IDPs from Ann Township to their areas of origin increased significantly with over 300 families returning during the reporting period. The decision to return is triggered by a combination of factors including livelihood opportunities.
In the North-West, armed clashes continue to displace families. The number of IDPs crossed the 300,000 mark this month. In Chin State, around 1,500 new displacements were reported in Kanpetlet Township due to fear of clashes. Displacement numbers are expected to further increase as security operations and armed clashes continue. In the North-West, clashes have resulted in 227,300 IDPs in Sagaing Region, 45,000 in Magway Region and 36,300 in Chin State.
In Kachin and Shan (North) states, the security situation remained tense and fighting continued in multiple townships. In urban areas such as Hpakant and Myitkyina, explosive devices continue to feature heavily in armed conflict incidents reported, while in more rural areas, such as Mohnyin, Mansi, Putao, and Waingmaw, clashes, including the use of artillery and airstrikes, have continued. In Shan State (North), clashes decreased compared to February 2022, while fighting in northeastern Shan State (Muse) has continued. There was also less new displacement in both Kachin and Shan (North) states in March compared to February 2022. Some IDPs displaced in February from Putao Township to Myitkyina Town also returned to their villages with the facilitation of local community leaders..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-09
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-09
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Individual Documents
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UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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Sub-title:
Announcement in relation to International Aid for Health Care and Humanitarian Assistance
Description:
"1. A Public Report on COVID-19 Vaccine was published on 18th October 2021 by National Health Committee (NHC) and COVID-19 Task Force (CTF). It was stated in the report that multiple discussions and meetings took place with UN organisations and organisations such as COVAX Facility, GAVI, the diplomatic community, and international partners. CTF’s people-centred three fundamental principles: (a) People first, (b) Transparency and (c) Equal and balanced communication, were published on 16th September 2021. The public was also informed that based on these principles, CTF is not only negotiating that the immunisation can be delivered fairly but also that GAVI’s activities are being monitored together with the international community.
(https://nhcmyanmar.org/public-report-on-covid-19-vaccine.../)
2. Despite numerous discussions and meetings with COVAX Facility, GAVI in contravention of their own pledges, to date our Ethnic communities and the public have not had any equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. We have learned that on 30th March 2022, COVAX Facility, GAVI distributed 2.2 million doses of Sinovac vaccines to the terrorist military council.
3. COVAX Facility, GAVI have not distributed any vaccines towards those who are in real need, such as the Ethnic Communities in the border areas, refugees from the armed conflict, the civil servants and the public who are having to evade arbitrary detention by the terrorist military council.
4. But COVID-19 Task Force together with Ethnic Health Organisations rose to the challenges and started COVID-19 mitigation programmes and rolled out vaccination programmes in the border areas.
5. We urge the World Health Organisation, Myanmar, United Nations Organisations, COVAX Facility, GAVI and other international organisations to not only roll out COVID-19 Vaccination programmes but aid and assist in healthcare provisions and humanitarian assistance directly to Ethnic Communities by involving third party organisations that have no allegiance to the terrorist military council via cross border areas at the earliest opportunity. In doing so, we would also like to remind the said organisations to abide by the people-centred three fundamental principles mentioned above..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-04-05
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-05
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Sub-title:
ကျန်းမာရေးနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထောက်မှုဆိုင်ရာ နိုင်ငံတကာအကူအညီအထောက်အပံ့များနှင့်စပ်လျဉ်း၍ အသိပေးကြေညာချက်
Description:
"၁။ အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီ (NHC) နှင့် COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးအဖွဲ့ (CTF) တို့သည် "COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးနှင့်စပ်လျဉ်း၍ ပြည်သူထံတင်ပြခြင်း" ထုတ်ပြန်ချက်ကို (၁၈-၁၀-၂၀၂၁) ရက်စွဲဖြင့် ထုတ်ပြန်ခဲ့ပြီး ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ အဆိုပါထုတ်ပြန်ချက်တွင် မိမိတို့ အနေဖြင့် COVAX Facility, GAVI အပါအဝင် UN အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ သံတမန်အဖွဲ့များ၊ နိုင်ငံတကာ မိတ်ဖက်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် အကြိမ်ကြိမ် တွေ့ဆုံဆက်သွယ်ညှိနှိုင်းမှုများ ဆောင်ရွက်ခဲ့ပါ ကြောင်း၊ CTF ၏ အခြေခံမူနှင့် လုပ်ငန်းစဉ်များဖြစ်သည့် (က) ပြည်သူသာ အဓိက ဖြစ်ရမည်၊ (ခ) ပွင့်လင်းမြင်သာမှုရှိရမည်၊ (ဂ) ညီမျှသော ဆက်ဆံမှု ရှိရမည် ဟူသော ပြည်သူအခြေပြု မူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ်ကို (၁၆-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်စွဲဖြင့် ထုတ်ပြန်ခဲ့ပါကြောင်း၊ အဆိုပါ မူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ်နှင့် အညီ တန်းတူညီမျှ ကာကွယ်ဆေး ထိုးနှံနိုင်ရေးမူဝါဒကို မျှမျှတတဖြစ်စေရန် CTF က ညှိနှိုင်း ဆွေးနွေးနေသည့်အပြင် GAVI ၏ ဆောင်ရွက်ချက်များကိုလည်း နိုင်ငံတကာနှင့်အတူ စောင့်ကြည့်လျက်ရှိပါကြောင်း ပြည်သူကို အသိပေးတင်ပြခဲ့ပြီးဖြစ်ပါသည်။
(https://nhcmyanmar.org/public-report-on-covid-19-vaccine.../)
၂။ သို့ရာတွင် ယနေ့အချိန်အထိ တိုင်းရင်းသားပြည်သူများအားလုံး တန်းတူညီမျှ ကာကွယ်ဆေး ထိုးနှံနိုင်ရေးမူဝါဒနှင့်အညီ ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် အကြိမ်ကြိမ် တွေ့ဆုံညှိနှိုင်းဆွေးနွေးချက်များကို COVAX Facility, GAVI အဖွဲ့အစည်းအနေဖြင့် အကောင်အထည်ဖော်ခဲ့ခြင်း မရှိဘဲ (၃၀-၃-၂၀၂၂) ရက်နေ့တွင် COVAX Facility, GAVI သည် Sinovac အမျိုးအစား COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေး (၂.၂) သန်းကျော်ကို အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီသို့ ပေးအပ်ခဲ့ကြောင်း တွေ့ရှိရပါသည်။
၃။ COVAX Facility, GAVI အနေဖြင့် နယ်စပ်ဒေသရှိ တိုင်းရင်းသားပြည်သူများ၊ စစ်ဘေးရှောင် ပြည်သူများ၊ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ ဘေးအန္တရာယ်မှ တိမ်းရှောင်ထွက်ပြေးနေရသည့် ပြည်သူ့ဝန်ထမ်းများနှင့် ပြည်သူများအတွက် အမှန်တကယ် လိုအပ်လျက်ရှိသော COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးများကို ယနေ့အချိန်အထိ ပေးအပ်ခဲ့ခြင်း လုံးဝ မရှိပါ။
၄။ သို့သော်လည်း COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးအဖွဲ့ (CTF) နှင့် တိုင်းရင်းသား ကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ လက်တွဲ၍ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးလုပ်ငန်း များနှင့် COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံခြင်းလုပ်ငန်းများကို စိန်ခေါ်မှုများရှိသည့်တိုင် နယ်စပ် ဒေသများကို အခြေပြု၍ အကောင်အထည်ဖော် ဆောင်ရွက်လျက်ရှိပါသည်။
၅။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံအခြေစိုက် ကမ္ဘာ့ကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့ (WHO Myanmar) အပါအဝင် UN အဖွဲ့ အစည်းများ၊ COVAX Facility, GAVI နှင့် အခြားနိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအနေဖြင့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံခြင်းလုပ်ငန်းများအပြင် ကျန်းမာရေးနှင့် လူသားချင်းစာနာထောက်ထားမှု ဆိုင်ရာ အကူအညီအထောက်အပံ့များကို အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီနှင့် ဆက်စပ်မှု လုံးဝ မရှိသည့် Third Party အဖွဲ့အစည်းများမှတစ်ဆင့်သော်လည်းကောင်း၊ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ စွက်ဖက်မှု ကင်းမဲ့သည့် နယ်စပ်ဒေသများကို ဖြတ်ကျော်၍သော်လည်းကောင်း တိုင်းရင်းသား ပြည်သူများထံ လက်ဝယ်အရောက် ပေးပို့နိုင်ရေးအတွက် အမြန်ဆုံးအကောင်အထည်ဖော် ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် တိုက်တွန်းအပ်ပါသည်။ ထိုသို့အကောင်အထည်ဖော်ဆောင်ရွက်ရာတွင် နိုင်ငံ တကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများသည် အထက်ဖော်ပြပါ ပြည်သူအခြေပြုမူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ်ကို မသွေဖည် စေဘဲ ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် ထပ်မံအသိပေးထုတ်ပြန်အပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar
Date of publication:
2022-04-05
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-05
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"SITUATION OVERVIEW
The people of Myanmar are dealing with an evolving humanitarian crisis where humanitarian needs have continued to escalate since the third wave of COVID-19 in 2021 and the ongoing political unrest since Myanmar’s military intervention on 1 February 2021.
The country is now entering the second year of this crisis, where ongoing inter-factional tensions have fueled its complexity and multi-dimensional characteristics. The Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) continues to be supported by many in Myanmar, impacting public services, including health, schools, and government administrations in states and regions across the country.
Clashes and targeted attacks between various armed actors, including the People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF), continue and have intensified in several states/regions. Simmering historical tensions exist across certain key states, and, in some locations, these tensions have become exacerbated as a consequence of military intervention. Numerous new forces have emerged, and several ethnic armed groups, established many years before the military intervention, have become increasingly recommitted to the insurgency resulting in fighting occurring in areas that have been without conflict for decades.
Some sources have recorded nearly 13,000 political violence and protest events throughout 2021. The degree of violence against civilians has been severe. The number of casualties has increased, while thousands of houses and the properties of other civilians have been burnt down or destroyed. This has triggered multiple large scale population displacements. As of 28 February 2022, roughly 873,000 people have been internally displaced in Myanmar. About 502,600 people have been displaced by insecurity and the increased vulnerability of host and resident communities in affected areas since 1 February 2021. The northwest part of Myanmar (Sagaing, Magway and Chin) has recorded the highest level of new internal displacements, with 246,600 internally displaced persons (IDPs) (49 per cent), followed by the southeast part of Myanmar (Kayin, Kayah, and Shan) with 233,600 IDPs contributing 46.5 per cent. Displaced populations face significant challenges in access to basic needs and services, specifically, food, healthcare, shelter materials, clean water, and sanitation facilities.
Myanmar is also experiencing a socio-economic crisis exacerbated by the protracted COVID-19 epidemic. The local currency, the Kyat, has fluctuated with a significant drop in value by 60 per cent in the month of September 2021, while costs for food items, fuel, and other essential goods have soared. In September 2021, inflation increased to 7.3 per cent. The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that in 2021, some 1.6 million jobs were lost, leaving only 18.9 million women and men employed. The farming, construction, garment, tourism, and hospitality industries are among the hardest hit. The economic and political volatility is projected to have driven almost half of the population into poverty in 2022.
The 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Myanmar, which was published on 31 December 2021, predicts that approximately a quarter of the population (14.4 million people – 4.9 million women and five million children) will be classified as requiring humanitarian support during 2022, up from about one million people in need before February 2021. This increase is driven by the social, economic and health impacts of COVID-19, worsening food insecurity, and the mass movement of the population since the events of 1 February 2021 and subsequent need for protection. These factors have generated an array of new needs and exacerbated the vulnerability of specific groups.
The HNO analysis estimated that 14 out of 15 states and regions in Myanmar are now within the critical threshold for acute malnutrition. Prices for key commodities in some states and regions have increased significantly, resulting in some food items no longer being affordable to many families. At the beginning of 2022, fuel prices increased by 14-18 per cent from the previous month. Compared to the pre-crisis period through to March 2022, fuel prices skyrocketed by 82-150 per cent, impacting transportation costs and contributing to unpredictable commodity prices.
Humanitarian access to reach conflict-affected populations remains a major challenge for the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and other humanitarian organizations. Travel restrictions are currently in place due to the security context, military checkpoints, stringent administrative authorization requirements, and COVID-19 regulations.
This has impacted the distribution of humanitarian resources, direct support from personnel and disrupted monitoring and evaluation activities, including data collection and verification. Several private companies have withdrawn and/or halted services in Myanmar, which has impacted transportation, the supply chain, and costs, eventually delaying humanitarian assistance from reaching those most in need.
With continuous dialogue and advocacy efforts with all stakeholders and state administrators, the MRCS gradually secured safe access to wider vulnerable populations. This engagement is based on autonomous Red Cross Red Crescent-led needs assessments and a decision-making process that supports independent humanitarian action. The MRCS collaborates with both International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement (the Movement) and non-Movement partners, such as UN agencies, to deliver assistance to broader geographic areas. The National Society remains flexible and adaptive to the dynamic operational context to reach the most vulnerable and affected populations whilst ensuring compliance with security protocols for mobilizing personnel.
EMERGENCY APPEAL REVISION
This revision of the IFRC Emergency Appeal addresses the rapidly evolving operational context and the resulting increase in humanitarian needs across Myanmar. Accordingly, it also extends the timeframe of the appeal by one year. This revised Emergency Appeal endeavours to maintain operational relevance and responsiveness for the provision of humanitarian assistance, including preparedness, to the affected populations. Note that the title of this revised emergency appeal has subsequently been changed from ‘civil unrest’ to ‘complex emergency’, reflecting the evolving humanitarian situation. Information describing the accomplishments achieved under the Emergency Appeal, up until 30 November 2021, is accessible in Operations Update No. 2.
TARGETING
Through the revised Emergency Appeal, at least 202,000 people deemed the most vulnerable, will be provided with essential humanitarian support provided by the MRCS in 14 states and regions. This support will encompass emergency first aid and ambulance services, expanded basic health care services, livelihood support, and in-kind assistance to address basic needs. The geographic focus was initially on states and regions where civil unrest, clashes and protests took place, with humanitarian support primarily consisting of emergency first aid and ambulance services. The interventions are now further prioritized for Kayah, Kayin, Shan, and Chin states and the regions of Magway and Sagaing. These areas have been most affected by the crisis and are currently where the needs remain unmet. Given the dynamic nature of this emergency, the MRCS has pre-empted the likelihood of needing to broaden the geographic scope of the response to other states and will therefore remain prepared for and responsive to meeting emerging humanitarian needs in close coordination with Movement partners active in these areas, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Targeting will prioritize groups in the most vulnerable locations and includes the following categories:
Peri-urban areas with socio-economic challenges with relief needs focused on major cities.
Regions/states with existing vulnerabilities with populations at risk of increased displacement.
Hard-to-reach areas where the MRCS has managed to secure access to deliver humanitarian assistance.
At the district/local level, further prioritization will be given to the following groups:
People directly affected physically, psychologically, or socio-economically by violence in hot spots.
People affected by the emerging violence and who are newly displaced.
Vulnerable and affected people in periurban areas with socio-economic challenges.
People in regions/states with existing vulnerabilities and at risk of increased displacement.
Displaced people deciding to return to their homes, safely and voluntarily.
Within this geographic focus, household targeting will include additional vulnerability criteria. The vulnerability criteria will focus on women/child-headed households, pregnant or lactating women, persons with disabilities, the elderly, those suffering from chronic illnesses and families with children under five years old..."
Source/publisher:
International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-02
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
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"SITUATION AT A GLANCE
6.2 MILLION
People Targeted for Humanitarian Assistance in Burma
UN – January 2022
558,000
People Displaced Since February 2021 Who Remain IDPs in Burma
UNHCR – March 2022
126,000
IDPs Originally Displaced in 2012 in Rakhine State IDP Sites
UN – December 2021
1.5 MILLION
People in Need and Targeted by 2022 Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis JRP
UN – March 2022
923,179
Estimated Number of Refugees in Bangladesh
UNHCR – February 2022
More than 558,000 people remain displaced throughout Burma as of March 28 due to escalating violence since February 2021, representing the greatest level of displacement since the coup d’état in the country to date.
The UN releases the 2022 Bangladesh JRP on March 29, requesting $881 million to reach nearly 1.5 million individuals with humanitarian assistance during the year.
The USG announces more than $152 million in additional funding to support the Burma and Bangladesh regional humanitarian response..."
Source/publisher:
United States Agency for International Development (Washington, D.C.) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-01
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights and international relations, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups.
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"Highlights
• As of 28 March 2022, the northwest region, including Sagaing, Chin and Magway, has 308,600 internally displaced people (IDPs), the highest number in the country, out of a growing national total of 558,000 people displaced since February 2021.
• In Chin, persistent travel and transportation restrictions are hindering the delivery of health and nutrition supplies and impacting programming. Local solutions are being adapted to cope.
• For the first quarter of 2022, UNICEF has received 14 per cent of the requested US$ 151.4 million to support the children of Myanmar.
More is needed to ensure 1.1 million children get better access to health care and education, protection, safe drinking water and malnutrition supplementation and treatment.
• 23,153 people received primary health care services across Rakhine, Kachin, Shan, Kayin and Yangon peri-urban area, and 585 children aged 9 to 18 months were vaccinated against measles in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-04-01
Date of entry/update:
2022-04-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
381.42 KB
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Description:
"In a recent return to Mindat to help people displaced by fighting in Chin State, we saw communities helping each other – carrying food, providing shelter, sharing meals. But relying on others is not always easy.
As part of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) support team in early March, Ma Thiri Aung remembers meeting a young mother whose family farmed for a living before the clashes changed everything.
"The violence meant they were now displaced, with no jobs, no way to get food, relying only on assistance from others," Ma Thiri Aung says.
"This mother wanted to go back home, where her family could support themselves." Ongoing armed conflict means people in Chin State continue to face the ordeal of having to leave their homes in search of safety.
Thousands of people have been displaced as a result of fighting in recent months. Mindat is too high up in the mountains to cultivate rice, relying on food transports from other parts of Myanmar. But ongoing clashes make travel less safe – roads are mined or bridges damaged – threatening food supplies.
"When communities hear the Red Cross are coming, their main hope is rice," says Aye Thantar Tun, who led the ICRC team.
Over nine days in early March, we worked alongside the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) to distribute much-needed food and other essential items to nearly 2000 people – including rice, oil and salt needed for cooking.
In the monasteries and churches of Mindat where people are seeking shelter, we supplied families with basic rations, hygiene supplies, materials for shelter construction and information to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.
As clashes continue across Chin State, we also talked with communities about the risks posed by landmines and other explosive hazards.
We worked with the community to make sure awareness of these threats would be accessible to all – putting up billboards and sharing educational cartoons for children.
From Mindat, the sound of clashes can sometimes be heard in this former tourist town. Being surrounded by violence, and displaced, can leave invisible scars. Going forward, supporting mental health care is also crucial.
"Even as people spoke, I could hear their worries in every sentence," says Aye Thantar Tun. "They have been traumatized by what's going on."
While responding to existing needs, we also need to plan for futures ones. Surrounded by mountains, Mindat is very cold in winter and very hot in summer. In the rainy season, it is also prone to landslides.
This exposure to the elements, endangers safe and sustainable access to water – via water pipelines already damaged by fighting – as well as to supplies of food and medicine as roads risk becoming blocked.
Operating alongside our ICRC teams, a mobile health clinic, run by the MRCS, has proved a crucial way of ensuring people have access to medicine despite these overlapping challenges of access.
The humanitarian needs of people impacted by fighting in Chin State continue to grow. Together with the MRCS, so will our support. We hope to return to Mindat again soon – to continue helping those in greatest need..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-25
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups.
Language:
more
Topic:
water insecurity, climate change, preparedness, public health, IDPs
Topic:
water insecurity, climate change, preparedness, public health, IDPs
Description:
"Introduction:
The Rohingya IDPs in the Pauktaw Township in Rakhine State (Myanmar) suffer annual potable water scarcity during the dry season into early rainy season. Due to hydrogeology, with surface brackish water and sea water intrusion, the area’s main water source is rainwater collected in ponds. Due to water loss, linked to seepage and evaporation, the ponds go dry 3-months a year, impeding meeting the minimum humanitarian standards during water scarcity period, and water is boated in to fill the gaps.
This is a costly intervention, easily disrupted and not financially sustainable. Moreover, water supplied is limited, impacting personal hygiene, including menstrual hygiene, and public health, creating the conditions for diffusion of skin infections, COVID-19, acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) etc. Climate change is starting to exacerbate these issues, as sea level rise threatens to flood low lying camps, increases saltwater intrusion and makes rainy season unpredictable.
Update:
Considering the upcoming season of water scarcity in Pauktaw and the need for coordinated efforts to ensure continuation of water supply, as a life-saving action, it is shared below with relevant stakeholders the summary of the trend of water consumption and forecasted date of the start of the emergency response, based on our software to monitor and analyse each pond’s available water, together with the user numbers, and actual water consumption and losses, to predict scarcity timing and plan water boating for Rohingya settlements of Pauktaw township where Solidarités International is the main WASH service provider.
Together with water boating, the response provided by Solidarités International includes a gradual reduction of water consumption to 7.5 litres/person/day, and a decrease of water points to ration distribution to delay the start of water boating. In addition, water conservation behavioural change messaging is provided to IDPs. To save freshwater, brackish water is used in public handwashing stations..."
Source/publisher:
Solidarités International
Date of publication:
2022-03-24
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-25
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Public Health, Climate Change - Burma/Myanmar: general, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
281.07 KB
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Description:
"SITUATION OVERVIEW
In 2021, the people of Myanmar faced an unprecedented political, socioeconomic, human rights and humanitarian crisis with needs escalating dramatically since the military takeover on 1 February and a severe COVID-19 third wave.
The expansion of armed conflict into new areas and the formation of new armed elements drove increased displacement, as well as exacerbating existing or generating new protection and assistance needs. The number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) within Myanmar rose substantially in 2021. According to the UN, of the 690,000 IDPs in Myanmar as of 27 December 2021, an estimated 52 per cent were women and 34 per cent were children. Of these, 320,000 were displaced by armed conflict and unrest since 1 February 2021. The majority of the new displacement occurred in Myanmar's northwest and southeast, as well as in Kachin and Shan states. IDPs have been forced to live in terrible conditions – some in camps, some in host communities and others in the jungle, without adequate food, shelter, sanitation, and medical care. In 2021, local organizations and partners provided basic assistance to previously and newly displaced people and host communities, where possible. However, IDPs and host communities continued to face shortages of food and livelihoods support, clothes, relief items and COVID-19 preventative supplies, largely due to the fighting, as well as restrictions on access, movement and transport. The new IDPS are in addition to the hundreds of thousands of people already living in protracted displacement in Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine and Shan states prior to February 2021.
The military takeover and the large-scale Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) that followed heavily impacted the economy and the already fragile public service sector in 2021, further restricting people’s access to essential basic social services such as education and health. The crisis caused severe interruptions to basic health services, risking long-term consequences for the health and well-being of Myanmar’s population. The health sector has been under enormous strain due to both the CDM and COVID-19. The CDM resulted in severe reductions in the available public health workforce with many health staff walking out of public facilities in protest, at a time when health services were needed most due to the pandemic. The impact of staffing interruptions was compounded by repeated attacks on healthcare and the occupation of health facilities by parties to the conflict, further reducing the options available to affected people and resulting in unmet needs. Significant portions of the community were also unwilling to seek care through public services where they were provided by the de facto authorities. While NGOs, Ethnic Health Organizations (EAOs) and private health services tried to cover the gap, they were not able to fully compensate for the breakdown of public services. Access to education was also heavily disrupted. Due to the combined effects of COVID-19 and the military takeover, nearly all of Myanmar’s 12 million school aged children missed out on almost two years of education in 2020 and 2021.
These inter-related risks also exacerbated pre-existing needs among already vulnerable women, girls, men and boys, including stateless Rohingya people and people living in protracted displacement, predominantly in the country’s northeast and southwest. The crisis deepened the needs of these population groups because of reduced livelihoods opportunities, aggravated by the increase in prices of basic goods. At the same time, access constraints due to COVID and the current political crisis undermined the quality and predictability of humanitarian assistance delivered to extremely aid-dependent communities. This was especially true of assistance to stateless Rohingya people in Rakhine, who are among the country’s most vulnerable people. As with new conflict areas, access to people with pre-existing needs in rural locations was particularly affected, leaving considerable gaps and unmet needs.
According to UNDP, the 2021 economic and political turmoil has driven almost half of the population (25 million people) into poverty in 2022, wiping out the impressive gains made since 2005. Increasing numbers of vulnerable women, girls, men and boys exhausted their coping capacity and slipped into humanitarian need for the first time. Price hikes, COVID-19 movement restrictions and ongoing insecurity forced the most marginalized and vulnerable people to resort to emergency coping strategies in order to buy food and other essential supplies, often negatively impacting their safety, well-being and dignity. The sale of productive assets was especially worrying as this is very difficult to reverse. In some states and regions, prices for crucial household commodities rose significantly, making some food items increasingly unaffordable. Farming incomes were affected by lower wholesale prices for some crops, higher input prices, lower farm gate prices and limited access to credit, affecting agricultural livelihoods and food supplies. COVID-19 related border closures reduced agricultural export earnings and made essential farming inputs less available and more expensive.
Monsoon floods in July and August 2021 affected more than 120,000 people across various parts of the country, resulting in crop losses and further contributing to food insecurity.
The compounding crises of 2021 profoundly and disproportionally impacted women and girls, as well as people with disability in Myanmar. The impacts of COVID-19 restrictions and the worsening security situation resulted in a continued heavy burden of care for women looking after sick family members and children who were unable to return to school. This impacted women's availability to engage in paid work and further strained households financially. Women-headed households and women previously employed in sectors such as the garment industry were particularly affected. Women health workers involved in the CDM and those previously employed at health facilities that were targeted, occupied or shut down also faced negative financial impacts. People with disabilities faced additional safety and security risks. They also regularly faced challenges in accessing basic services as they were unable to reach service points due to their impairment and stressed communities were unable to provide the same level of support..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-24
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Human Rights and international relations, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.35 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Human Rights Council
Forty-ninth session
28 February–1 April 2022
Agenda item 4 Human rights situations that require the Council’s attention
Summary
Thirteen months after launching a coup against the government, an illegal military junta has waged a relentless war against the people of Myanmar and their fundamental rights. The results have been devastating. Junta forces have killed at least 1,600 civilians and displaced over 500,000. Half of the population has fallen into poverty. The World Health Organization is now projecting that there will be over 47,000 preventable deaths in Myanmar this year. Thirteen million people face food insecurity.
This report highlights some of the most serious human rights violations in Myanmar during the period September 2021 through February 2022. It documents the military’s violent attacks on civilian populations, including airstrikes, mortaring, arson, extrajudicial killings, and the use of forced labor and human shields. The report describes the junta’s campaign to arrest and imprison activists, journalists, peaceful protesters and other opponents. It documents the junta’s criminalization of fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and assembly. It also shares the experiences of those who have faced torture and other illtreatment during periods of detention. Many of these attacks constitute probable crimes against humanity and/or war crimes, and perpetrators must be brought to justice.
The report describes the efforts of the people of Myanmar to oppose the military junta and defend their nation. Led by large numbers of young people, including many young women, protest organizers have demonstrated great skill, tenacity and creativity in the mobilization of opposition despite the near constant threat of imprisonment or death. The Special Rapporteur is inspired by their conviction and tireless efforts.
To succeed, the people of Myanmar need a much stronger level of support from the international community. The report concludes with specific recommendations that he urges UN Security Council and Member States to take.
I. Introduction
More than 13 months after overthrowing a democratically elected government, the Myanmar junta has intensified its war against the people of Myanmar. The military has escalated its indiscriminate attacks against civilians using jet fighters, attack helicopters and heavy artillery, and soldiers have burned entire villages to the ground. Civilians and combatants have been tortured, raped, executed and used as human shields.
The scale of these atrocities is immense. According to conservative estimates, at least 1,600 civilians have been killed by the junta’s forces. Nearly 10,000 people are currently detained because of their opposition to military rule, and the junta has amended the legal code to further criminalize the exercise of fundamental rights including the rights to freedom of expression and assembly. More than 500,000 people have been displaced since the coup bringing the current number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar to over 800,000. Tens of thousands who have sought safety in Bangladesh, India and Thailand have joined the approximately one million refugees from Myanmar in neighboring countries.
Many of the junta’s human rights violations constitute probable crimes against humanity and war crimes. Those responsible must be held to account.
This report highlights some of the most serious human rights concerns in Myanmar during the period September 2021 through February 2022. It documents the military’s violent attacks on civilian populations, including airstrikes, mortaring, arson, extrajudicial killings, and the use of forced labor and human shields. These attacks have created and exacerbated the dire humanitarian crisis that now grips the country, threatening the livelihoods, health and lives of millions. The report describes the junta’s campaign to arrest and imprison thousands of activists, journalists, peaceful protesters and other opponents. It also shares the experiences of those who have faced torture and other ill-treatment during periods of detention. The Special Rapporteur describes the particular dangers and human rights challenges faced by women and children and outlines the junta’s efforts to criminalize and otherwise suppress fundamental rights and freedoms. This report also describes the dire human rights situation for Rohingya populations in Rakhine State, including those who are confined to IDP camps.
In December 2021, the Special Rapporteur traveled to Bangladesh, as part of his overall assessment of the human rights situation of the Rohingya people of Myanmar. In an annex to this report, the Special Rapporteur reflects on his trip, noting the role that the people and government of Bangladesh played in saving untold numbers of Rohingya as they fled the genocidal attacks of the Myanmar military in Rakhine State. He makes recommendations with respect to the protection of and support to Rohingya in the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char island.
The report follows the publication in February 2022 of the Special Rapporteur’s conference paper on arms sales to the Myanmar military (A/HRC/49/CRP.1). It underscores concerns raised in the paper, namely that several nations continue to sell or authorize the transfer of weapons of war to the Myanmar military, despite knowledge that the weapons are almost certain to be used in attacks against civilians. These transfers violate international law.
Many people in Myanmar—including the victims of human rights abuses and their family members, some of whom are highlighted in this report—have told the Special Rapporteur that they are profoundly disappointed with the failure of the international community to act decisively to help prevent atrocities and hold perpetrators accountable. The Special Rapporteur reiterates his call to the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution imposing an arms embargo and targeted economic sanctions against the Myanmar military and referring the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court. He elaborates steps that Member States should take in the absence of Security Council action. The Special Rapporteur notes the strong and swift action taken by Member States on behalf of the people of Ukraine and implores the international community to act similarly to protect the people of Myanmar. They too are under siege by a brutal and relentless military attack.
The Special Rapporteur reiterates his deep admiration for the courage and resilience of the Myanmar people. He has been inspired by the bravery of survivors of human rights violations who have taken great personal risks to speak with him, by the resourcefulness of activists who have found new and creative ways to challenge military rule, and by the resilience of communities that have repeatedly rebounded from attacks over many months, years or decades. The Special Rapporteur is honored to share their stories, and their words, in this report. He is also grateful to the non-governmental and civil society organizations, human rights defenders, local human rights groups, Member States and United Nations programs and agencies that contributed to this report..."
Source/publisher:
UN Human Rights Council via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-16
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Statements and reports by the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to regular sessions of the Human Rights Council, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
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603.09 KB (Original version) - 28 pages
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS: As of 28 February 2022, the number of people internally displaced in Myanmar since the military takeover in 2021 have crossed the half-million mark, reaching some 503,000, up from 451,000 the previous week. These include 230,800 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South-East Myanmar – 93,800 in Kayah State, 56,300 in Shan State (South-all towns except Kyethi, Laihka and Mongkaing), 68,900 in Kayin State, 7,500 in Mon State, 3,500 in Tanintharyi Region and 800 in Bago Region and 6,600 in Shan State (North). In addition, there are 171,000 IDPs in Sagaing Region, 42,300 in Magway Region and 33,200 in Chin State.
In the South-East, return movements of internally displaced persons to their areas of origin continue to be reported from Shan State (South) to Kayah State. IDPs have been obliged to return due to the lack of shelter, food, water and winter items in displacement areas. Given the ongoing armed conflict, it is anticipated that returnees might be displaced again. Conflict has intensified in Demoso and Loikaw townships, Kayah State, resulting in civilian casualties and reportedly some 100 properties set on fire. Access and movement restrictions are limiting UNHCR and its partners’ ability to respond to the dire needs of displaced populations, especially for food and healthcare.
In the North-East, armed clashes have displaced some 1,000 people in Mamauk Township, Kachin State.
In the North-West, the security situation remains volatile due to an escalation of armed conflict and increased presence of armed forces. Harvesting and other livelihood activities have been seriously disrupted, leaving IDPs with an urgent need for food, healthcare, and other basic services. Increased displacement was observed in Chin State.
In Rakhine State, the stateless population continues to face restrictions on freedom of movement, impeding their ability to seek medical care and further entrenching their segregation. Similarly, a number of displaced persons in Sittwe and Pauktaw IDP camps continue to suffer from outbreaks of acute water diarrhoea (AWD) due to inadequate access to health facilities. They in turn rely on traditional healers..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-07
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
11.14 MB
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Description:
"In 2021, the ICRC in Bangladesh continued its humanitarian response.
Working closely with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), we conducted regular visits to places of detention while engaging in continuous and confidential dialogue with the detention authorities; helped reconnect people who have lost contact with their family; provided assistance for the people with disabilities; supported vulnerable people and communities in Cox's Bazar (CXB) and the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT).
In CXB, we maintained our support to the health structures, including the district's main hospital facility – the Sadar Hospital, dedicated to both host communities and displaced people from Rakhine. Moreover, in CHT we continued livelihood-support projects for communities in need, while also maintaining and upgrading public infrastructure to help the communities benefit from clean water and better hygienic conditions.
As our regular activities, we sought to promote knowledge and respect for international humanitarian law (IHL) among authorities, armed and security forces, academia, religious circles, and other key stakeholders in the country.
Here is a snapshot of our humanitarian response in Bangladesh in 2021.
77,208 Detainees in 68 prisons benefited from a programme to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19
119 Missing people traced and put in contact with their families as part of the Restoring Family Links programme
112 Health workers and first responders benefited from training sessions enabling them to manage stress
3,613 People with disabilities fitted with prostheses and orthoses and provided with physiotherapy services and/or assistive devices
4,000 Displaced people from Rakhine assisted with food and essential household items on a monthly basis..."
Source/publisher:
International Committee of the Red Cross (Geneva) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-03
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
2.96 MB 410.11 KB
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Title: UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report: Reporting Period: 1 January to 28 February 2022
Description:
"Highlights
• From 27 December 2021 to 14 February 2022, the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) significantly increased across the country, particularly in Sagaing, which has the highest number of IDPs; 146,500 compared to 78,300 at the end of 2021.
• In southern Shan, a surge of displacement has been reported following the hostilities in Kayah and Kayin in January, and the IDP population has doubled from 29,200 at the end of 2021 to 59,800 as of 14 February.
• To support the displaced communities of southern Shan, UNICEF partners Relief International and Karuna Mission Social Solidarity (KMSS) expanded their reach and distributed WASH supplies and hygiene kits, benefiting 35,000 people in the camps at Taunggyi, Hsihseng, Nyaung Shwe, Pin Laung and Pindaya townships.
• In Rakhine, Kachin and Yangon, 35,548 children (17,380 girls) were screened for acute malnutrition. Some 1,092 severe and moderate cases (606 girls) were found and the children were provided with nutrition treatment services.
Funding Overview and Partnerships
UNICEF Myanmar Country Office is appealing for US$151.4 million in 2022 to address the needs of the targeted 1.7 million people, including an estimated 1.1 million children. During the reporting period, UNICEF received US$4.3 million from the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance and Germany to support immediate nutrition, health, WASH, education and child protection needs including the COVID-19 response. In addition, UNICEF Myanmar has carried forward US$14 million received in 2021 from the generous support of Japan/JICA, USA/USAID, Norway, European Commission/ECHO, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), the Global Thematic Humanitarian Response and the Global Partnership for Education. UNICEF worked very closely with implementing partners at local level to provide humanitarian assistance to ensure continued access to basic social services. The UNICEF Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) appeal has a funding gap of 88 per cent. Without this funding, 81 per cent of targeted children will not be able to receive treatment and nutrition counselling services, and millions of children will continue to remain out of school without access to basic social services such as immunization.
UNICEF expresses its gratitude to all the donors (private and public) for their contributions to support the children of Myanmar.
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
At the beginning of 2022, UNICEF released its HAC appeal in Myanmar, scaling up its response to reach 1.7 million people. This includes 1.1 million children out of an estimated 5 million children in need of life-saving assistance since the start of the conflict in February 2021. The current reporting period has been characterized by an intensification of the conflict, and heavy prolonged hostilities have been reported in the northwest and southeast of the country. In January, fighting in Kayah and Kayin caused a mass influx of people to the neighbouring region of southern Shan, and further challenges with the telecommunication network, electricity and water supply were reported. There were also disruptions to fuel supplies and the transportation of food and non-food items due to checkpoints, restrictions and added scrutiny. This affected the humanitarian partners’ ability to reach IDP sites and host communities where there is an escalating need for life-saving services on health, education, water, food and shelter.
As of 14 February 2022, the national total of IDPs reached a new high of 453,000 according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), as an extra 132,000 people have been displaced since 27 December 2021. Following the intense clashes in Kayah and Kayin, southern Shan now accounts for 59,800 IDPs, an increase of 30,600 compared to the end of 2021.
Another surge in displacement is also reported in Sagaing, where airstrikes and bombardments have been reported, resulting in 146,500 people being displaced, the highest number in the country.
The situation in the northwest, including Chin State, Magway, and Sagaing continues to deteriorate due to the escalation in fighting between the Myanmar Armed Forces, local People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and Chinland Defence Forces.
Humanitarian assistance in the region is hindered by fighting, security concerns and travel restrictions, with only a few transporters providing services, impacting costs. Additionally, the activity of some partners has been delayed due to banking restrictions and difficulties in withdrawing cash.
Despite the above-mentioned challenges, UNICEF and its partners have helped 152,747 people, including 87,320 children during the reporting period, in the areas of nutrition, health, water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, child protection, education, social policy and accountability. This assistance would not be possible without the collaboration of dedicated partners, especially the local organizations who have been a strong ally in ensuring a better reach of marginalized communities..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-03-03
Date of entry/update:
2022-03-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
373.67 KB
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Description:
"This case study summarises an analysis conducted by Save the Children, UK using the Dioptra tool to assess the cost-efficiency of Psychosocial Support in Myanmar. The analysis revealed that:
Psychosocial Support (PSS) in Myanmar cost between €14 to €54 per child reached. Delivering PSS through volunteers at mobile CFS is more cost-efficient than through fixed CFS, suggesting that it can be scaled up to address immediate needs.
Leveraging on community volunteers and reutilising existing training materials may reduce costs and enhance efficiency.
One-time infrastructure costs at fixed CFS are required to address children’s multidimensional needs, but such costs are expected to decrease in subsequent years..."
Source/publisher:
Save the Children (London)
Date of publication:
2022-02-22
Date of entry/update:
2022-02-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
455.55 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"၁။ ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီ (Federal Health Professional Council – FHPC) ကို တော်လှန်ရေးကာလဖြစ်သည့် ကြားကာလနှင့် အသွင်ကူးပြောင်းရေးကာလတွင် ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင် လုပ်သားအင်အားစုများအားလုံး၏ အကျိုးစီးပွားကို တာဝန်ယူမှု၊ တာဝန်ခံမှုအပြည့်ဖြင့် ဖော်ဆောင်ပေးရန် တိုင်းရင်းသားကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ ဆေး ပညာရှင်များ၊ ပညာရပ်ဆိုင်ရာ အဖွဲ့အစည်းအသီးသီးမှ ကိုယ်စားပြုသူများဖြင့် (၁-၁၂-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ဖွဲ့စည်းခဲ့ပါသည်။
၂။ ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီအနေဖြင့် နိုင်ငံတကာနှင့် ပြည်သူလူထုတစ်ရပ် လုံးက အသိအမှတ်ပြုခြင်း မရှိသော အာဏာသိမ်း နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေးကောင်စီ (State Administration Council – SAC) က တရားမဝင် ဖွင့်လှစ်သင်ကြားလျက်ရှိသည့် ဆေးနှင့် ဆေးနှီးနွှယ်တက္ကသိုလ်များ၊ သူနာပြုနှင့်သားဖွားသင်တန်းကျောင်းများကို အသိအမှတ်ပြုမည် မဟုတ်ဘဲ ၄င်းတို့ကပြုလုပ်သော အရည်အချင်းဆန်းစစ်မှုစာမေးပွဲများ၊ အတန်းတင်စာမေးပွဲများနှင့် ဘွဲ့လက်မှတ်များကိုလည်း လက်ခံအသိအမှတ်ပြုမည် မဟုတ်ပါ။
၃။ ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီသည် အာဏာသိမ်း နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေး ကောင်စီ (SAC) အလိုကျ ဆောင်ရွက်လျက်ရှိသော ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာနလက်အောက်ရှိ Non CDM ဝန်ထမ်းများနှင့် ဆရာ၊ ဆရာမများကို ပြည်တွင်း၊ ပြည်ပရှိ တက္ကသိုလ်များတွင် ဝင်ခွင့်လျှောက်ထားခြင်း၊ အလုပ်အကိုင်များ လျှောက်ထားခြင်းများ မပြုလုပ်နိုင်ရန် နိုင်ငံတကာ သံရုံးများနှင့် သက်ဆိုင်ရာ ပြည်တွင်း၊ ပြည်ပတက္ကသိုလ်များသို့ အမည်ပျက်စာရင်းများ ဆက်လက်ပေးပို့လုပ်ဆောင်သွားမည်ဖြစ်သည်။
၄။ ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီသည် ကြားကာလနှင့် အသွင်ကူးပြောင်းရေး ကာလများတွင် ကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သားအင်အားစုများ၏ နစ်နာမှုများကို ကြားနာစစ်ဆေးပြီး ခုခံကာကွယ်ပေးရန်၊ ကျင့်ဝတ်သိက္ခာများ လိုက်နာထိန်းသိမ်းရန် ပျက်ကွက်မှုများနှင့် စပ်လျဉ်း၍ ပြုပြင်တည့်မတ်ပေးရန်နှင့် သင့်တင့်လျောက်ပတ်သည့် အရေးယူမှုများ ဆောင်ရွက်ရန် တာဝန်ရှိသည့်အလျောက် ပြည်သူ့ဘက်တွင် မရပ်တည်ဘဲ၊ တိုင်းရင်းသား ပြည်သူများအပေါ်တွင် အကြမ်းဖက်လုပ်ရပ်များ ဆက်တိုက်ကျူးလွန်နေသည့် အာဏာသိမ်း နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေးကောင်စီ (SAC) ၏ အလိုကျဆောင်ရွက်နေသော ကျန်းမာရေး ဝန်ကြီးဌာနလက်အောက်ရှိ Non CDM ဝန်ထမ်းများနှင့် ဆရာ၊ ဆရာမများကို ပြင်းထန်စွာ အရေးယူမည်ဖြစ်ကြောင်း ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာအပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher:
Federal Health Professional Council
Date of publication:
2022-02-08
Date of entry/update:
2022-02-09
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Individual Documents
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321.58 KB
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"၁။ ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီ (Federal Health Professional Council – FHPC) ကို တော်လှန်ရေးကာလဖြစ်သည့် ကြားကာလနှင့် အသွင်ကူးပြောင်းရေးကာလတွင် ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင် လုပ်သားအင်အားစုများအားလုံး၏ အကျိုးစီးပွားကို တာဝန်ယူမှု၊ တာဝန်ခံမှုအပြည့်ဖြင့် ဖော်ဆောင်ပေးရန် တိုင်းရင်းသားကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ ဆေးပညာရှင်များ၊ ပညာရပ်ဆိုင်ရာ အဖွဲ့အစည်းအသီးသီးမှ ကိုယ်စားပြုသူများဖြင့် (၁-၁၂-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ဖွဲ့စည်းခဲ့ပါသည်။
၂။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆေးကောင်စီ (Myanmar Medical Council - MMC) သည် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆေးကောင်စီ ဥပဒေ (၂၀၁၅ ခုနှစ်)၊ အခန်း (၂)၊ ရည်ရွယ်ချက်များတွင် ပြဋ္ဌာန်းထားသည့် “အရည်အသွေး ပြည့်ဝ၍ ထိရောက်မှုနှင့် လုံခြုံမှုရှိသော ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုကို နိုင်ငံအတွင်း မှီတင်းနေထိုင်ကြသူအားလုံး ခံစားခွင့်ရရှိစေရန်၊ ဆရာဝန်များ၏ ဂုဏ်သိက္ခာကို ထိန်းသိမ်းမြှင့်တင်နိုင်စေရန်၊ ကောင်းမွန်သော ဆေးကုသမှုပတ်ဝန်းကျင် ဖြစ်ထွန်းစေရန်’’ အစရှိသည့် ရည်ရွယ်ချက်များကို ဖော်ဆောင်နိုင်ခြင်း မရှိသည့်အပြင် ဆရာဝန်များအပါအဝင် ကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သားများနှင့် ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများအပေါ် အကြမ်းဖက်ဖိနှိပ်နေသည့် အာဏာသိမ်း နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေးကောင်စီ (State Administration Council – SAC) ၏ လက်ကိုင်တုတ်အဖြစ် ပြောင်ပြောင်တင်းတင်း ရပ်တည်ဆောင်ရွက်လျက်ရှိသည်ကို တွေ့ရှိရသည်။
၃။ သို့ဖြစ်ပါ၍ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆေးကောင်စီ (MMC) သည် ကောင်စီ၏ တာဝန်နှင့် လုပ်ပိုင်ခွင့်များကို အလွဲသုံးစားပြုပြီး ဆရာဝန်များနှင့် ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်းများအပေါ် အာဏာသိမ်း နိုင်ငံတော်စီမံအုပ်ချုပ်ရေးကောင်စီ (SAC) အလိုကျ ဖိနှိပ်ဆောင်ရွက်နေမှုများကို ဖက်ဒရယ်ကျန်းမာရေးပညာရှင်များကောင်စီအနေဖြင့် ပြင်းထန်စွာကန့်ကွက်ရှုတ်ချပြီး အဆိုပါဖိနှိပ်မှုများကို ဆက်လက်ကျူးလွန်ဆောင်ရွက်နေမည်ဆိုပါက မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆေးကောင်စီ (MMC) ၏ ဥက္ကဋ္ဌနှင့် အလုပ်အမှုဆောင်အဖွဲ့ဝင်များကို ပြင်းထန်စွာ အရေးယူသွားမည်ဖြစ်ကြောင်း အသိပေးထုတ်ပြန်လိုက်သည်။..."
Source/publisher:
Federal Health Professional Council
Date of publication:
2022-02-08
Date of entry/update:
2022-02-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Political History, Public Health, Health, right to: standards and mechanisms
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"KEY DISPLACEMENT FIGURES
39,000 Estimated refugee movements to neighbouring countries since 1 February 2021
980,000 Refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar in neighbouring countries as of 31 December 2020
442,000 Estimated total internal displacement within Myanmar since 1 February 2021
812,000 Estimated internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Myanmar as of 31 January 2022
HIGHLIGHTS
Armed clashes have escalated during the reporting period in the North West and South East, with airstrikes and shelling resulting in civilian casualties and forced displacement. As of 31 January 2022, displacement figures reached a new high of 441,500 displaced since 1 February 2021. These include 232,500 internally displaced persons (IDPs) in South-East Myanmar – 91,900 in Kayah State, 48,700 in Shan State (South-all towns except Kyethi, Laihka and Mongkaing), 81,400 in Kayin State, 7,100 in Mon State, 2,600 in Tanintharyi Region and 800 in Bago Region; 7,100 in Shan State (North). In addition, there are 136,300 IDPs in Sagaing Region, 33,800 in Chin State and 21,400 in Magway Region.
In the South-East, intense fighting - initially centred around Demoso Township, Kayah State - has triggered several waves of large-scale displacement with tens of thousands forced to flee their homes and seek refuge at places of worship, community centres, in host communities or in the jungle. The main needs are for food, healthcare services and winterization items to cope with the cold temperatures. Over 10,000 IDPs from Kayah State took refuge in Taunggyi Township, Shan State (South). Over 6,000 IDPs are now being sheltered by local host communities in overcrowded conditions. Thousands of people are still displaced by fighting in Lay Kay Kaw in the south of Myawady Township along the Myanmar-Thai border and are unable to return home. Over 9,700 individuals from Myanmar had fled the upsurge in violence in Kayin and Kayah States since 16 December into Tak and Mae Hong Song provinces in Thailand. According to the Royal Thai Government official sources, all of the individuals from Myanmar have voluntarily returned to Myanmar in various return movements.
In Kachin and Shan (North) states, the security situation remains tense and continues to pose significant challenges, such as restrictions on movements around displacement and affected sites. Access to basic services, including education for children is hindered. Nonetheless, a few returns from displacement sites to villages of origin have been observed in Kachin State. In Shan State (North), the numbers of IDPs increased in Mongkoe, Muse Township due to fighting. While some returns were recorded from Mongkaing Township of Shan State (South), there was also new displacement following inter-EAO conflict between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP).
In the North-West, UNHCR protection monitoring revealed an increase of displacement in Sagaing Region due to ongoing clashes. Shortages of food, winter items, fuel and medical supplies continue to be reported. At least 3,000 people from 30 villages in Matupi Township in Chin State have been displaced by fighting. On 18 January, up to 1,000 villagers fled their homes to surrounding areas following attacks in Gangaw Township in Magway Region.
In Rakhine State, IDPs across Rakhine State, as well as non-displaced Rohingya communities, continue to face challenges in accessing basic services, livelihoods, and humanitarian assistance. Some return movements continue to be observed from areas of conflict, albeit small scale. Returns continue to be promoted by de facto authorities, including instances where village leaders in some displacement sites were instructed to encourage returns of IDPs. Recent privatization of land at IDP camp areas and land sales to private individuals in Sittwe and Pauktaw have led to an increase in IDP households having to reside in makeshift shelters. IDPs have also been asked to pay rent for use of land.
The privatization of land has also impacted the work of humanitarian agencies, where humanitarian infrastructure is under threat of relocation and demolition. The increase in military presence in Kyauktaw and Ponnagyung townships has raised concerns among communities, both Rakhine and Rohingya, fearing potential resumption of clashes. This fear also triggered some temporary displacement from Kyauktaw Township.
It is estimated that some 7,000 new arrivals have crossed into India from Myanmar in the past two weeks..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-02-07
Date of entry/update:
2022-02-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights and international relations, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
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"Located on a strategic cross-roads in Asia, the borderlands of Burma (Myanmar)1 have
witnessed extraordinary social and political upheaval during the past two decades.
However, unlike in the adjoining states of China and Thailand, malaria morbidity and
other health crises have remained at internationally high and often epidemic levels. It is a
legacy that exemplifies much about the state failures of contemporary Burma. It is also a
record of humanitarian malaise that, with too few exceptions, reflects the failure of key
stakeholders in both Burma and the international community to prioritize health needs
and conflict resolution in one of Asia’s poorest lands. Far too late, a notion of
humanitarian crisis has developed that in 2006 witnessed briefings about Burma at the
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on the basis that, along with political impasse,
the transmission of malaria, HIV and tuberculosis across international frontiers could
pose a threat to regional peace and security.2 In reality, however, this is an analysis of
humanitarian emergency that could have been made at any time in any of the preceding
20 years. In Burma, the humanitarian and political challenges have long been inextricably
inter-linked.
As the UNSC briefings highlight, any discussion about health issues in Burma is
invariably tinged with controversy and, very often, doubt. There is a paucity of research
in many health and socio-economic fields. But about the national significance of malaria,
there can be no uncertainty. Data from every part of the country has long since pointed to
the disease as Burma’s pre-eminent health challenge. Official statistics presently record
malaria as the leading cause of both morbidity and mortality among the country’s ten
priority diseases, with incidence rates of 11.1/1000 and 3.65/100,000 respectively.3
Plasmodium falciparum has been identified as the cause of around 80 per cent of the 600-
700,000 cases and 3,000 deaths reported annually.4 And a recent study estimated that
Burma accounts for around 7 per cent of cases reported by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) in the Southeast Asia region (including India), but 53.6 per cent of all malariarelated deaths.5
The difficulties, however, in addressing Burma’s malaria challenges go very much
further. Malaria is acknowledged to be endemic in 284 of the country’s 324 townships,
with over 70 per cent of the 54 million population at risk.6 But in vast areas of the
countryside there is little access to basic health care, and it is estimated by the UN that
only 25-40 per cent of malaria suspects currently seek treatment in the public sector.7
Indeed one UNICEF estimate in the early 1990s claimed that the real levels of malaria
incidence could be up to seven times higher than WHO figures.8 Against this backdrop,
multi-drug resistant malaria has become widespread, and essential combination drug
treatments are frequently beyond the reach of the most at risk populations.
As in all countries, the recorded incidence of malaria in Burma often reflects local
pockets of emergency that can be attributed to particular environmental or socioeconomic factors. About 60 per cent of recorded cases, for example, are considered to be
related to “forestry work”.
9 However mapping on a national scale reveals a much more
disturbing reality, explaining why malaria has remained so endemic and with such high levels of morbidity.10 The areas of greatest risk exactly match the rugged horseshoe of
highlands that surround the central Irrawaddy plains. In these areas, four characteristics
stand out: they are borderlands adjoining the neighbouring states of Bangladesh, India,
China, Laos and Thailand; they are heavily forested; they are inhabited by ethnic
minority peoples; and they are the scenes of among the longest-running and most diverse
insurgencies to be found anywhere in the world.
The consequences of such frontier-land volatility have been profound, underpinning
many of the health and political crises in the country. For decades, many different state
and quasi-state actors have competed for authority in the borderlands. However during
the era of Gen. Ne Win’s isolationist Burmese Way to Socialism (1962-88), public health
care never extended to more than one third of the country.11 Meanwhile many of the
borderlands remained under the de facto control of different armed opposition forces,
including the Kachin Independence Organisation, Karen National Union, New Mon State
Party and Shan State Progress Party. Each of these different authorities administered its
own system of field clinics and health programmes. But whether in government or antigovernment areas, clinical diagnosis and appropriate treatment were frequently
unavailable for most communities. Equally serious, there was no real coordination on
public education nor on national and international responses to disease. Every kind of
drug – both real and fake – entered Burma through blackmarkets that flourished along the
frontiers with Thailand, China, India and Bangladesh. This proved especially damaging
in the case of malaria. As research by the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) has
demonstrated, conditions in Burma’s borderlands became very conducive to high levels
of malaria infection and the spread of drug resistance.12
Throughout the Ne Win era, there remained little reliable data on humanitarian conditions
in most regions of Burma. When media headlines occurred, it was only the lucrative trade
in illicit opium and, from the mid-1980s, Karen refugees fleeing the fighting that alerted
international attention to the endemic state of conflict in what had become one of the
world’s most hermetic lands. Indeed so non-aligned had Burma become that in 1979 Ne
Win even withdrew the country from the Non-Aligned Movement. But the seriousness of
malaria incidence could never be disguised, and by 1988 the number of officially
recorded malaria-related deaths had grown to over 4,000.13 It remained impossible,
however, to put such statistics into any kind of national context. As any traveller in
Burma’s borderlands could witness, malaria was the major cause of illness and death on
far greater scale, evidenced by seasonal epidemics and the treatment of increasing
numbers of refugees in neighbouring Thailand.
A new landscape in both health needs and perspectives emerged following the 1988
collapse of Ne Win’s Burma Socialist Programme Party and the assumption of power by
the present-day State Peace and Development Council ([SPDC] formerly State Law and
Order Restoration Council [SLORC]). Three factors, especially, began to focus attention
on the urgency and details of Burma’s health crises.
The first was the accelerating departure of refugees and migrant workers into
neighbouring countries. There can only be guesstimates about the exact scale of
population movement since 1988 in what has become a constant state of cross-border
human flow across some of the least regulated frontiers in Asia. But by the beginning of
the 21st century, there were around 150,000 refugees (mainly ethnic Karen, Karenni and
Mon) recorded in official camps in Thailand where there were also over one million
migrant workers from Burma – both those described as “legal” and those “illegal”.14 In
India, too, the refugee population is presently estimated as in excess of 50,000
(predominantly ethnic Chin), while during 1991-92 the Rakhine State border was the
scene of one of the largest refugee exoduses in modern times when over 200,000
minority Muslims (known as Rohingyas) crossed into Bangladesh.15 In the following
years, most of the Muslim refugee population was resettled back across the border under
the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. However the
conditions of socio-political volatility along the Bangladesh and Burma’s other borders
have generally continued.
Such intervention by UN agencies leads to the second important change after 1988: the
growing engagement by international aid organisations in and around Burma. The
refugee populations along the Thai and Bangladesh borders have remained a principal
focus of international concern. However from the early 1990s the new military
government of the SLORC-SPDC also began allowing international aid agencies access
to many off-limits parts of Burma. As the first international analysts conducted research
in a quarter of a century, they swiftly began providing data confirming what health
workers in the country had always known but could rarely address: the close links
between conflict, public health failures and humanitarian suffering.
In the early 1990s, the scale of its discoveries led UNICEF to frame the concept of
Burma’s “Silent Emergency”, considering an appeal for “humanitarian ceasefires” to
deliver relief aid to conflict-affected parts of the country.16 UNICEF’s strategies for
“corridors of peace” through the borderlands remained on the drawing boards. But with
the impetus of international analysis, public health statistics in Burma began to show
more accuracy. In 1992 the official infant mortality rate was doubled to 94 per 1,000 live
births, while there were estimates that the figure in conflict areas of the Karen and Shan
States could be as high as 200 to 300 per 1,000 live births.17 As the new health data
showed, children under five were accounting for nearly half the deaths annually recorded
in Burma, due largely to a few treatable or preventable illnesses including malaria,
pneumonia, measles and water-born diseases.18
Confirmatory evidence of the health complexities in the field then accelerated from the
mid-1990s with the increasing access of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) into
Burma. Their arrival coincided with the spread of ceasefires between the SLORC-SPDC
government and a growing number of armed ethnic opposition groups. For the first time
in three decades, day-to-day fighting halted in many conflict-torn areas, especially in the
borderlands with China. In a break with past isolation, by the end of the 20th century
around 20 international NGOs were registered inside Burma working on health issues.19
Their dynamic mirrored a resurgence in energy by local community-based organisations,
5
many of which also have an emphasis on health. Indeed, by one estimate, the 1990s saw
the fastest decade in NGO growth in Burma’s history.20
It is important to stress that, throughout this period, the countrywide picture was by no
means stable or even. In particular, there were several borderland areas where armed
conflicts still continued. But whether due to humanitarian concerns inside or outside of
Burma, this increased international focus on health issues meant that many of the
particular causes and localities of health emergency became better identified.
In the case of malaria, the borderlands with Bangladesh, India and Thailand became
recognised as particular epicentres for high levels of malaria incidence. This led to
increasing collaboration between international organisations and public health authorities
in both Burma and abroad. New approaches were very clearly needed. A noteworthy
example was Medecins Sans Frontieres-Netherlands (MSF-N) which, following its 1992
entry into Burma, prioritized malaria-related morbidity among vulnerable populations in
the Rakhine State borderlands, treating over 100,000 malaria patients annually by the turn
of the century.21 During the same years, the SMRU continued its anti-malarial
programmes along the Thai border together with NGOs and the Thai government,
helping reduce the incidence of P. falciparum by over 90 per cent in the refugee camps
and surrounding regions.22
Recognition of these unaddressed “gateway” dynamics in the incidence of disease proved
the final factor in changing perceptions about the nature of humanitarian crises in Burma.
Neither conflict nor malaria, however, was the main catalyst for concern but HIV/AIDS
which, during the 1990s, became a major health challenge throughout the sub-Asian
region. With an international frontier-line of 3,650 miles, it was always likely that the
patterns of human flow to and from Burma would be critical. Many worst fears were soon
realised. From the first HIV sentinel surveillance begun in 1992, the number of officially
estimated cases of HIV infection rapidly increased in Burma to around 350,000 adults in
2004-5, with a national prevalence rate of 1.3 per cent.23
As with malaria, however, there continue to be many doubts about statistics, with nongovernmental groups claiming national prevalence rates of 2 per cent or even higher.24
But on all sides of the arguments, there is recognition that many socio-economic
conditions exist in Burma for the virulent spread of the disease, including borderland
conflicts, intravenous drug users, commercial sex workers, mine workers and large
numbers of other migrants.25 As UNAIDS points out, the spread of HIV infection in
Burma is “heterogenous varying widely by geographical location and by population sub
group”.
26 Equally concerning, there has been an inter-linked upsurge in the spread of
tuberculosis during the past decade, with 97,000 new cases detected each year and a
worrying increase in multi-drug resistance.
Source/publisher:
Shoklo Malaria Research Unit
Date of publication:
2006-12-28
Date of entry/update:
2022-01-26
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"This regular update, covering humanitarian developments from 1 and 26 December, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UNHCR. The January Humanitarian update will be issued in early February 2022.
HIGHLIGHTS
• The security and humanitarian situation across Myanmar remains tense, with continued armed clashes in multiple states and regions, resulting in additional loss of life, destruction of civilian property and increasing internal and cross-border displacement.
• On 24 December, at least 35 civilians, including four children and two humanitarian actors, were killed and burnt in Kayah State, south-eastern Myanmar.
• As of 27 December, an estimated 320,900 people remained internally displaced across Myanmar due to clashes and insecurity since 1 February 2021. This is in addition to the 340,000 people living in protracted displacement before February 2021.
• A small number of partners were able to reach IDPs and other affected people in acute conflict areas during December, but greater access remains critical for the urgent delivery of humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people.
• At the end of the year, the Humanitarian Response plan was 58 per cent funded receiving US$225.3 million of the $385.7 million requested for 2021. In 2022, the humanitarian community requires increased funding to bring in additional resources to scale up its efforts to address the unmet and escalating needs.
• On 31 December, the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview was published identifying 14.4 million people in need. The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan will be published by the end of January outlining efforts to reach 6.2 million people with assistance and requiring $826 million.
KEY FIGURES
320K people currently displaced across Myanmar by clashes and insecurity since February 2021
175K people currently displaced in southeast Myanmar by insecurity and clashes since February 2021
132K people currently displaced in Chin State, Magway and Sagaing regions by clashes and insecurity since May 2021
17K people currently displaced in Shan since January 2021 and in Kachin since March 2021 due to clashes and insecurity
SITUATION OVERVIEW
The security and humanitarian situation in Myanmar remains volatile, with civilians bearing the brunt of ongoing armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and/or various PDFs, as well as between EAOs, in multiple states and regions. In Kayin and Kayah states, as well as Magway and Sagaing regions, clashes have intensified, resulting in increasing civilian casualties, destruction of civilian properties and internal and cross-border displacement.
Since the February military takeover, more than 2,200 houses and other civilian properties have reportedly either been burnt down or destroyed, mainly in Chin (800), Kayah (654), Sagaing (529), and Magway (223). As of 27 December 2021, an estimated 320,900 people were internally displaced due to clashes and insecurity since 1 February, according to UNHCR figures. The southeast of the country (Kayin, Kayah and southern Shan) recorded the highest new internal displacement with 175,700 IDPs (55 per cent), followed by the northwest part (Sagaing, Magway and Chin) with 132,200 IDPs (41 per cent), Shan with 14,400 IDPs (four per cent) and Kachin with 3,200 IDPs (one per cent). In addition, 340,000 people remain displaced due to earlier conflicts before 2021. This includes 106,800 people in protracted displacement camps (since 2011) in Kachin and northern Shan; 144,000, mostly Rohingya people, in camps in Rakhine State (since 2012); and 79,900 people displaced in Rakhine State and southern Chin due to conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the MAF from early 2019 and late 2020. More than 19,000 people have crossed the borders into neighbouring countries since February 2021.
With only 58 per cent of the requested funding (US$225.3 million out of $385.7 million) received in 2021, the UN and its humanitarian partners succeeded in providing record levels of life-saving assistance and protection services. As of early December, the humanitarian response reached more than 2.4 million out of the three million people in need identified in the original 2021 Humanitarian Response Plan and subsequent Myanmar Interim Emergency Response Plan (June-December). Final full-year figures for 2021 will be available in February 2022. Despite this significant scaleup, humanitarian needs continue to grow. In 2022, humanitarians estimate 14.4 million people are in humanitarian need and have prioritized 6.2 million for urgent assistance. To meet these needs $826 million in funding and expanded access will be required..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2022-01-17
Date of entry/update:
2022-01-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Human Rights and international relations, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
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Sub-title:
Donors Should Channel Assistance Via Local and Cross-Border Efforts
Description:
"Myanmar’s military junta is blocking desperately needed humanitarian aid from reaching millions of displaced people and others at risk, Human Rights Watch said today. The United Nations, the Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and concerned governments should press the State Administration Council (SAC) junta to urgently allow aid to reach all those in need.
In recent months, the junta and its security forces have imposed new travel restrictions on humanitarian workers, blocked access roads and aid convoys, destroyed non-military supplies, attacked aid workers, and shut down telecommunications services. The February 1, 2021 military coup also triggered widespread infrastructure collapse and a severe devaluation of the Myanmar currency, leading to increasingly dire banking and supply chain crises and shortages of food, medicine, and other essentials.
“Myanmar’s junta has worsened a self-created humanitarian catastrophe by displacing hundreds of thousands of people and then blocking the critical support they need to survive,” said Shayna Bauchner, Asia researcher. “The generals are callously denying lifesaving assistance to people affected by conflict since the military takeover, seemingly as a form of punishment.”
Since the coup, the junta has carried out a nationwide crackdown on anti-junta protesters and the political opposition that amounts to crimes against humanity and other abuses. Fighting in some ethnic minority areas has expanded, resulting in war crimes. The crisis has displaced over 284,000 people, with an estimated 22,000 refugees fleeing to India and Thailand.
While Myanmar authorities have long impeded access to aid for vulnerable groups, the military junta has established new restrictions, creating a nationwide humanitarian catastrophe. The UN estimates that the number of people needing assistance will grow from 1 million before the coup to 14.4 million by 2022, including more than 5 million children. About 25 million people, or half the population, could be living below the national poverty line.
A man displaced in 2011 and now living in a camp outside Laiza, Kachin State, told Human Rights Watch: “Since the coup, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] that provide food couldn’t travel easily to the camp and they cannot transfer funding easily. Many people used to go outside of the camp for day jobs and to support families, but because of the coup and Covid-19, there aren’t many job opportunities left they could do.”
The junta’s interference in relief operations has disregarded calls for unhindered aid delivery by the UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council, and Security Council, the European Parliament, and donor governments. The UN relief chief, Martin Griffiths, said on November 8 that “access to many people in desperate need across the country remains extremely limited due to bureaucratic impediments put in place by the armed forces.” He called on the junta to “facilitate safe, rapid, and unimpeded humanitarian access.”
On November 10, the UN Security Council issued a statement on Myanmar calling for “full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access to all people in need, and for the full protection, safety and security of humanitarian and medical personnel.”
The UN, regional bodies, and donors should pressure the junta to ensure the health and well-being of the population in accordance with Myanmar’s obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law, Human Rights Watch said.
At the same time, the international response to the humanitarian situation in Myanmar has been inadequate. The UN and other aid agencies have only received 18 percent of the US$109 million requested to respond to the post-coup humanitarian emergency. Funding requirements for 2022 have more than doubled due to the crisis, to $826 million. Donors including the United States, European Union, and United Kingdom should increase funding while channeling aid through local civil society groups, rather than through junta authorities, given the military’s track record of corruption and misuse of assistance funding and material. Effective aid delivery hinges on engaging independent and impartial local partners that have the networks and experience to navigate a difficult environment.
In areas of armed conflict in Myanmar, the junta’s obstruction of humanitarian assistance violates international humanitarian law. All parties to an armed conflict are obligated to allow and facilitate rapid and unimpeded impartial humanitarian assistance to all civilians in need, and are forbidden from withholding consent for relief operations on arbitrary grounds. Unnecessary delays or obstruction of aid may also violate the rights to life, to health, and to an adequate standard of living, including food and water. The military has also attacked health facilities and medical workers, in violation of international law.
Neighboring countries, including India, Thailand, and China, should facilitate emergency cross-border aid to internally displaced people in Myanmar and provide protection, support, and humanitarian aid to all refugees, including allowing the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) access to screen asylum seekers.
The UN Security Council should go beyond issuing statements, and should urgently pass a resolution that institutes a global arms embargo on Myanmar, refers the military’s grave crimes before and since the coup to the International Criminal Court, and imposes targeted sanctions on the junta leadership and military-owned conglomerates.
“Governments should press Myanmar’s junta to facilitate, not block, the delivery of assistance that millions of people depend on to survive,” Bauchner said. “Regional bodies and donors should work closely with local groups and cross-border efforts to make sure aid is reaching those in need and not being diverted by generals neck-deep in atrocities.”
Humanitarian Crisis and Aid Blockages
As opposition to the February 1 coup grew, the Myanmar security forces, including the military and police, violently cracked down on peaceful protests throughout the country. The military launched new offensives in ethnic minority areas, resulting in abuses against civilians. In some areas, newly formed anti-junta armed groups fought alongside long-established ethnic armies against military forces. In November, clashes were reported in every state and region in Myanmar.
The UN has reported that the military has carried out targeted and indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including airstrikes and heavy artillery barrages. Accounts from displaced people and aid workers suggest that the junta has continued to use the military’s longstanding “four cuts” strategy, in which the armed forces maintain control of an area by isolating and terrorizing the civilian population.
An estimated 638,000 people are displaced in Myanmar, including many who were forced to leave their homes years prior to the coup. Civilians displaced by fighting, particularly in Myanmar’s northwest and southeast, have faced dire restrictions on access to food, clean water, sanitation, shelter, and health care, leaving them at severe risk of disease and malnutrition.
Military forces have seized food deliveries en route to displacement sites and arrested people on suspicion of supporting aid efforts. As the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar reported in September, “The junta is directly to blame for the lack of humanitarian access to internally displaced persons, where its forces have deliberately blocked access roads and turned back aid convoys.”
The requisite travel authorization process for humanitarian workers, already highly bureaucratic and arbitrary, has grown even more constrained under the junta’s control, severely impeding aid delivery, in particular during monsoon season floods. Many international aid organizations’ memorandums of understanding with the government were signed prior to the coup and have since expired, raising concerns about travel authorizations for aid delivery. Visas for aid workers have also been delayed or denied.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported in October that “the need to procure travel authorization remains a major access impediment and a high constraint factor for the humanitarian partners’ capacity to reach people in need.” Where previously a negative Covid-19 test was sufficient for the application, for example, junta authorities began requiring all staff to submit a vaccination card and recommendation letter from the township medical officer for their travel authorization application, at a time when only 3 percent of the country was vaccinated.
Since February, the junta has cut off mobile internet data and blocked public Wi-Fi and most broadband internet service. It has continued to impose communication blockades, particularly in areas of increased hostilities. In August and September, the junta cut phone and internet services in dozens of townships in Chin and Kachin States and Mandalay, Magway, and Sagaing Regions. “We have no internet and sometimes mobile reception is not available,” an aid worker in Chin State said.
Disrupted supply chains, increasing prices and scarcity of goods, and loss of access to agricultural livelihoods have compounded food shortages around the country. The Myanmar currency, the kyat, has lost over 60 percent of its value since the coup, contributing to food crises in urban and peri-urban areas, including Yangon and Mandalay.
According to the UN Development Programme, urban poverty rates are set to triple by 2022. Humanitarian agencies and UN human rights experts recently raised grave concerns about the food, shelter, and cash needs of thousands of families who have been forcibly evicted from settlements in Mandalay and Yangon, including Hlaing Tharyar and Dagon Seikkan townships, since late October.
Northwest Myanmar
Since May, an estimated 93,000 people have been displaced by fighting in Chin State and Magway and Sagaing Regions in Myanmar’s northwest. In Chin State, fighting has increased between the armed forces and the Chinland Defense Force (CDF), an anti-junta militia. The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar reported that the military, after declaring martial law in the town of Mindat in May, carried out air and ground attacks, committing indiscriminate attacks and sexual violence and using civilians as human shields. An estimated 30,000 people fled the fighting.
After capturing Mindat, the security forces imposed drastic measures on the civilian population, effectively cutting the area off from all aid and supplies by closing all roads to the town; blocking nearby supply routes; turning back aid convoys; looting and destroying supplies; interrogating and arresting civilians entering the town for goods; and cutting internet services. In May, military forces fired at makeshift displacement sites marked with white flags. At least six displaced people reportedly died in the jungle from lack of access to health care.
Local aid groups and host communities who have tried to support displaced people with food and other supplies have suffered harassment, arbitrary detention, violence, and constant surveillance by the security forces. Some humanitarian workers have been arrested and charged with incitement under section 505A of the penal code. An aid worker in Mindat said that when a team member and an international staff member planning a humanitarian project were arrested, “our operations on the ground got a lot more difficult.” The worker noted that in October, security forces had even arrested people going shopping for household products in Mindat.
In July, the UN refugee agency received travel authorization to deliver emergency aid to displacement sites in Mindat, but displaced people in the area reported the aid never reached them after the junta denied aid workers access to any areas outside security force control.
In late October, the military deployed tens of thousands of troops to the country’s north and northwest, in seeming preparation for wide-scale operations against anti-junta forces. Satellite imagery revealed that over the next month, hundreds of buildings were burned in Thantlang, Chin State, corroborating video and witness accounts.
The aid worker in Chin State said that junta authorities were confiscating aid packages that local humanitarians had tried to bring to displacement camps. Since imposing martial law in Mindat, security forces have taken over the sale of products in town, reselling them at high prices, he said. Anyone attempting to buy more than the allotted amount of food or medicine is accused of supporting the Chinland Defense Force or anti-junta People’s Defense Forces (PDF) and risks arrest.
About 3,000 children have been displaced from the town of Mindat, but local aid workers said they have been unable to acquire any educational supplies because of security force checkpoints and the risk of arrest.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported in December that with food running low in Mindat township, “people are becoming desperate.” Groups continue to advocate urgently for access: “The humanitarian community has developed a plan outlining the assistance it would immediately be able to provide to up to 26,000 people in Mindat Township if access was permitted, and is advocating at all levels for the necessary travel authorisations to be urgently granted.”
Southeast Myanmar
Since the coup, there has been major insecurity and fighting in southeast Myanmar, notably Bago Region and Karen (Kayin) and Karenni (Kayah) States. Over 173,000 people have been displaced since February. The junta has imposed severe movement restrictions in the area, requiring permission letters from local State Administration Council administrators to travel, as well as widespread security force checkpoints and patrols.
Meeting minutes of UN agencies from May show that the State Administration Council denied the World Food Programme’s request to provide one month of food support to about 4,500 recently displaced people in Myaing Gyi Nyu village in Karen State. Junta officials also suggested they take over the food distribution to the camp.
In June, media reported that military forces burned 80 bags of rice, barrels of cooking oil, other food, and medicine in Pekon, southern Shan State, that local residents had gathered for 3,000 people recently displaced by fighting.
An aid worker in Karen State said that both the Myanmar military and the ethnic armed group Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) had imposed obstacles to travel. In KNLA-controlled territory, the local aid workers had to get permission to deliver supplies or hand them off to the KNLA to distribute. Local aid groups have identified Myanmar military checkpoints in the area, which they avoid when transporting food or medical supplies due to the risk of detention, harassment, or confiscation.
At a national humanitarian meeting in August, UNICEF discussed the contingency plan for people displaced by airstrikes and ground fighting in Hlaingbwe, Karen State, including identifying supplies “so that we can manage very quickly before the road blockages occur,” according to meeting notes reviewed by Human Rights Watch.
Protracted Displacement
About 370,000 people were already displaced in Myanmar prior to the coup, most living for years in protracted displacement in Rakhine, Kachin, and northern Shan States. Humanitarian organizations reported in October that they faced “significantly decreased access” to the preexisting displacement camps and “increased scrutiny of implementing partners [and] activities.”
OCHA reported in August that constraints since the coup, including “new bureaucratic restrictions and access limitations linked to the TA [travel authorization] process,” had impeded more than half of all activities in Rakhine State, “negatively impacting the delivery of services and humanitarian assistance to around 440,000 people in need.” UN and international agencies meeting minutes noted the junta’s erratic approval process: “TA granted by RSG [Rakhine State government] is changing every month.”
About 600,000 ethnic Rohingya are confined to camps and villages in Rakhine State, denied freedom of movement under a system of apartheid, without adequate access to food, health care, and education. An estimated 130,000 Rohingya have been arbitrarily held in open-air detention camps in central Rakhine State since 2012.
Humanitarian agency documents detail the serious water scarcity in Rakhine State, noting that water availability there is affected by constraints on access, banking issues, limited funding for water transport and distribution, and increased fuel prices and scarcity. Only 12 percent of people in northern Rakhine State identified as needing humanitarian aid had access to safe drinking water as of September, and only 14 percent had access to functional latrines.
Food shortages in the camps and villages grew after June, when the World Food Programme had to halt its monthly cash allowance and food ration distributions. In northern Rakhine State, the junta even obstructs efforts to assess the extent of the gaps and needs. “The full extent of WASH [water, sanitation, and hygiene] needs in northern Rakhine continue to be largely unknown due to access restrictions,” humanitarian agencies wrote in their input to the 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview.
In early November, as tensions between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army ethnic armed group grew, the junta closed down the Ponnagyun-Rathedaung road, forcing people from 60 villages in the area to travel by waterway.
Restrictions on Water, Sanitation, Health
Displaced people’s severe lack of access to water, sanitation, and hygiene in Myanmar – underscored by recent humanitarian data – is life-threatening. UN agency documents stated that “AWD [acute watery diarrhea] cases were reported in 2021 due to the reduction of WASH in many camps in Rakhine and Kachin states.” In late May, at least nine Muslim children reportedly died in central Rakhine State following a month-long outbreak of acute diarrhea.
“They have difficulties accessing drinking water, toilets, and sanitation products,” the Chin State aid worker said. “Kids in the camp had skin disease … because of dirty water. They don’t even have tanks to store water, they use plastic sheets to make water tanks.” He said that the Kyaukhtu camps in Magway Region have faced severe health crises:
Some kids died from malnutrition, had skin disease. People died from not getting medical attention on time. There’s not enough medicine or medical supplies at camps. There are doctors who came to the CDF territory to provide health care to IDPs [internally displaced people] but they can’t do much when there’s not enough medical supplies.
“IDPs have difficulty accessing food, clean water, and shelters,” an aid worker in Karen State said. “They’re now relying on rainwater…. There is seasonal flu, diarrhea because of no clean water, and Covid cases in the villages.”
The Myanmar healthcare system effectively collapsed after the coup. With the junta cracking down on medical professionals for their role in the Civil Disobedience Movement, Myanmar has become one of the deadliest countries in the world to work in health care, according to data from the World Health Organization and Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition.
From February 1 to September 30, state security forces allegedly killed at least 29 healthcare workers and arrested 210, with another 580 warrants issued for doctors and nurses. There have been 297 reported attacks on health care – nearly all by the security forces – including 87 raids and 56 military occupations of healthcare facilities.
Security forces have beaten and shot medical staff providing care to injured protesters and forced clinics operated by nongovernmental groups to close, driving medics and volunteers to work underground in poorly resourced makeshift mobile clinics. Despite moving frequently, hidden facilities have faced deadly attacks by junta forces. Police and military officials shot at or confiscated ambulances. At least 31 medical vehicles have been attacked since the coup.
Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders, or MSF) described the impact of the junta’s nationwide military deployment on access to health care:
Patients in Myanmar are forced to travel farther to get care at a time when risks are much greater. Security forces at checkpoints scrutinise those moving around, search their belongings, intimidate them and contribute to a climate of fear. For patients with conditions requiring regular and long-term care, such as HIV, tuberculosis and hepatitis C, the ongoing insecurity and delays in accessing medicines could be life-threatening.
Amid the healthcare system’s collapse, Myanmar faced its third and most severe wave of Covid-19 in mid-2021. The security forces blocked people’s access to hospitals for urgent treatment and hoarded oxygen supplies. They arrested aid volunteers for attempting to deliver oxygen to affected communities. The junta’s Health Ministry reportedly rejected a request from a top OCHA official visiting the country in September for greater humanitarian access to address the Covid-19 crisis, which had hit a 38 percent positive test rate at its peak in late July.
Myanmar’s UN Country Team reported in May that attacks on medical workers jeopardized the Covid-19 response and essential health services, “with potential devastating consequences.” The pandemic has also been used as a pretext for enforcing increasingly stringent restrictions on aid and movement.
Days before the coup, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had transferred US$372 million to the Central Bank of Myanmar for emergency Covid-19 support. How the junta has used the funds remains unknown. At a September briefing, the IMF stated, “It’s not possible for the Fund to ascertain whether the regime currently in effective control is using the IMF funds as they were intended. Namely, to tackle to COVID and support the most vulnerable people.” Covax, the global vaccine distribution facility, also delayed a shipment of vaccines, citing the junta’s opacity around distribution and refusal to prioritize vulnerable populations.
UN Security Council resolution 2286 condemns attacks on medical facilities and health workers in conflicts and calls on all parties to armed conflicts to respect international law, prevent attacks, and hold those responsible to account. It also asks the UN secretary-general to “bring to the attention of the Security Council situations in which the delivery of medical assistance to populations in need is being obstructed by parties to the armed conflict.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of publication:
2021-12-13
Date of entry/update:
2021-12-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Public Health, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Human Rights and international relations
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Description:
"ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများ၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုပေးသူများနှင့် ပရဟိတသမားများ ဘေးကင်းလုံခြုံမှုရှိစေရေးအတွက် ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက်
၁။ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီသည် ၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီလ (၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် တိုင်းပြည်အာဏာကို လက်နက်အားကိုးဖြင့် မတရားသိမ်းပိုက်ခဲ့သည့်အချိန်မှစ၍ ကျန်းမာရေးအဆောက်အဦးများ ကို ဝင်ရောက်၍ တပ်စွဲသိမ်းပိုက်ဖျက်ဆီးလုယက်ခြင်း၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်း များနှင့် ပရဟိတလုပ်ငန်းများကို နှောင့်ယှက်ခြိမ်းခြောက်ဖျက်ဆီးခြင်း၊ ကျန်းမာရေး စောင့်ရှောက်မှုပေးသူများနှင့် ပရဟိတသမားများကို မတရားသဖြင့် ခြိမ်းခြောက်ဖမ်းဆီးနှိပ်စက် သတ်ဖြတ်ခြင်းနှင့် စိတ်ထင်ရာ ဥပဒေပုဒ်မများတပ်၍ မတရား ဖမ်းဝရမ်းထုတ်ခြင်းကြောင့် တိမ်းရှောင်စေရခြင်း အစရှိသည့် အဓမ္မမှုများ၊ အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများကို ယနေ့ထက်တိုင် မိစ္ဆာ စရိုက်ဆန်စွာ အစဉ်တစိုက် ပြုမူနေခဲ့ပါသည်။
၂။ (၂၆-၁၀-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် Insecurity Insight အဖွဲ့၊ Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) အဖွဲ့နှင့် the Johns Hopkins University Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR) အဖွဲ့တို့၏ ပူးတွဲထုတ်ပြန်ချက် (https://tinyurl.com/attackstohealthcare) အရ (၁-၂-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့မှ (၃၀-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့အထိ စစ်အာဏာသိမ်းခဲ့သည့် (၈) လတာ ကာလ အတွင်း မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ ပြည်သူ့ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများအပေါ် တိုက်ခိုက်ခြိမ်း ခြောက်မှုပေါင်း (၂၉၇) ခုအထိ ရှိခဲ့ကြောင်း သိရှိရပါသည်။ အဆိုပါတိုက်ခိုက်ခြိမ်းခြောက်မှု (၂၉၇) ခုအနက် (၂၆၇) ခုကို အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ လက်နက်ကိုင်အကြမ်းဖက်သမား များက ကျူးလွန်ခဲ့ကြောင်း ခိုင်မာသော သက်သေအထောက်အထားများနှင့်တကွ တွေ့ရှိခဲ့ရ ပါသည်။
၃။ (၁-၂-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့မှ (၃၀-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့အထိ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ ကျူးလွန်ခဲ့မှု များမှာ ကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သားစုစုပေါင်း (၂၁၀) ဦးကို ဖမ်းဆီးခြင်း၊ (၄၀) ဦးကို ဒဏ်ရာရစေခြင်း နှင့် (၂၉) ဦးကို သတ်ဖြတ်ခြင်း၊ ဆေးရုံများကို အနည်းဆုံး (၈၇) ကြိမ် ဝင်ရောက်စီးနင်းခြင်းနှင့် အနည်းဆုံး (၅၆) ကြိမ် ကျူးကျော်သိမ်းပိုက်ခြင်း၊ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေး လုပ်ငန်းများကို (၂၅) ကြိမ် နှောင့်ယှက်တိုက်ခိုက်ခြင်းတို့ ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ထို့အပြင် အကြမ်းဖက် စစ်ကောင်စီက စိတ်ထင်ရာ ဥပဒေပုဒ်မများတပ်၍ မတရားဖမ်းဝရမ်းထုတ်ခြင်းကြောင့် ကျန်းမာရေးလုပ်သား (၇၀၀) ဦးထက်မနည်းလည်း ထွက်ပြေးတိမ်းရှောင်နေရပါသည်။
၄။ ၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ စက်တင်ဘာလနောက်ပိုင်းတွင်လည်း ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများ အပေါ် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ တိုက်ခိုက်ခြိမ်းခြောက်မှုများမှာ ရပ်တန့်ခဲ့ခြင်းမရှိဘဲ ဆက်လက်ကျူးလွန်လျက်ရှိပါသည်။ (၂၄-၁၀-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ရန်ကုန်မြို့၌ ပင်လုံ ပုဂ္ဂလိကဆေးရုံကို ပစ်ခတ်တိုက်ခိုက်ခြင်း၊ (၁၆-၁၁-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ကလေးမြို့နယ်၌ အရေးပေါ်ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုပေးသူ ဆေးဝန်ထမ်းအမျိုးသမီးများကို ဖမ်းဆီးသတ်ဖြတ် ခြင်းနှင့် ဖားအံမြို့နယ်၊ ဖလံတောင်တိုက်နယ်ဆေးရုံကို ကျူးကျော်ဝင်ရောက်၍ ဖျက်ဆီး လုယက်ခြင်း၊ (၂၂-၁၁-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် လွိုင်ကော်မြို့၊ ခရစ္စတူးဘုရင် ဘုရားကျောင်းရှိ ကရုဏာဆေးခန်းကို ဝင်ရောက်စီးနင်းပြီး ဆရာဝန်များ၊ သူနာပြုများ၊ ပရဟိတကျန်းမာရေး လုပ်သားများကို ဖမ်းဆီးခြင်းနှင့် လူနာများကို အတင်းအကြပ် နေရာရွှေ့ပြောင်းခြင်း၊ CDM ပြုလုပ်ထားသော အထူးကုဆရာဝန်များအပါအဝင် ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်းများနှင့် ပရဟိတ သမားများကို ထပ်မံခြိမ်းခြောက်ဖမ်းဆီးခြင်း စသည်တို့ကို အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီအနေဖြင့် ဆက်လက်ကျူးလွန်ဆောင်ရွက်နေကြောင်း တွေ့ရှိရပါသည်။
၅။ ထိုကဲ့သို့ ကျန်းမာရေးအဆောက်အဦးများ၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများနှင့် ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုပေးသူများ၊ ပရဟိတလုပ်ငန်းများနှင့် ပရဟိတသမားများအပေါ် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီက ရည်ရွယ်ချက်ရှိရှိ အငြိုးတကြီး ပစ်မှတ်ထား၍ ဆင်ခြင်တုံတရားမဲ့၊ အသိကင်းလွတ် အကြမ်းဖက်နေခြင်းသည် ဂျီနီဗာကွန်ဗန်းရှင်း (Geneva Conventions) နှင့် ကမ္ဘာ့ကုလသမဂ္ဂ လုံခြုံရေးကောင်စီဆုံးဖြတ်ချက် (၂၂၈၆) အပါအဝင် ပြည်တွင်းဥပဒေများ၊ လူသားချင်းစာနာ ထောက်ထားရေးနှင့် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးဆိုင်ရာ နိုင်ငံတကာဥပဒေများကို ပြောင်ပြောင်တင်းတင်း ချိုးဖောက်နေခြင်းပင် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။
၆။ သို့ဖြစ်ပါ၍ အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီအနေဖြင့် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံအတွင်းရှိ ကျန်းမာရေး စောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းများ၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုပေးသူများနှင့် ပရဟိတသမားများ ဘေးကင်းလုံခြုံမှုရှိစေရေးအတွက် အဆိုပါအကြမ်းဖက်မှုလုပ်ရပ်များကို ရပ်တန်းကရပ်ရန် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီအား ပြင်းထန်စွာ သတိပေးတောင်းဆိုလိုက်ပြီး နိုင်ငံတကာအသိုင်း အဝိုင်းအနေဖြင့်လည်း အချိန်မီထိရောက်စွာ တားဆီးအရေးယူဆောင်ရွက်ကြပါရန် ထုတ်ပြန် ကြေညာအပ်ပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-11-28
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Public Health, COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Anti-coup protesters
Language:
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Title: Announcement on the safety of healthcare activities, healthcare personnel and charity workers
Description:
"1. The terrorist military council has, from the time of the illegal coup d'etat on 1st
February 2021 up till now, raided and pillaged healthcare facilities, impeded and
interfered with healthcare and charitable work, threatened, harassed and
murdered healthcare workers and charity workers, issued arrest charges on
trumped up charges on healthcare personnel and relentlessly been inflicting these
atrocious inhumane acts.
2. On 26th October 2021, a press release (https://tinvurl.com/attackstohealthcare) on
an analytical report compiled by Insecurity Insight, Physicians for Human Rights
and the Johns Hopkins University Centre for Public Health and Human Rights
(CPHR) stated that at least 297 attacks and threats against health workers,
facilities, and transports in Myanmar were perpetrated by the military from
February 1 to September 30, 2021. Within the 297 total incidents, there was hard
evidence that 267 incidents are attributed to Myanmar’s armed forces (SAC or the
Tatmadaw).
3. Within all the total incidents that took place during the first eight months of the
military’s coup and crackdown between 1st February to 30th September 2021, there
were:
- 210 health workers arrested
- 40 health workers injured
- 29 health workers killed
- Hospitals raided at least 87 times
- Hospitals occupied at least 56 times
- 25 incidents impacting COVID-19 response measures.
In addition, more than 700 healthcare workers are in hiding from warrants issued
by the terrorist military council on concocted charges.
4. The assault on healthcare activities has not ceased and continued beyond
September 2021. The following events have since taken place;
- A shooting took place at Pinion Private Hospital on 24th October 2021.
- Murder and arrests of female healthcare workers in Kalay Township and
raiding and pillaging of Hpa-lun Taung station hospital, Hpa-an Township on
16th November 2021.
- Raiding, arresting and harassing doctors, nurses, basic healthcare staff and
patients at "Karuna" clinic in Christ the King Cathedral in Nyaung Yar, Loikaw
City, Kayah State on the morning of 22nd November 2021.
In addition, the terrorist military council is continuously resorting to arbitrarily
detaining CDM healthcare workers, Specialists and charity workers.
5. Committing all these criminal acts targeting the healthcare workers, the charity
workers and their clinical facilities is in contravention of the Geneva Conventions
and United Nations Security Council’s Resolution 2286 and not in line with national
laws or international humanitarian and human rights laws.
6. The National Health Committee (NHC) hereby gives notice to the terrorist military
council to cease these barbaric acts upon the healthcare and charity workers and
to keep them free from harm. The Committee also urges the international
community for a timely intervention to prevent these atrocities from happening
again..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-11-28
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
91.97 KB
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Description:
"HIGHLIGHTS:
The number of newly-displaced IDPs across Myanmar increased to 234,600. Fighting intensified in the South-East, particularly in Mon, Kayin and Shan (South) states, causing increased displacement. Conflict between the Tatmadaw and The People’s Defence Forces (PDF) escalated in Tanintharyi, and increased displacement was observed especially in Palaw, Thayetchaung, Yebyu and Dawei townships, in urgent need of food and basic health care. Increased displacement was also recorded in the North-West, particularly in Chin State also forcing about 1,400 people to flee to neighbouring Saw Township in Magway Region. The death toll from COVID-19 has climbed above 50 at IDP camps in Kayah State’s Demoso Township and in Shan (South) State’s Pekon Township amid high infection rates in areas affected by heavy fighting.
In South-East Myanmar, the security situation has deteriorated due to clashes between the Tatmadaw, ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) and the People's Defence Force (PDF) reported across all states and regions. Reports also indicate alleged killings, explosions and landmine incidents, as well as arbitrary arrests and detention. Displaced populations in the SE continue to experience significant challenges in accessing basic needs and services, in particular food, healthcare, and shelter materials.
In Shan State (South), clashes in Pekon Township displaced some 2,700 people while a smaller number was also displaced to Taunggyi Township. Shortages of medicines, warm clothes, and food supply remain as challenges. In Shan State (North), armed clashes between the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) near Hu Sun village tract in Kyaukme Township caused villagers to flee to Kyaukme town. Clashes between the RCSS and SSPP near Sun Long village tract also caused villagers to seek safety at a monastery in Hsipaw township.
Situation has been worsening throughout Chin State, Sagaing and Magway regions. Chin State remains the epicentre for the violence with Tigyaing Township in Sagaing Region currently witnessing some of the most intense clashes and more incidents such as the burning of private properties, including religious sites, being reported. Thousands of civilians displaced from Thantlang have taken refuge in villages along the India-Myanmar border, with others from Thantlang and other border townships reportedly crossing into India’s Mizoram State. Most IDPs and host communities across Chin State are facing shortages of food, fuel and medical supplies. Conflict also continues to worsen in Magway Region and Sagaing Region.
In Rakhine State, challenges in accessing services continue to be reported while some return movements have been observed from areas of displacement by AA-MAF conflict, with so far 20% of those originally displaced having returned to their places of origin.
RESPONSE
Myanmar
In the South-East, UNHCR completed the construction of a primary school and a water supply system in Kyainseikgyi Township in Kayin State. Support was provided through a partner to 30 children including IDP returnees to obtain birth certificate. Training and protection monitoring continued.
In Shan State (South), UNHCR carried out two rapid protection assessments in two locations in Pekhon Township.
In Shan State (North), UNHCR distributed 711 winter NFI kits to IDPs relocating from Hu Sun and Pang Long village tracts to Kyaukme town..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-11-23
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
7.99 MB
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Description:
"COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးလုပ်ငန်းများ ပြီးစီးမှုအခြေအနေ ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက် (၂၀-၁၁-၂၀၂၁)
Statement on COVID-19 Vaccination Progress (20th November 2021)
ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက် (၃/၂၀၂၁)
၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ နိုဝင်ဘာလ (၂၀) ရက်
အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီ (NHC)
COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးအဖွဲ့ (CTF)..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar and COVID-19 Task Force - CTF
Date of publication:
2021-11-20
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
506.77 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"UNFPA is working with local and international partner organizations to strengthen sexual and reproductive health care.
“Menstrual hygiene is essential for women and adolescent girls. Being a displaced person staying at the IDP camp, I have limited access to sanitary pads and hygiene products. Without having any income, I could not afford to buy these things unless someone gives them to me for free. Sometimes, I have to use pieces of cloth as a hygiene kit during my period. It is not hygienic and convenient, but I have no choice. Without proper menstrual hygiene support, we women are losing our dignity,” said Ei Ei, a displaced woman from one of the internally displaced person camps in Kayah State, located in the eastern part of Myanmar.
Ensuring that sexual and reproductive health and rights are an integral part of the emergency response in a humanitarian crisis is essential – it must not be overlooked. Without sufficient access to menstrual health support, women may not only suffer serious health complications, but they may also experience stigma and rejection from the community and loss of dignity. In addition, lack of menstrual health supply can limit the mobility of women and girls, thus negatively affecting their ability to access to required basic services and humanitarian support, including education, health services, and livelihood opportunities.
The Myanmar Humanitarian Needs Overview 2021, identified more than 1 million people to be in need of humanitarian assistance. This number included some 336,000 displaced people (of whom 29 per cent are women, 20 per cent are girls) in camps or IDP sites. Since then, the number of displaced people and people in need of humanitarian assistance has increased significantly due to the ongoing crises across the country. In June 2021, the Addendum to the 2021 Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan identified an additional two million people to be assisted by the emergency response in new areas and this number is unfortunately likely to increase again.
Amid the operational challenges since February 2021, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), with its implementing partner organizations in the country, has planned strategically and innovatively to ensure the continuation of essential sexual and reproductive health services to the vulnerable population in affected areas. With UNFPA support, one of the partner agencies has introduced the Safe Pad Pilot Project in Kayah and Rakhine States to fulfil the menstrual health and hygiene needs of vulnerable women and girls in conflict-affected areas. This pilot project also aims to promote income-generating opportunities for the local women.
“What is particularly unique about this project is – to set up a basis for the sustainable scale up of locally produced menstrual health management products for women and girls at reproductive age. It is not only just the production of anti-microbial reusable pads for safe menstrual hygiene, but it also benefits local women through a “buy-back” methodology by the organization to create income generation opportunities for them. It has dual impacts on empowering local women through livelihood support and ensuring sexual and reproductive health and rights for the women and girls at reproductive age”, said Nan, a Project Manager.
Under this pilot project, 20 local women were provided training in Kayah State and 19 women in Rakhine State. They have produced 3,600 safe pads and distributed to 900 beneficiaries in Kayah and Rakhine Sates. Targeting the population in need, women and girls from IDP camps receive menstrual hygiene management (MHM) kits comprised of Safe Pads package designed for day and night use, reusable masks, hand gel and additional essential items such as underwear, bucket, and laundry detergent and manual instructions for sustainable use of safe pad and general information on good menstrual health management.
UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency, is working with local and international partner organizations to strengthen sexual and reproductive health care and ensure it remains at the center of the humanitarian and development nexus..."
Source/publisher:
UN Country Team in Myanmar via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-11-10
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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Description:
"Context
The socio-economic effects of the political instability in Myanmar are affecting the most vulnerable more severely, including many older people and people with disabilities. HelpAge International conducted a rapid needs assessment (RNA) in October 2021, as a follow-up to its RNA of April 2021. That study highlighted difficulties in accessing food, healthcare, and income. This current study is a more thorough follow-up, taking into account six additional months of crises, including the third COVID-19 wave.
Methodology
For this RNA, 110 people were interviewed, of which 98 were above the age of 60, with the oldest person being 92. 19 of the people interviewed self-identified as having a disability (PWD). An additional 12 people over the age of 40 were interviewed, who play an important role in community-based activities that support older people.
Data was collected through phone surveys with community members across 17 locations in six states and regions of Myanmar:
Due to (perceived) security and trust issues, the interviews were done on a completely anonymous basis. HelpAge leveraged its network of community groups throughout Myanmar to identify people who were able and willing to speak to the enumerators. All people consented to being interviewed despite the critical security situation.
Questions were raised about the local situation, feelings and needs of respondents, covering a total of four topics:
food security.
finances.
healthcare.
safety.
Collected data were entered digitally by transcribing answers from the phone. Data were disaggregated according to gender, age, and disabilities. The results of this disaggregation have only been reported where information was considered significant enough to be included, and summarised into four main topics of interest..."
Source/publisher:
HelpAge International via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-11-03
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights and international relations, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
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Format :
pdf
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269.43 KB
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Description:
"Highlights
• Fighting in the northwest between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Chinland Defence Force in Chin State and the local People’s Defence Forces (PDFs) in Magway and Sagaing regions has recently escalated.
• In Chin State, more than 160 houses, two churches and an NGO office in Thantlang Town were reportedly burnt down on 29 October.
• Around 37,000 people, including women and children, have been newly displaced by fighting which started in May in the northwest, in addition to around 7,600 people previously displaced by earlier conflict between the Arakan Army (AA) and the MAF in Paletwa, Chin State, since December 2019.
Situation Overview
The humanitarian, human rights and security situation in Chin State, as well as in neighbouring Magway and Sagaing regions, is deteriorating with intensified armed clashes reported between the MAF and local PDFs. Displacement has increased as well as rights violations and causalities. In Chin State, more than 160 houses, two churches and an NGO office in Thantlang Town were reportedly burnt down on 29 October, in addition to other townships facing similar destruction of property since August. Most residents had already fled in late September in anticipation of the conflict. However, UNICEF is concerned about the safety of children who are thought to remain in Thantlang Town and is calling for immediate efforts to ensure the safety of these children, and of all children impacted by the conflict.
In total, around 37,000 people, including women and children, have now been displaced in the northwest since the clashes started in May. This includes at least 18,300 people who have been displaced across several townships in Chin State. Of those people, more than 10,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) are sheltering in Thantlang Township in Chin State next to the Indian border. The newly displaced people in Chin State are in addition to some 7,600 people who remain displaced since December 2019 in Paletwa in southern Chin due to the conflict between the AA and the MAF. About 15,000 people have reportedly crossed the border into India since the military takeover on 1 February.
The total number of displaced people in Sagaing and Magway regions remains mostly unchanged for the last two weeks as some have returned to their areas of origin, while others have been newly displaced. Around 7,000 people remain in the displacement sites in Kale, Kani, Khin-U and Mingin townships in Sagaing Region and around 12,300 remain in the displacement sites in Gangaw, Pauk and Saw townships in Magway Region..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-11-03
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights and international relations, Public Health, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Language:
Format :
pdf
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882.65 KB
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Description:
"The Myanmar Humanitarian Fund continues to support the most vulnerable, such as women like Khadija who needs specialised health services for her daughter.
*names changed to protect privacy
In a village northwest of Sittwe in Rakhine state, Khadija and her five-year-old daughter Tasmin have become regular visitors to the Integrated Nutrition Centre which offers a range of life-changing support. Come rain or shine, they go to the centre for physiotherapy sessions that Tasmin urgently needs as she was born with cerebral palsy – a physical disability that affects her movement and posture. Like most others living in this small Rohingya village, Khadija cannot afford to pay for the specialised health services that are critical for her daughter’s development.
“My husband is a seasonal daily wage earner so it is not always easy for him to be employed, and I do not have time to find myself a job as I take care of Tasmin around the clock. We cannot even bear the expense of her physiotherapy sessions,” Khadija explains.
An estimated 140,000 Rohingya people in Rakhine remain displaced since intercommunal violence in Rakhine in 2012. Rohingya people living in both camps and villages continue to face significant challenges in accessing basic healthcare, education and livelihoods due to movement restrictions. The COVID-19 outbreak across the country has further aggravated their humanitarian situation, leaving them almost entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs.
“I am overjoyed to see that my daughter can do remedial exercises without the need to travel far,” Khadija said. “I am really thankful for this kind of help. Our life would be in misery if it hadn’t been for the MHF. There is only one thing on mind, which is my daughter’s wellbeing. I want her to grow and reach her greatest potential.”
Enabling national humanitarian partners to deliver critical assistance
The Myanmar Humanitarian Fund (MHF) is a country-based pooled fund managed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA). It supports both national and international humanitarian organisations to address emerging and chronic humanitarian needs of vulnerable people affected by crisis. Since 2007, the MHF has provided US$80 million to support life-saving assistance through 205 humanitarian projects. In 2021 alone, the MHF made $12.4 million available to support vulnerable people affected by the armed conflict in Chin, Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, Magway region, and the south-eastern part of Myanmar.MHF projects funded in 2020 and 2021 are currently making a difference in the lives of almost 1.2 million people, of whom around 56 per cent are women and girls, 44 per cent children and a further 11 per cent people with disabilities. The MHF ensures disability inclusion is mainstreamed in all projects implemented with its funding, while encouraging inclusion of people with disabilities and their representative organisations.
Removing barriers to accessing humanitarian assistance
Myanmar continues to grapple with dire humanitarian situation, with 3 million people in need of critical assistance and protection services, as well as COVID-19 related support. The number of people in need includes displaced families from conflict-affected areas as well as those from outskirts of big cities like Yangon and Mandalay, where there are emerging humanitarian needs due to the impact of COVID-19 and disruption of services. The ongoing political developments since 1 February 2021, have further exacerbated existing vulnerabilities and protection risks, resulting in new displacement and reduced freedom of movement, access to protection, basic services and livelihoods for affected people..."
Source/publisher:
UN Country Team in Myanmar via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-11-05
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Public Health, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
more
Description:
"CCKP – cold chain key person , effective vaccine management guideline.
click here to download pdf file (28 MB) >> https://assets-moh.nugmyanmar.org/images/2021/11/CCKP-Guideline_NUGMOH_OCT21.pdf
Ministry of Health,
National Unity Government..."
Source/publisher:
Ministry of Health, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-10-00
Date of entry/update:
2021-11-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
28.48 MB (Original version) - 145 pages
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Description:
"At least 297 attacks and threats against health workers, facilities, and transports in Myanmar were perpetrated from February 1 to September 30, 2021, according to an analysis based on open-source reports compiled by Insecurity Insight, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and the Johns Hopkins University Center for Public Health and Human Rights (CPHHR).
Myanmar’s armed forces and police reportedly committed the vast majority of attacks amid resistance to the military takeover. The Myanmar military’s (“Tatmadaw”) wanton violence against health workers and facilities is fueling the collapse of the country’s health sector and its COVID-19 response, as the emergency in Myanmar devolves into a protracted conflict.
Within the 297 total incidents that took place across Myanmar during the first eight months of the military’s coup and crackdown (February 1 to September 30, 2021), Insecurity Insight, PHR, and CPHHR highlight reports of:
210 health workers arrested
40 health workers injured
29 health workers killed
Hospitals raided at least 87 times
Hospitals occupied at least 56 times
25 incidents impacting COVID-19 response measures
“The Tatmadaw uses restrictions on health services as a tool of repression and control,” said Christina Wille, director of Insecurity Insight. “Many people are denied health care. Amazingly brave health workers continue to provide care in clandestine ways but frequent raids and curfews, medical shortages, and power outages jeopardize health facilities and put patients’ lives at risk. The international community needs to take bolder steps to address Myanmar’s tragedy.
“The humanitarian tolls have increased as COVID-19 spreads largely unchecked. The recent military build-up in Myanmar’s border areas portends additional atrocities and the displacement of more people,” said Wille. “Myanmar’s catastrophe won’t remain inside the county’s borders.”
The incidents referred to are based on the dataset 01 February – 30 September 2021 Violence Against Health Care in Myanmar Data, which is available on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX). For the purposes of this research brief, one incident can comprise multiple types of violence or threats such as those above. The brief does not include incidents of violence against patients. Selected events can also be viewed on the global map on threats and violence against health care.
The new research brief highlights several alarming developments in the military’s ongoing crackdown on the medical profession and the anti-coup movement.
The military has used health facilities to arrest civilians suspected of participating in the anti-coup movement. For example, an elderly pro-democracy activist received a call about his eligibility for a COVID-19 vaccine. Upon arrival at a COVID-19 vaccination center on August 4, he was reportedly arrested by armed forces and remains detained in the county’s capital. The Tatmadaw often denies medical care to detainees in its custody.
Health workers continue to be targeted for providing care, with detainees coerced into confessing to falsified charges, such as possession of weapons or links to anti-junta terrorism. In one instance on September 25, a doctor and nurse who volunteered to treat COVID-19 patients were reportedly dragged out of their homes in the middle of the night, tortured, and killed by the military-run State Administrative Council (SAC).
The COVID-19 response has been derailed by the military’s violence against health care. For example, four NGO workers for an organization that transports COVID-19 patients and delivers medical supplies were arrested by the SAC, who also reportedly seized two of the group’s ambulances. The military has blocked numerous international and local aid groups from reaching people in need. Patients are also routinely blocked from accessing care.
State and non-state actors continue to use explosive weapons around health facilities. In one case, on September 22, a car bomb exploded outside the military-occupied Public Hospital in Mandalay region, killing one person and injuring two others.
“There is no doubt that the emergency has spiraled into a protracted humanitarian crisis,” said Sandra Mon, a PHR expert and epidemiologist from Myanmar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights. “The military junta continues to intimidate and threaten health workers, even during the third wave of COVID-19 that devastated the country. The collapse of Myanmar’s health care system and the evolution of the conflict has now led to health being used as a political bargaining chip. Conflict should never justify inaction, especially where public health is concerned. Myanmar’s international allies must continue to press for unhindered delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to the people. Global health diplomacy must be invoked.”
While the vast majority of attacks and threats against health care have been perpetrated by Myanmar’s armed forces, non-state actors also reportedly committed violence against health care in May and June. Of the 297 total incidents, at least 267 are attributed to Myanmar’s armed forces (State Administrative Council/SAC or the Tatmadaw) and 14 to non-state actors. The perpetrators are unclear in 16 incidents.
The increase in attacks by non-state actors was driven in part by escalating conflict between the military and local ethnic militias in recent months, particularly in the Chin and Kachin states, as well as the shadow government’s September declaration of a “People’s Defensive War.”
The research brief also includes testimonies from nurses in Myanmar, collected by Insecurity Insight with support from the Tropical Health and Education Trust in September 2021.
“We are not criminals,” said one nurse, whose identity is concealed due to extreme security risks. “We are caring and compassionate nurses who want to help reduce pain and suffering. We just want to give care to our people.”
Another nurse told researchers: “This is not the first time in our history that we suffer from dictators. Back then, we couldn’t let the world know what was happening. Today, we are globally connected and want to raise our voices. We don’t want our country and health system to deteriorate. It is our human right to speak out and say where we stand on this.”
Insecurity Insight, PHR, and CPHHR used an open-source methodology to compile incidents noted in local, national, and international news outlets, online databases, and social media reports. The incidents reported are neither a complete nor a representative list of all incidents. Most incidents have not undergone verification by Insecurity Insight, PHR, and CPHHR. Data collection is ongoing and data may change as more information is made available. However, the data offers a snapshot of how Myanmar’s military is persecuting health workers and targeting facilities amid its broader crackdown on dissent.
“Myanmar’s military must immediately cease hostilities and allow prompt, equitable, and unhindered delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and lifesaving aid to the country’s besieged civilians,” said Susannah Sirkin, director of policy at Physicians for Human Rights. “UN member states must use all tools at their disposal to pressure and influence the Myanmar military to abide by international humanitarian and human rights law. In a year that has seen rampant conflict- and COVID-19-related violence against medical professionals, Myanmar may be the worst place on Earth to be a health worker today due to the onslaught from the military. The global community cannot let this stand.”
The research brief makes several recommendations to UN member states, urging the international community to ensure the full implementation of UN Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2286, adopted in May 2016, which strongly condemns attacks on medical personnel in conflict situations, as well as UNSC Resolution 2565, which calls for a global ceasefire during the COVID-19 pandemic..."
Source/publisher:
Physicians for Human Rights (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-26
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Public Health, Political prisoners and other violations in Burma - reports, Human Rights Defenders, Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma
Language:
more
Description:
"On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) seized control of the country, following a general election that the National League for Democracy party won by a landslide. The military-run State Administrative Council (SAC) has targeted doctors and other health workers for taking a leading role in the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
Doctors and nurses have been served with warrants and arrested, health workers have been injured while providing care to protestors, ambulances have been destroyed, and health facilities have been raided. Now, nine months into the coup, the emergency in Myanmar has evolved into a protracted crisis; the violence against health care workers continues as part of the military’s offensive against anti-coup movements, and civilians’ access to health care is becoming increasingly compromised.
This document is the result of collaboration between Insecurity Insight, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights as part of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC).
It discusses reported incidents of violence against health workers, facilities, and transport in Myanmar between February 1 and September 30, 2021 to highlight the impact on the health system as a whole. It further includes personal testimonies by nurses on how the conflict is impacting them and analysis on the security situation for aid organizations working there. It does not include information on violence against patients.
The incidents referred to are based on the dataset 01 February - 30 September 2021 Violence Against Health Care in Myanmar Data, which is available on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)..."
Source/publisher:
Insecurity Insight via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-26
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, Anti-coup protesters, Freedom of Movement, violations of in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
480.59 KB
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Sub-title:
World attention to Myanmar is waning, despite the deepening impasse between the junta and resistance forces. Major powers should back the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in reinvigorated efforts to relieve the suffering of people facing poverty and disease as well as regime repression.
Description:
"What’s new? A dangerous stalemate has developed between Myanmar’s military regime and resistance forces. Both sides are determined to prevail, but neither seems likely to deliver a knockout blow imminently. With deadly attacks on regime targets and brutal regime retaliation continuing, violence and insecurity will persist across the country.
Why does it matter? The crisis is playing out against a backdrop of deepening economic recession, health system collapse, and surging poverty and food insecurity. In addition to violence and regime oppression, people across Myanmar face a dire humanitarian predicament and long-term development challenges, with serious implications for South East Asia and beyond.
What should be done? Myanmar’s crisis should be a higher priority for Western and Asian governments, which should throw greater weight behind the so-far dysfunctional process led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. External actors urgently need to address the humanitarian emergency without reinforcing regime structures – a political challenge requiring creative diplomacy.
I.
Overview
Since the 1 February coup d’état, Myanmar’s military regime has brutally repressed the population as it tries to quash dissent and consolidate its grip on the country. A broad-based resistance movement is using non-violent and violent means to prevent the junta from succeeding. With no sign that the deadlock will end soon, vulnerable populations face a dire future. In addition to the insecurity, Myanmar’s economy is in freefall, the national currency is crashing, health and education systems have collapsed, poverty rates are estimated to have doubled since 2019, and half of all households cannot afford enough food. Despite the severe situation and the considerable risks associated with having a failed state at the heart of the Indo-Pacific, international attention is waning. Myanmar needs to be a higher foreign policy priority for Western and regional governments, with greater weight thrown behind efforts by the regional bloc, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). An urgent focus should be finding ways to deliver crucial aid – including COVID-19 vaccines – in a way that does not reinforce regime structures.
To date, most foreign governments, as well as the UN Security Council, have been content to leave the international diplomatic response to ASEAN. The ASEAN process, aimed at resolving the political crisis in Myanmar and providing urgent humanitarian assistance, gained initial momentum at a special summit the organisation convened in Jakarta in April 2021, which coup leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attended. The region’s leaders agreed on a five-point consensus, including an immediate cessation of violence, the delivery of humanitarian aid and the appointment of an ASEAN envoy to facilitate dialogue among all parties concerned. Since then, the process has atrophied, with the bloc taking more than three months to appoint an envoy, who has not been able to visit Myanmar. As a result of the regime’s lack of cooperation, ASEAN leaders decided to exclude Min Aung Hlaing from their 26 October summit.
Meanwhile, the military regime, or State Administration Council, has continued to target its foes as well as their supporters and sympathisers. Its forces routinely carry out summary executions and torture of detainees – including children – and have used heavy weapons heedlessly in attacking cities. UN investigators have stated that these tactics likely constitute crimes against humanity.
In response, the parallel National Unity Government (NUG) in September declared a “people’s defensive war”, calling on civilians across the country to rise up against the regime. While the NUG has no military capability of its own, and its declaration has not led to the hoped-for escalation, resistance forces continue to stage attacks on a daily basis, ambushing military convoys, bombing regime-linked targets and assassinating regime-appointed local officials, suspected informants and others seen as loyal to the ruling junta. The NUG’s efforts to secure diplomatic recognition – including its goal of occupying Myanmar’s seat at the UN – will be complicated by the fact that it has now put its imprimatur on a struggle that includes killing of civilians and use of indiscriminate weapons.
International actors should redouble efforts to address the crisis’s humanitarian and economic fallout.
Outside powers have little room for manoeuvre, with both sides determined to prevail, and therefore showing no interest in any negotiated settlement. Still, international actors should redouble efforts to address the crisis’s humanitarian and economic fallout. ASEAN, while continuing to pursue its five-point plan, should focus in particular on using its access to the generals to help negotiate expanded aid delivery. Other countries should back up their expressions of support for ASEAN with more active reinforcement of the bloc’s efforts. They could, for instance, provide advice and expertise to bolster ASEAN’s diplomatic and humanitarian engagement and help iron out divisions among its member states.
Any international strategy for supporting Myanmar’s population will have to grapple with how to deliver aid at scale without reinforcing regime structures and how best to support civil society organisations without overwhelming their capacity or exposing them to security risks. These tasks will require political discussions with the junta, the NUG and other legitimate representatives as well as de facto local authorities such as ethnic armed groups to secure access, preserve operational space to deliver via non-regime channels and ensure that assistance has the buy-in of beneficiaries. The UN and its new special envoy are probably best placed to take the lead, in close consultation with donors and ASEAN. The rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations will be a key test in determining what is possible.
While it will be hard to de-escalate the conflict or protect civilians at present, international accountability mechanisms have an important role as a deterrent and to keep hope alive that those responsible for atrocities – primarily the military, but also other armed elements – can be brought to justice. Those outside actors engaging with the NUG and other resistance actors should also press them to take action on alleged violations by forces they claim to represent, and provide training and advice to help them do so.
II.
A Deadly Stalemate
Eight months after the coup, the Myanmar junta continues to use violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests in its efforts to secure its hold on power. To date, it has reportedly killed at least 1,178 demonstrators, dissidents and bystanders, detaining 7,355 more. In addition to small-scale acts of defiance and peaceful protests, locally organised anti-regime militias and underground networks operating in the country’s larger cities (collectively known as “people’s defence forces”) are mounting resistance, including assassinations, improvised explosive device attacks and ambushes of regime targets. On 7 September, the NUG – a parallel administration in hiding, appointed by elected lawmakers ousted in the coup – declared a “people’s defensive war” against the regime, hoping to prompt a major escalation in resistance activity.
With both sides dug in, but neither seemingly strong enough to defeat the other for good, a deadly stalemate has emerged in Myanmar that will likely continue for many months. Meanwhile, the country is suffering severe economic decline, runaway poverty and food insecurity, and terrible strain upon the health system amid a wave of COVID-19 infections.
A.
The Regime’s Brutal “Pacification Campaign”
Since the 1 February coup, the regime has cracked down hard on peaceful protesters, activists and the general population, triggering more violent forms of resistance. In its attempts to smash dissent, disrupt armed resistance and consolidate its grip on power, the Myanmar military, or Tatmadaw, relies on the following methods:
The regime continues to carry out daytime and night-time raids on communities, detaining dissidents and suspected members of resistance groups, and in some cases arresting family members as hostages if they are unable to locate the person they are looking for. Some targets are summarily executed on site, and those detained are routinely tortured in interrogation centres, sometimes to death. On 2 September, for example, soldiers arrested two men in Sagaing Region’s Shwebo township, beating one to death during the arrest. The other, a 20-year-old, succumbed to his injuries two weeks later.
The military also deploys heavily armed combat battalions to crush urban dissent, using tactics that appear intended to kill as many people as possible. For example, security forces have fired rifle grenades at protest camps and herded unarmed civilians into what in military terminology are known as “kill zones” before starting to shoot. The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar – established by the UN to build case files on possible international crimes to facilitate future prosecutions – says its preliminary analysis of information collected about such attacks “indicates that crimes against humanity … have likely been committed” by the Myanmar security forces. The UN human rights office has issued similar findings.
In rural parts of the country where resistance groups are persistent in their attacks, the Tatmadaw has unleashed its pitiless “four cuts” counter-insurgency strategy. Long used by the Myanmar military when battling ethnic armed groups in the uplands, this approach aims to deny rebels four essentials – food, funds, intelligence and recruits – and deliberately targets civilians on the grounds that they are a key support base for insurgency. The security forces are applying this approach against anti-coup militias in ethnic areas such as Kayah and Chin States, as well as against resistance groups in lowlands inhabited by the Burman majority. For example, following a spate of ambushes by militias in Magway Region’s Gangaw township, on 9-10 September the military occupied the area, killing and in some cases torturing to death at least 24 villagers, including teenagers and elders, and burning down about 100 houses.
In addition to the military’s actions, a degree of mobilisation against resistance forces is taking place within communities. In light of the security forces’ inability to protect regime-appointed local administrators, retired soldiers, members of the military-linked Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and others marked for death by resistance groups (see below), regime supporters have formed their own paramilitary networks, known as Pyusawhti groups, particularly in rural areas. Pyusawhti was a semi-mythical king of Bagan, the dynasty that at its height around 1200 was the first to incorporate most of what is now Myanmar. The government used his name in the mid-1950s to describe the auxiliaries it recruited locally to deal with widespread lawlessness and insecurity. The formation of these networks today has raised the prospect of escalated tit-for-tat killings in various localities, with Pyusawhti groups targeting active resistance members and vice versa. There are indications that the regime is arming some of these groups, and some have reportedly fought people’s defence forces alongside regular soldiers.
B.
Violent Resistance to the Coup
In the weeks after the 1 February coup, as the Tatmadaw began its campaign to quash protest and other dissent, many communities and groups of protesters across Myanmar began forming militias to protect themselves from regime violence and launch an armed resistance. Some 250 such groups have emerged over the last six months and are carrying out regular attacks on regime targets. Although numbers are difficult to verify, the NUG claimed in September that popular resistance forces and ethnic armed groups had killed 1,710 regime troops over the preceding three months.
The resistance groups … range from underground urban cells consisting of a few people to large, well-organised militias.
The resistance groups, many of which have the words “defence force” in their names, range from underground urban cells consisting of a few people to large, well-organised militias with hundreds of fighters equipped with modern light arms. Some of these are working closely with – and being trained by – ethnic armed groups. All the resistance groups rely predominantly on asymmetric warfare tactics, including:
Assassinations. Resistance forces have been killing several people per day in recent months, including regime-appointed local administrators, USDP members, security force personnel and alleged informants (known as dalan in Burmese). The regime claims that, as of 9 September, the resistance had murdered 799 such individuals since the coup and injured another 726 in assassination attempts – numbers that are broadly consistent with Crisis Group tallies compiled from independent media reports. On 30 August, for example, an assailant shot dead a village tract administrator in his home in Taungtha township, near Mandalay. The junta had appointed the administrator two months earlier. A local anti-regime militia, the Taungtha Guerilla Task Force, claimed responsibility for the killing.
Improvised explosive devices. Since early April, there have been hundreds of explosions across Myanmar. While some of these incidents have gone unclaimed, the targets and the methods used suggest that anti-regime forces carried out the vast majority. Targets include government and local administration offices and houses, businesses owned by or seen as supportive of the military, homes or businesses of alleged informants, public places (such as city intersections), and police and military posts. In the lead-up to the school year, which began on 1 June, parties unknown planted bombs at schools – in some cases apparently to support an education boycott and in others to attack troops posted or billeted at schools. (For their part, Pyusawhti groups appear to have carried out other bombings aimed at the regime’s political opponents. )
Drive-by shootings and ambushes. As underground resistance cells have gained better training, mostly from ethnic armed groups, and managed to supplement their makeshift arsenals with more modern firearms, they have been conducting more deadly attacks on security forces. In various cities, militants have killed policemen and soldiers manning security posts and checkpoints in drive-by shootings. In rural areas, resistance forces have regularly hit military convoys with roadside bombs, including as part of complex attacks where fighters follow the explosions with small arms fire, causing double-digit death tolls. There have also been a few similar attacks in urban areas. On 9 September, for example, a resistance group threw a bomb into a passing army truck in downtown Yangon, and then engaged in a shootout with surviving soldiers; a major and a private were reportedly killed, and several other troops injured.
Sabotage of critical infrastructure. Resistance groups have also been targeting economic, communications and transport infrastructure deemed important to the regime. They have sabotaged more than 120 cell phone towers since June, most of which were used by MyTel, a company partly owned by the military. Resistance groups have also hit electricity transmission towers, bridges and railway lines. All these targets are soft and dispersed, making them difficult for the regime to guard effectively.
Decisions on who or what constitutes a legitimate target, and what methods and tactics are appropriate, are in the hands of the individual resistance groups, who lack experience or clear criteria for making such judgments. Recognising that abuses could discredit the resistance movement, the NUG has issued guidance, in the form of a brief set of ethical rules in May, followed by one page of disciplinary rules in September. The NUG has no command and control over resistance groups, however, and no obvious way of enforcing compliance. In any case, the rules it laid out are very general, with no explanation of how militants should apply them in real-world situations.
Resistance forces have staged a number of problematic attacks and sometimes failed to prevent harm to bystanders. In these cases, it is rare for any group to admit responsibility. On 25 May, for example, a parcel bomb disguised as a present exploded at the wedding of a well-known nationalist who had reportedly participated in pro-Tatmadaw rallies. He was unharmed, but his bride, cousin and another distant relative were killed while three more people, including two children, were injured. In another example, a bomb that exploded on 14 September in front of the USDP office in Magway town killed a five-year-old child and wounded two other passers-by. Targeting alleged informants carries obvious risks of misidentification or other mishap: in some cases, militants might be acting upon personal grudges or misinformation from third parties.
C.
Socio-economic Crisis
Myanmar’s political turmoil and the resulting violence is taking place against a backdrop of a grave economic crisis, a sharp rise in poverty and food insecurity, a collapsed health system, and a serious COVID-19 outbreak. The junta may be able to insulate itself and its security apparatus from major hardship, but the implications for the population are devastating.
The shock of the coup hit a Myanmar economy already reeling from the global impact of COVID-19.
The shock of the coup hit a Myanmar economy already reeling from the global impact of COVID-19. The World Bank has estimated that the economy will shrink by 18 per cent in the fiscal year to September 2021. Combined with the pandemic’s effects in 2020, this damage will have made the economy shrink by close to a third in less than two years. Myanmar’s currency, the kyat, has lost half its value since the coup, dramatically increasing the cost of imports, such as cooking oil or refined petroleum products, which has a knock-on effect on the price of all goods.
The economic crisis is compounded by the fact that the coping mechanisms Myanmar people typically resort to when faced with economic difficulties, such as rural-urban migration and emigration overseas, are no longer available. Formal sources of employment have dried up, with a collapse in manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, construction and other sectors leading to 1.2 million job losses in the second quarter of 2021. Add these figures to COVID-19’s ravages, and more than 3.2 million people, or 15 per cent of the formal work force, have lost their jobs between the end of 2019 and July 2021, while millions of others have seen their working hours reduced. Women have been disproportionately hurt due in particular to the impact on the garment industry, which employs mostly young women. Border closures and slow economic recovery in destination countries, particularly Thailand, means that heading abroad to work is not feasible. The damage to livelihoods has been extreme, with the number of people in poverty estimated to have doubled since 2019, and around half of households unable to afford sufficient food.
Since the coup, Myanmar’s public health system has fallen apart. Doctors and nurses have been at the forefront of protests and public-sector strikes known as the Civil Disobedience Movement. The security forces have targeted medical staff, emergency responders and private clinics with violence, with the World Health Organization reporting 260 such attacks across the country. The resulting blow to the health-care system has coincided with – and greatly exacerbated – a wave of COVID-19 that has killed thousands since July. The collapse, combined with a general loss of public trust in regime-controlled services, has also severely disrupted routine childhood immunisation, as well as testing and treatment for communicable diseases including malaria, tuberculosis and HIV – putting many lives at risk and threatening a setback to global efforts to combat these illnesses.
III.
Future Trajectory
A.
The Regime’s Political Roadmap
On 1 August 2021, exactly six months after the coup, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing provided details of the regime’s political roadmap. He announced the formation of a “caretaker government” with himself in the new position of prime minister and most sitting ministers, who were appointed shortly after the coup, remaining in place. Six weeks later, for reasons it did not explain, the junta renamed the caretaker government as a “union government” (the standard usage in Myanmar). The State Administration Council (SAC) remains the ultimate decision-making authority, meaning that Min Aung Hlaing has given himself both the head of state (SAC chairman) and head of government (prime minister) positions.
In the same 1 August speech, Min Aung Hlaing announced that elections would be held and power transferred by 1 August 2023 – presumably with him as civilian president. The regime’s timetable for holding new elections has thus slipped from the “one to two years” announced at the time of the coup to two and a half years. While the coup itself was unconstitutional, this extended period is longer than the two-year maximum for a state of emergency set out in the constitutional provision that the junta invoked to justify the military takeover.
It seems clear that the military intends to refashion the electoral landscape to ensure a result amenable to … its interests.
It now seems clear that the military intends to refashion the electoral landscape to ensure a result amenable to what it perceives as its interests. In detention since the coup, Aung San Suu Kyi, the 76-year-old former head of government, faces a raft of charges that could see her sentenced to up to 75 years of prison. The regime-appointed election commission has suggested that the state will dissolve her National League for Democracy party, which won the November 2020 polls with 82 per cent of the elected seats, due to unsupported allegations of fraud. The junta and its election commission have also talked regularly about changing the electoral system from first-past-the-post, which has delivered large majorities to victors in nearly all Myanmar’s elections since colonial times, to a more proportional system that would likely prevent any party from winning big, allowing the military to dominate a fractured legislature. This change would seem to require altering the constitution, requiring a referendum, but the regime-appointed election commission has recently stated that no constitutional amendment is needed.
The regime has shown no inclination toward dialogue.
The regime has shown no inclination toward dialogue as a way out of the crisis that the country is facing. It has designated the NUG a “terrorist” organisation, stated that it will not negotiate with terrorists and demanded that outside actors – such as the ASEAN special envoy – refrain from engaging with the parallel administration. Rather, the regime is attempting to use violence and intimidation to bring the country to heel. It appears determined to crush the resistance as quickly as possible and move ahead with its political roadmap without compromise. Through mass arrests and interrogations, it appears to have improved its intelligence on its adversaries, leading to a number of arrests in September that have disrupted resistance cells, although to what degree is unclear.
The junta’s timeframe could, however, still stumble. In light of the great challenges it faces, and considering that some of the steps will not only be difficult but may provoke unrest given the regime’s tenuous authority in many parts of the country, it is possible that the regime will not be able to meet its self-declared August 2023 deadline for returning power to civilians. In any case, a shift from direct military rule to an elected pro-military government with Min Aung Hlaing as president would do little to assuage public anger or placate the resistance movement. Despite its efforts to quash dissent and apply a veneer of legitimacy to its rule, the military is likely to face more resistance, both non-violent and violent.
B.
The Resistance Forces
While the regime is focused on repression and rolling out its political roadmap, resistance forces continue their efforts to disrupt these plans and deny the junta the ability to rule. Locally organised networks, some of which are cooperating closely with ethnic armed groups, are carrying most of this load. On 7 September, in an effort to lend further momentum to these actions, the NUG declared a “people’s defensive war”, calling on the population “in every corner of the country” to rise up against the military regime. Since then, resistance activities have continued to expand in some areas, but have not escalated dramatically nationwide.
The NUG hopes to develop its military and bureaucratic capabilities to be able to control territory and administer populations, but so far these aims remain aspirational. It has released a $700 million budget, including $300 million for mass COVID-19 vaccination, and large allocations for supporting striking public-sector workers. The parallel legislative body, the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), issued a tax law for the fiscal year from October. But the NUG’s ability to raise tax revenue and execute its budget remains extremely limited due to its lack of administrative and territorial sway. These announcements are therefore more about projecting legitimacy than actual governance. Similarly, the war declaration allowed the NUG to demonstrate agency at a time when there were signs that people were increasingly perceiving it as “all talk and no action”.
That declaration, which gave the NUG’s imprimatur to the actions of independent resistance groups, received a wary international reaction. It was not the first instance when the parallel administration publicly backed violent resistance. The CRPH first endorsed armed revolution a month after the coup, in March 2021. The NUG then announced on 5 May its intention to form an armed wing, which remains a work in progress. While many people in Myanmar welcomed the 7 September war declaration enthusiastically, the international response was lukewarm. The British ambassador in Yangon tweeted that his country “supports peaceful efforts to restore democracy”, warning that “further violence will harm vulnerable communities”; a State Department spokesperson said the United States “does not condone violence as a solution to the current crisis” and “calls on all sides to remain peaceful”.
The NUG’s declaration came as the UN General Assembly was about to get under way in New York and needed to decide which competing set of credentials – those of the NUG or those of the regime – to accept. The parallel government has denied that it timed its declaration with the aim of influencing the credentials debate, but regardless of whether it did, the call for war has complicated its diplomatic efforts. Inevitably, the NUG will be now be seen as a party to a conflict, rather than a purely political entity. Despite its efforts to come up with a code of conduct for resistance forces, it also risks being perceived as endorsing tactics that have included the killing of civilians and the use of indiscriminate weapons.
The question of who represents Myanmar at the UN remains unresolved. Ahead of the General Assembly, the U.S. and China reached a deal, backed by other key states, that the UN would take no decision until at least October on the competing credentials submitted by the NUG and the regime. The deal allowed the incumbent Permanent Representative of Myanmar in New York, who was appointed by the Aung San Suu Kyi administration and has backed the NUG, to remain in place for the moment, on the understanding that he will keep a low profile, in particular by refraining from speaking at the high-level debate.
IV.
What Can International Actors Do?
There is no end in sight to the deadly stalemate that has emerged in Myanmar, suggesting that civil strife will continue to roil the country for months, if not years to come. With both sides focused on defeating the other, there appears to be very little room for dialogue about a negotiated solution.
The outside world has little space or capacity to address the central political crisis and shows waning interest in Myanmar’s plight. The crisis has dropped far down the international agenda, partly due to other global priorities – COVID-19, Tigray, Afghanistan – and partly because most governments have concluded that they have little leverage in Myanmar and that while ruinous for the country, the current turmoil will have limited ramifications abroad. The UN special envoy, Christine Burgener, has been increasingly vocal, but she still has not been able to visit Myanmar since the coup and the regime has repeatedly rebuffed her efforts to kickstart dialogue. As a result, diplomatic efforts to address the crisis in Myanmar have largely been left to ASEAN.
ASEAN’s efforts, notably a special summit it convened in April attended by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, have gained little traction. The summit saw leaders agree upon a five-point consensus, including a call for an immediate cessation of violence, the appointment of an ASEAN envoy to facilitate dialogue among the parties and the delivery of humanitarian aid from ASEAN member states. But immediately on his return to Myanmar, Min Aung Hlaing began walking back commitments he had made at the summit. There was no reduction in regime violence.
Divisions among other ASEAN members then delayed the appointment of an envoy by another three months – Brunei’s second minister for foreign affairs, Erywan Yusof, took on the role only in August. He has not been able to visit Myanmar, as the regime has not consented to his precondition that he have access to Aung San Suu Kyi. As a result of Myanmar’s lack of cooperation and failure to implement the five-point consensus, ASEAN leaders decided to exclude Min Aung Hlaing from their 26 October summit, triggering an indignant response from the regime. Erywan has signalled that his position will rotate as the yearly ASEAN chairmanship moves from Brunei to Cambodia for 2022, giving him only a few more weeks in the job.
Despite its clear limitations, which largely stem from the body’s consensus-based non-interference approach and its internal divisions, other international actors seem content to outsource the global diplomatic response to ASEAN. The UN Security Council has repeatedly expressed its support for the ASEAN process, as have its permanent members and many other countries and groupings, including the G7 and the Quad (Australia, India, Japan and the U.S.). Beyond public statements, however, none of these countries or groupings have provided tangible support to ASEAN in carrying out this role. The continued expressions of support appear to stem more from an unwillingness on the part of these countries to address the problem themselves, rather than any conviction that the ASEAN process can achieve meaningful results.
Action to address the crisis in Myanmar must start with recognition that the situation warrants greater international attention. Myanmar is a failed state in the heart of the Indo-Pacific, with a health system in tatters, a dysfunctional COVID-19 response, a massive humanitarian emergency unfolding and a crumbling economy. Its troubles will not stay within its borders: they are likely to be a significant regional and global challenge, due to public health concerns, refugee flows and security issues, particularly in the form of the drug trade and other illicit activities. There is also no prospect of resolution to the Rohingya refugee crisis as long as Myanmar’s predicament persists.
Aid delivery [to Myanmar] is fraught with difficulties … but [this] should not lead donors to give up on the Myanmar people.
While international actors, including ASEAN, have limited leverage for now to address the political crisis and its violent manifestations, they should redouble efforts to address the humanitarian and economic fallout. The extent of damage to the economy and social service delivery means that the prognosis for Myanmar’s population is grim in the near to mid-term future. Supporting vulnerable people through the extremely tough months and years to come must be a priority for the outside world. At present, to be sure, aid delivery is fraught with difficulties, including potential aid diversion and the risk of giving undue recognition to the junta. But these problems should not lead donors to give up on the Myanmar people or limit their interventions to small-scale humanitarian projects. More attention and creative diplomacy can play a critical role.
International actors should thus throw greater weight behind ASEAN’s process. While ASEAN should continue pursuing its five-point plan, its prospects for addressing the political turmoil are limited. It does have one of the few channels with some access to the generals, however, which can also play a role in negotiating expanded aid delivery. If ASEAN as the regional grouping is considered best placed to lead the charge, other countries should more actively reinforce its diplomacy. They could, for example, provide advice and expertise to ASEAN to reinforce its diplomacy and humanitarian engagement. They could also work more closely with ASEAN member states themselves, in part to help overcome divisions among them that have slowed the momentum of the process. While Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines have been pushing for a more robust ASEAN intervention, other member states such as Vietnam and Thailand are wary of applying too much pressure on the Myanmar junta, for fear of harming their own interests, and arguing that isolating Myanmar would be counterproductive for ASEAN.
An effective aid strategy will need to address several complex issues. First is how and when it is appropriate to engage state structures. While working through the regime or its ministries is out of the question other than in exceptional cases, it will be difficult, for example, to restore childhood vaccinations and treatment for infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis without dealing with public-sector hospitals and clinics. Second is how to support civil society organisations consistent with their own priorities while being conscious of constraints and risks they face. Those groups that have navigated the enormous security and logistical difficulties of delivering aid risk being swamped with funds that donors are desperate to spend, or having to comply with bureaucratic and documentation requirements that can put beneficiaries at risk by not accounting for the fact that aid must often be delivered discreetly. Last is how to deliver cross-border assistance in a way that takes account of political sensitivities in neighbouring states, particularly Thailand, which does not want to anger the Myanmar regime.
Working out how to support vulnerable people without inadvertently reinforcing repressive regime structures or putting implementing partners or recipients at risk will be no small challenge. Donors might be able to draw some lessons from places like North Korea, Syria and now Afghanistan, though any solutions will have to be tailored to Myanmar itself. Aid delivery in Myanmar in the 1990s and 2000s offers lessons: for example, supporting civil society organisations with flexible small grants, achieving scale through multi-donor funds separate from government structures and reaching populations through cross-border delivery. That said, such approaches will need to be updated to factor in crucial differences today in the regime’s nature (it has not managed to consolidate control and sees aid as more of a threat), external leverage (diminished even from the low levels it was at back then) and regional politics (with Thailand, for example, having far closer relations with the regime than in the 1990s).
Apart from immediate humanitarian aid, long-term support for public health, education and livelihoods will be essential, as will other forms of assistance to civil society, such as protections for journalists, legal counsel for dissidents, and funding and other support for local organisations working on gender, human rights and environmental issues.
Overcoming the obstacles is a fundamentally political challenge. Progress inevitably requires political discussions with the regime to get visas, access and other permissions; and with the NUG and other legitimate representatives, as well as de facto authorities, such as ethnic armed groups, in parts of the country where the junta has little clout, to secure access, preserve operational space to deliver via non-regime partners and ensure that beneficiaries see the assistance as legitimate. Any negotiation is likely to be strewn with pitfalls. Still, discussions on these essential issues are, for now, more likely to bear fruit than efforts to tackle the political crisis.
While ASEAN’s role is important and the body has an explicit mandate for humanitarian aid in the five-point consensus, the UN, given its expertise, is the most appropriate body to coordinate the actual delivery of assistance, in close consultation with ASEAN and donor countries. The new UN special envoy for Myanmar, who is expected to be named imminently, can have a critical role to play in these efforts alongside the UN Secretariat and the incoming resident coordinator, whose appointment is urgent. The UN’s planned rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations will provide an important early test case for these efforts.
Finally, while the regime is unlikely to be steered off its repressive path, it is vital to support international accountability mechanisms – both for any deterrent effect they may have and for ensuring that those responsible for atrocities can be held to account in the future. For example, countries should provide legal support to The Gambia in its genocide case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice and consider joining the case; and provide diplomatic, practical and funding support to the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar.
Outside powers should stress the importance of preventing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by resistance groups.
Similarly, outside powers should stress the importance of preventing violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by resistance groups when engaging with the NUG and others arrayed against the junta. It is crucial that the NUG, ethnic armed groups and people’s defence forces issue stronger guidance to their forces, promptly investigate alleged violations and publicise the findings, take action against perpetrators and provide remedies, possibly including reparations to victims of abuses. Countries or organisations with access and ability to do so should provide all necessary training, capacity building and assistance in this regard.
V.
Conclusion
The Tatmadaw and resistance forces are locked in a violent stalemate that shows no sign of abating. The regime has stepped up raids and arrests to disrupt urban guerrilla activity, and is continuing brutal attacks on communities in areas where armed resistance groups operate. The resistance continues its efforts to prevent the generals from consolidating control, through ambushes of military convoys, bombings of regime targets and assassination of individuals associated with the junta. With both sides determined to prevail, the room for a negotiated solution is extremely limited.
This deadlock is having a catastrophic impact on the lives and livelihoods of Myanmar’s people. The economy is in freefall, health and education services have collapsed, and rates of poverty and food insecurity are surging. The country is in dire straits and its plight will have serious implications for South East Asia and beyond. In addition to efforts to address the political crisis and associated violence, there is an urgent need for international actors to support vulnerable populations through the arduous months and years to come. Achieving this end is a political challenge that requires deft diplomatic engagement from states and the UN. Myanmar needs to remain a priority for the outside world..."
Source/publisher:
International Crisis Group (Belgium)
Date of publication:
2021-10-20
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-21
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"Introduction
The purpose of the rapid assessment was to gather information on the priority protection concerns perceived by communities in 2021 and the causes of these concerns. Additionally, the assessment sought to understand which protection concerns communities perceived to have increased in 2021. The assessment was a joint initiative between UNICEF and the Child Protection Sub-Sector to inform a range of stakeholders of the importance of child protection in the humanitarian response and the key focus areas for intervention in 2022. When triangulated with other sources such as the bi-weekly reports from child protection focal points and CPIMS+ trends analysis, the results are largely consistent, therefore addition validity to these findings.
Methodology
The methodology for the assessment was random sampling of community members in Camp 1E, Camp 1W, Camp 2E, Camp 2W, Camp 3, Camp 4, Camp 6, Camp 7, Camp 8E, Camp 8W, Camp 10, Camp 11, Camp 12, Camp 14, Camp 15, Camp 16, Camp 17, Camp 18, Camp 19, Camp 20, Camp 21, Camp 22, Camp 24, Camp 25, Camp 26, and Camp 27. A sample size of 690 male and female adults were interviewed by partner staff and recorded on a Kobo survey form on the Kobo Humanitarian database. The sample size was 684 with 342 female (41 with disabilities) and 341 male (26 with disabilities) and 1 other gender.
Limitations
The assessment was conducted over 4 days and was limited to Rohingya refugee camps. Therefore, the child protection issues in the host community are not captured in the findings within this report. Furthermore, the assessment was a perception-based assessment and therefore the inherent biases of the respondents must be considered. Additionally, it is important to note that child protection concerns are often underreported such as sexual and gender-based violence and violence in the home, due to cultural sensitivities surrounding these issues. Additionally, while neglect is often the most visible child protection concern, it is not necessarily the result of direct actions by the caregiver but relates to the overall condition in the camps..."
Source/publisher:
Protection Cluster and UN Children's Fund via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-20
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Human Rights and international relations, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Public Health
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"COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးနှင့်စပ်လျဉ်း၍ ပြည်သူ့ထံ တင်ပြခြင်း
၂၀၂၁ ခုနှစ်၊ အောက်တိုဘာလ (၁၈) ရက်
၁။ ပြည်ထောင်စုလွှတ်တော် ကိုယ်စားပြုကော်မတီ (Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw - CRPH) စတင်ဖွဲ့စည်းပြီးချိန်မှစ၍ CDM ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်းများ ဦးဆောင်ကာ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်၊ ထိန်းချုပ်၊ ကုသရေးလုပ်ငန်းစဉ်များ ဆက်လက်အကောင်အထည် ဖော်နိုင်ရေးနှင့် ပြည်သူများအား COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေး ဆက်လက်ထိုးနှံပေးနိုင်ရေး အတွက် ဆောင်ရွက်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ အကြမ်းဖက် စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ အာဏာသိမ်းမှု မတိုင်ခင်ကပင် ရေးဆွဲခဲ့ပြီး အာဏာသိမ်းပြီးနောက် လိုအပ်ချက်နှင့်အညီ ပြန်လည်ပြုပြင်ရေးဆွဲထားသော အမျိုးသား COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံခြင်းအစီအစဉ် (Revised National Vaccine Roll Out Plan) နှင့်စပ်လျဉ်း၍ GAVI, the vaccine alliance သို့ (၃၀-၃-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် စာပေးပို့ခဲ့ပါသည်။
၂။ အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ (NUG) သည် COVID-19 ကာကွယ်၊ ထိန်းချုပ်၊ ကုသရေး အမျိုးသား အဆင့်ကော်မရှင်ကို (၇-၇-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ဖွဲ့စည်းခဲ့ပါသည်။ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေး ထိုးနှံခြင်းနှင့် စပ်လျဉ်း၍ နိုင်ငံတော်၏ အခြေခံမူဝါဒအဖြစ်ကျင့်သုံးမည့် နည်းလမ်းများကို ကော်မရှင်ဥက္ကဌ နိုင်ငံတော်ယာယီသမ္မတက ပြည်သူများထံ ရှင်းလင်းတင်ပြခဲ့ပါသည်။ တိုင်းရင်းသားကျန်းမာရေးအဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် MOH, NUG တို့ ပူးပေါင်းပါဝင်သော COVID-19 Task Force (CTF) ကိုလည်း (၂၁-၇-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ဖွဲ့စည်း၍ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်၊ ထိန်းချုပ်၊ ကုသရေးလုပ်ငန်းစဉ်များကို ဘက်စုံ၊ ကဏ္ဍစုံက အရှိန်အဟုန်မြှင့်တင်ဆောင်ရွက်ခဲ့ ပါသည်။
၃။ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ အမြန်ဆုံးရရှိနိုင်ရေးအတွက် COVAX Facility, GAVI အပါအဝင် UN အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ သံတမန်အဖွဲ့များ၊ နိုင်ငံတကာမိတ်ဖက်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့် အကြိမ်ကြိမ် တွေ့ဆုံမှုများ ပြုလုပ်ခြင်း၊ အပြန်အလှန်စာပေးပို့ဆက်သွယ်ခြင်းများနှင့် နိုင်ငံတော်ယာယီ သမ္မတက စာပေးပို့၊ ဆက်သွယ်ညှိနှိုင်းခြင်းများ ပြုလုပ်ခဲ့ပါသည်။ အရေးကြီးသော တိုင်ပင် ဆွေးနွေးမှုများကို (၂၆/၂၈-၇-၂၀၂၁)၊ (၁၁/၁၃-၈-၂၀၂၁)၊ (၃/၁၅/၁၆/၂၂-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့ များတွင် အသီးသီးပြုလုပ်ခဲ့ပါသည်။
၄။ ထိုသို့တွေ့ဆုံရာတွင် CTF အနေဖြင့် (က) ပြည်သူသာအဓိက ဖြစ်ရမည်၊ (ခ) ပွင့်လင်းမြင်သာမှု ရှိရမည်၊ (ဂ) ညီမျှသောဆက်ဆံမှု ရှိရမည် ဟူသော ပြည်သူအခြေပြု မူဝါဒ (၃) ရပ်ကို လက်ကိုင်ထားပါသည်။ (CTF ၏ ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံခြင်းဆိုင်ရာ လုပ်ငန်းစဉ်မူဝါဒများကို အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီ၏ (၁၆-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့ရက်စွဲပါ ထုတ်ပြန်ကြေညာချက် ၂/၂၀၂၁ တွင် အသေးစိတ်ဖော်ပြထားပါသည်)
၅။ ဆွေးနွေးချက်များတွင် CTF အနေဖြင့် အောက်ပါအချက်များကို စဉ်ဆက်မပြတ် တောင်းဆို ခဲ့ပါသည်။
(က) ကာကွယ်ဆေး မထိုးနှံရသေးသော ပြည်သူများအားလုံး မည်ကဲ့သို့သော ခွဲခြားမှုမျိုးမှ မခံရစေဘဲ တန်းတူညီမျှ အခွင့်အရေး ရစေရန်၊
(ခ) ပြည်သူလူထုအား COVID-19 Fourth Wave အန္တရာယ်မှ ကာကွယ်နိုင်ရေးအတွက် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ အမြန်ဆုံး ထောက်ပံ့ပေးရန်၊
(ဂ) ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံရာတွင် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီက ပါဝင်ဆောင်ရွက်ခြင်း လုံးဝ မရှိစေရန်နှင့် Third Party အဖြစ် UN အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ INGO များ၊ NGO များ၊ CBO/ CSO များ၊ EHO များနှင့် CDM ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်းများက ဆောင်ရွက်ပေးနိုင်ရန်၊
(ဃ) ကာကွယ်ဆေး လာရောက်ထိုးနှံမည့် ပြည်သူများနှင့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံပေးမည့် ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်းများ၏ လုံခြုံရေးနှင့် အသက်အိုးအိမ်ကို UN အဖွဲ့အစည်းများမှ အာမခံစောင့်ရှောက်ပေးရန်၊
(င) ပြည်သူလူထု၏ ယုံကြည်မှုနှင့် ပူးပေါင်းဆောင်ရွက်မှုသည်သာ ပဓာန ဖြစ်စေရန်၊
(စ) အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီနှင့် အပေါင်းအပါများသည် အနောက်နိုင်ငံများ၏ စီးပွားရေး ပိတ်ဆို့ အရေးယူခံထားရသူများ ဖြစ်သည့်အလျောက် ၎င်းတို့နှင့် တရားဝင်ပတ်သက်ခြင်း များသည် နိုင်ငံတကာဥပဒေများနှင့် ဆန့်ကျင်ကြောင်း သိစေရန်။
၆။ (၂၀၂၁) ခုနှစ်၊ စက်တင်ဘာလတွင် ဆောင်ရွက်ခဲ့သော ဆွေးနွေးပွဲများမှ စတင်ကာ GAVI နှင့် UN အဖွဲ့အစည်းများသည် Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine များ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံအတွင်းသို့ တင်သွင်းနိုင်ရေးအတွက် ကာကွယ်ဆေးထုတ်လုပ်သော ကုမ္ပဏီ၏ လိုအပ်ချက်အရ Indemnity and Liability Agreement (ကာကွယ်ဆေးဆိုင်ရာ လျော်ကြေးစာချုပ်) တွင် အကြမ်းဖက် စစ်ကောင်စီက လက်မှတ်ထိုးရန်လိုအပ်ကြောင်း ဆွေးနွေးလာပါသည်။ ထိုကိစ္စ အဆင်မပြေ ပါက Pfizer Vaccine များကို ပေးပို့နိုင်မည်မဟုတ်ကြောင်း အသိပေးလာပါသည်။ အဆိုပါ ကိစ္စနှင့် စပ်လျဉ်း၍ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်၊ ထိန်းချုပ်၊ ကုသရေး အမျိုးသားအဆင့်ကော်မရှင် နှင့် CTF တို့တွင် အသေအချာ ဆွေးနွေးသုံးသပ်ပြီး “ပြည်သူသာအဓိက” ဟူသော မူဝါဒအပေါ် အခြေခံ၍ အထက်ဖော်ပြပါ စာပိုဒ် (၅) ပါ (က) မှ (င) အထိ အချက်များကို လိုက်လျောပေးနိုင် ပါက အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီက လက်မှတ်ထိုးခြင်းကို ကော်မရှင်နှင့် CTF တို့က ကန့်ကွက်မည် မဟုတ်ကြောင်း ပြန်ကြားပေးခဲ့ပါသည်။ တွေ့ဆုံခဲ့သော နိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများမှ ကိုယ်စား လှယ်များ၏ တောင်းဆိုချက်အရ ဖော်ပြပါကိစ္စများကို လျှို့ဝှက်ထားပေးခဲ့ပါသည်။
၇။ သို့သော် GAVI, UNICEF, WHO တို့၏ (၃၀-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့ ပူးတွဲထုတ်ပြန်ချက်ပါ ဘက်မလိုက်၍ ခွဲခြားမှု မရှိသည့် တန်းတူညီမျှ သဘောတရားများကို ဆန့်ကျင်သော ထုတ်ပြန်စာ တစ်စောင်ကို အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာနအမည်ခံ Non-CDM လူတစ်စုက (၅-၁၀-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့ ရက်စွဲဖြင့် ထုတ်ပြန်လာပါသည်။ ၎င်းစာအရ GAVI က ရရှိမည့် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများကို ၎င်းတို့ စီမံခန့်ခွဲမည်ဟု ရေးသားထားပါသည်။ ထိုထုတ်ပြန်စာသည် ကာကွယ်ဆေးများ ထောက်ပံ့မည့် နိုင်ငံတကာအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၏ ဆွေးနွေး၊ သဘောတူညီချက်များကို လေးစားမှု မရှိသည့် အပြင် COVAX Facility မှ COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးများရရှိရေးအတွက် ဆောင်ရွက်ထားရှိမှုများအပေါ် ပြည်သူများ နားလည်မှု လွဲမှားစေရန် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီက ရည်ရွယ်ချက်ရှိရှိ လုပ်ဆောင်ခြင်းသာဖြစ်ကြောင်း ပြည်သူများအား အသိပေးအပ်ပါသည်။
၈။ ပြည်သူများ သိရှိပြီးသည့်အတိုင်း အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီသည် (၂၀၂၁) ခုနှစ်၊ ဖေဖော်ဝါရီလ (၁) ရက်နေ့ မတရားအာဏာသိမ်းသည့်အချိန်မှစ၍ ပြည်သူ့ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှု လုပ်ငန်းများကို နှောင့်ယှက်ဖျက်ဆီးနေသည်မှာ ယနေ့ထက်တိုင် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ (၁-၂-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့မှ (၃၀-၉-၂၀၂၁) ရက်နေ့အထိ မတရားဖမ်းဆီးချုပ်နှောင်ခံရသူ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်း (၂၁၀) ဦး၊ မတရားနှိပ်စက်သတ်ဖြတ်ခံရသူ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်း (၂၉) ဦး၊ ထိခိုက်ဒဏ်ရာ ရရှိသူ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်း (၄၀) ဦး၊ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီတပ်၏ ကျူးကျော်ဝင်ရောက် ခြင်းခံရသော ကျန်းမာရေးအဆောက်အဦး (၉၂) ခု၊ အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီတပ်၏ သိမ်းပိုက် ခြင်းခံရသော ကျန်းမာရေးအဆောက်အဦး (၅၇) ခု၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်မှုလုပ်ငန်းကို အကြမ်းဖက်ခံရသော ဖြစ်စဉ် (၂၉၀) ခုနှင့် လိုရာစွဲပုဒ်မများဖြင့် မတရား ဝရမ်းအထုတ်ခံရ၍ တိမ်းရှောင်နေရသူ ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ထမ်း (၇၀၆) ဦးနှင့်အထက် ရှိပါသည်။
(http://insecurityinsight.org/country-pages/myanmar)
၉။ COVAX Facility, GAVI သည် ကမ္ဘာပေါ်ရှိ နိုင်ငံများအားလုံး ဆင်းရဲချမ်းသာမရွေး COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးကို လက်လှမ်းမှီနိုင်ရန် ကတိကဝတ် ပြုထားပါသည်။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ တိုင်းရင်းသား ပြည်သူများအားလုံး အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ ခြိမ်းခြောက်၊ ရန်ရှာခြင်းများ မရှိဘဲ ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံနိုင်ရန် GAVI သည်လည်း အဓိကတာဝန်ရှိသည့် အဖွဲ့အစည်းတစ်ခု ဖြစ်သည့်အလျောက် အကြမ်းဖက်စစ်ကောင်စီ၏ တောင်းဆိုသမျှ မလိုက်လျောဘဲ ဘက်မလိုက်၍ ခွဲခြားမှု မရှိသည့် တန်းတူညီမျှ သဘောတရားများကို သွေဖီမသွားစေရန် ဆောင်ရွက်ရမည် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ထိုသို့ တန်းတူညီမျှ ကာကွယ်ဆေးထိုးနှံနိုင်ရေး မူဝါဒကို မျှမျှတတ ဖြစ်စေရန် CTF က ညှိနှိုင်းဆွေးနွေးနေသည့်အပြင် GAVI ၏ ဆောင်ရွက်ချက်များကိုလည်း နိုင်ငံတကာ နှင့်အတူ စောင့်ကြည့်လျက်ရှိပါကြောင်း ပြည်သူများအား အသိပေးအပ်ပါသည်။
၁၀။ CTF အနေဖြင့် ပြည်သူများအားလုံး COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ဆေးကို အသက်အန္တရာယ် ခြိမ်းခြောက်ခံရမှု မရှိဘဲ အပြည့်အဝ ထိုးနှံနိုင်ရေးအတွက် “ပြည်သူသာ အဓိက” ဟူသော မူကို ကိုင်စွဲ၍ စွမ်းစွမ်းတမံ ဆက်လက် ဆောင်ရွက်သွားမည်ဖြစ်ပါကြောင်း ပြည်သူများအား အသိပေးအပ်ပါသည်။
- အမျိုးသားကျန်းမာရေးကော်မတီ (https://nhcmyanmar.org/)
- COVID-19 ကာကွယ်ထိန်းချုပ်ကုသရေးအဖွဲ့ (COVID-19 Task Force - CTF)
- ကျန်းမာရေးဝန်ကြီးဌာန၊ အမျိုးသားညီညွတ်ရေးအစိုးရ..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee - Myanmar, COVID-19 Task Force - CTF and Ministry of Health, National Unity Government of Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-10-18
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-19
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"Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA) gave oxygen concentrators to Myanmar which has faced serious challenges in its fight against Covid-19.
The project allowed for the enhancement of Myanmar's capacity to fight the pandemic with the cooperation of ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), Turkey's Sectoral Dialogue Partner. 131 of the 500 Oxygen Concentrators Myanmar needed as a "priority" in its fight against the pandemic were procured by TİKA and handed over to Myanmar's Red Cross.
Along with the Secretary General of ASEAN, the accredited Ambassadors of the member states attended the project's online delivery ceremony. Turkish Ambassador to Naypyidaw Kerem Divanoğlu also attended the ceremony. Secretary General of ASEAN, Myanmarese officials as well as ASEAN member state representatives thanked TİKA for its humanitarian aid to Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
Government of Turkey via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-13
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
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"Highlights
Cases of COVID-19 continue to rise sharply in East Asia and the Pacific. In total, 12.8 million positive cases and 274,923 deaths have been confirmed in the region, with Indonesia (4.2 million cases), Philippines (2.6 million cases), Malaysia (2.3 million cases) and Thailand (1.6 million cases) being the most affected.
A combined approach of supporting vaccine roll-out while continuing to focus on efforts to contain the spread of the virus and respond to the social-economic impacts of the pandemic is needed in order to save lives and alleviate suffering, especially for children.
An estimated 1.7 million children in the region are affected by severe wasting - this is expected to increase an average of 14 per cent from 2020 through 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UNICEF has provided 16.5 million children and adolescents with messages on healthy diets.
UNICEF has also supported 176,327 schools to implement safe school protocols and 32.2 million children with access to formal or non-formal education, including early learning.
Regional Funding Overview
In 2021, UNICEF is appealing for US$117.2 million to meet the humanitarian needs of children, adolescents and women affected by emergencies, including chronic, protracted humanitarian situations as well as UNICEF’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region. So far, a total of US$61.2 million has been received against the 2021 EAP HAC (including US$32.7 million carried-over from 2020 and US$28.5 million received in 2021) from donors, including the Governments of Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States of America, European Commission, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, CERF, Global Partnership for Education, Gavi, Solidarity Fund, United Nations Office for South South Cooperation, several private donors and UNICEF committees in Australia, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Thailand, and the USA. UNICEF is currently in discussion with several public and private donors to raise funding for the US$56 million shortfall for the EAP regional response. UNICEF acknowledges the generous contribution of donors including private sectors supporting this joint effort to respond and mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies in the EAP region. Please refer to Annex B and Annex C for more detailed information on funding per functional area and country.
In addition, UNICEF has also received US$93.1 million for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out in East Asia and Pacific for 2021 in response to the Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) / COVAX appeal. The ACT-A / COVAX HAC appeal which was launched and is managed globally complements the EAP Regional HAC appeal by supporting country readiness for COVID-19 vaccine roll out, together with WHO and Gavi, while supporting the strengthening of health systems. This includes providing commodities needed for safe vaccine administration, such as cold chain equipment, personal protective equipment (PPE), and hand hygiene (soap and hand sanitizer), operational costs for vaccine delivery and associated technical assistance. Crucially, this also includes support for vaccine delivery to humanitarian populations. The seven support areas are in alignment with the categories of National Deployment and Vaccination Plans and include: planning and coordination, prioritization and targeting, service delivery, training, monitoring and evaluation, vaccine cold-chain and logistics, communication and community engagement. Funding and results from the ACT-A / COVAX HAC appeal are reported through a separate global ACT-A situation report.
Regional Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs
The number of confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 in EAP continued to rise sharply over the past three months. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 12.8 million positive cases and 274,923 deaths have been confirmed in the region, with Indonesia (4.2 million cases), Philippines (2.6 million cases), Malaysia (2.3 million cases) and Thailand (1.6 million cases) being the most affected. Countries across the region continue racing to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19; however, the pandemic and related control measures continue to disrupt essential health, nutrition, and social services and to drive steep declines in household incomes. A combined approach of supporting vaccine roll-out while continuing to focus on efforts to contain the spread of the virus and respond to the social-economic impacts of the pandemic is needed in order to save lives and alleviate suffering, especially for children.
The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to increase all forms of malnutrition for young children, but the most imminent concern is its impact on life-threatening wasting, particularly amongst the poorest children, who face an even greater struggle to access nutritious and affordable foods and required nutrition services. An estimated 1.7 million children in EAP are affected by severe wasting - the most life-threatening form of malnutrition. And this is expected to increase an average of 14 per cent from 2020 through 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic has also exposed the weaknesses in systems delivering water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in many contexts. Across the region, 89 million people do not have basic handwashing facilities with soap and water at home. At the beginning of the pandemic, three out of 10 households in East Asia and Pacific region did not have a dedicated place for washing hands with soap and water. More than half of the schools in the region did not have hand-washing facilities with soap and water available to students, and more than six out of 10 health care facilities in EAP lacked functional handwashing facilities with soap and water or hand sanitizer. As a result of the pandemic, millions of people had disrupted access to life-saving water and sanitation services as service providers struggled with staff health and safety concerns and financial difficulties.
Meanwhile, in the face of continuing high cases of COVID-19 spread through the delta variant, many countries in EAP have only partially reopened schools. Schools are partially open in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Mongolia, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam, while schools have remained fully closed in Fiji and the Philippines. Emerging evidence indicates increasing dropouts and learning loss due to the recurring and prolonged school closures combined with distance learning programmes not being on par with face-to-face teaching and learning. Schools in the Philippines (hosting 24.9m children) have remained closed since end of March 2020, making it one of the last countries globally with schools continuously closed for face-to-face learning. Partly thanks to UNICEF Philippines Country Office advocacy, the government is now planning to reopen a small number of schools in low-risk areas as a pilot. UNICEF is providing technical assistance to the government on the pilot school reopening in the hope of wider school reopening following the initial pilot. UNICEF is also supporting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in developing comprehensive guidance for the safe reopening and operation of schools.
As a result of school closures and economic shocks caused by COVID-19, the latest report on child labour (UNICEF/ILO) estimates that globally 9 million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022. In EAP, 50,200 children are involved in child labour, accounting for one in every 16 children in the region, and 42 per cent of them are in hazardous work putting them at risk of physical and mental harm. Indonesia’s Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection has warned that the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has increased the risk of children being pushed into child labour. Meanwhile, a regional survey on climate change and child protection in emergencies was carried out in Southeast Asia as part of a global joint initiative between IFRC and UNICEF. The survey reached 29,133 children and youth aged between 10 and 25 years. The findings suggest that climate change related disasters are a threat multiplier, elevating the potential risk of violence, abuse, exploitation and neglect against children. The findings informed a recently released IFRC policy brief on anticipatory action and child protection.
The pandemic is also exacerbating the vulnerability of families to natural hazards, such as typhoons and floods, and protracted humanitarian situations due to unresolved conflict and political instability. This situation in Myanmar continues to deteriorate as the country falls deeper into a situation of armed conflict and targeted violence, pushing a growing number of children into a situation of humanitarian needs. Further details on the situation in Myanmar and UNICEF’s response can be found in a separate situation report dedicated to the Myanmar 2021 HAC appeal..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-12
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Right to Food - standards, definitions and mechanisms, Human Rights and international relations, Human rights and education, Public Health
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1.25 MB
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Sub-title:
ဘဝဇာတ်ကြောင်းများနှင့် လွှမ်းမိုးထားသည့် လူမှုဖွဲ့စည်းတည်ဆောက်မှုပုံစံများ
Description:
"၂၀၂၀ခုနှစ်ကို ကိုဗစ်-၁၉ ကမ္ဘာ့ကပ်ရောဂါဖြစ်ပွားခဲ့သည့်ခုနှစ်အဖြစ် အမြဲတစေအမှတ်ရနေတော့မည်ဖြစ်သည်။ ထိုကမ္ဘာ့ကပ်ရောဂါကြောင့် ကြီးမားသည့် နောက်ဆက်တွဲအကျိုးသက်ရောက်မှုများစွာ ဖြစ်ပွားခဲ့ပါသည်။ ထိုအထဲမှ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ၏ နယ်စပ်ဖြတ်ကျော် ရွှေ့ပြောင်းလုပ်သားများအနေဖြင့် ကိုဗစ်-၁၉ကြောင့် အလွန်ထိခိုက်ခံစားခဲ့သူများတွင် ယခုအချိန်ထိ ပါဝင်နေဆဲဖြစ်သည်။ ကမ္ဘာ့ကပ်ရောဂါကြောင့် ၎င်းတို့ဘဝများနှင့် သက်ဆိုင်သော စီးပွားရေးဆိုင်ရာ ထုတ်လုပ်မှုဝန်းကျင် နယ်ပယ် (ဥပမာ အလုပ်အကိုင်များ၊ အလုပ်သမားဈေးကွက် စသည်) နှင့် နေ့တစ်ဓူရှင်သန်မှုဝန်းကျင် နယ်ပယ် (ဥပမာ နေ့စဉ်စားဝတ်နေရေး ဖူလုံရေး၊ ကလေးသူငယ်စောင့်ရှောက်ရေး၊ ကျန်းမာရေးစောင့်ရှောက်ရေး၊ ပင်စင် စသည်) တို့တွင် အပြောင်းအလဲများ ဖြစ်စေခဲ့ပါသည်။ ယခုအစီရင်ခံစာသည် အလုပ်သမားများ၏ လူမှုစီးပွားရေးဆိုင်ရာအကျိုးသက်ရောက်မှုများ အထူးသဖြင့် ၎င်းတို့၏ နေသာထိုင်သာရှိမှုအခြေအနေ အပေါ်လေ့လာထားပါသည်။ ယခုအစီရင်ခံစာတွင် ရွှေ့ပြောင်းအလုပ်သမားများသည် မည်သူများဖြစ်သည်၊ အဘယ်ကြောင့် ရွှေ့ပြောင်းအလုပ်လုပ်ရသည်၊ ၎င်းတို့၏ အခြေအနေများအပေါ် မည်ကဲ့သို့ရှုမြင်ကြသည်အပေါ် သုံးသပ် ဆွေးနွေးထားပါသည်။ ၎င်းတို့တစ်ဦးချင်းစီ၏ ဘဝဇာတ်ကြောင်းများကိုလည်း မီးမှောင်းထိုးပြထားပါသည်။ ထိုကဲ့သို့ တစ်ဦးချင်းစီ၏ ဇာတ်ကြောင်းများကို အထူးတင်ပြခြင်းဖြင့် အစားအစာ၊ ခိုလှုံရာနေရာ၊ အဝတ်အစား၊ ကျန်းမာရေး၊ ပညာရေး စသည့် အခြေခံလိုအပ်ချက်များကို ၎င်းတို့မှ လက်လှမ်းမှီနိုင်မှုအပေါ် အကျိုးသက်ရောက်မှုရှိသည့် နောက်ခံ အကြောင်းရင်းများ နှင့် ထိုမှတဆင့် မည်သည့်အခြေအနေများကြောင့် လက်ရှိအလုပ်အကိုင်နေရာနှင့် အလုပ်အကိုင်အမျိုးအစား ကို ရွေးချယ်ခဲ့သည်ကို သိမြင်လာနိုင်သည်။
လူတစ်ဦးချင်းစီ၏ ဇာတ်ကြောင်းများကို ပို၍ကျယ်ပြန့်သည့်အခြေအနေနှင့် ချိတ်ဆက်နားလည်နိုင်ရန် အခြားအစီရင်ခံစာများ၊ သုတေသနများ၊ ပုံနှိပ်ထုတ်ဝေထားသည့် စာတမ်းများ အသုံးပြုထားပြီး ထို့အပြင် နယ်စပ်ဖြတ်ကျော်ရွှေ့ပြောင်းအလုပ်သမားပေါင်း ၁၃၆ ဦး၏ ဖြေဆိုခဲ့သည့် အကြောင်းအရာများကို စုပေါင်းကာ ထပ်ခါတလဲ မြင်တွေ့ရသည့် အခြေအနေများ၊ ပုံသဏ္ဍန်များကို ဖော်ထုတ်ထားပါသည်။ ကျွန်ုပ်တို့အနေဖြင့် ရွှေ့ပြောင်းလုပ်သားများကို အလွန်အရေးပါသည့် အချိန်ကာလတွင် တွေ့ဆုံခွင့်ရခဲ့သည်ဟု ဆိုနိုင်သည်။ ယခုလက်ရှိကာလသည် အတိတ်ကာလမှ အမွေဆက်ခံခဲ့ရသော လူမှုဖွဲ့စည်းတည်ဆောက်မှုပုံစံများ (social structures)အောက်တွင် ပုံဖော်ခံထားရကာ အလွန်အန္တရာယ်များသည့် ကမ္ဘာ့ကပ်ရောဂါကြောင့် လက်ရှိကာလတွင် ထပ်မံပြဋ္ဌာန်းခံနေရပြန်သည်။ ထို့အပြင် ယခုကာလကို ၎င်းတို့နှင့် ၎င်းတို့၏ မိသားစုများ၊ ရပ်ရွာလူမှုအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအတွက် ပိုကောင်းလာမည့် အနာဂတ်ဖန်တီးရန် ၎င်းတို့၏မျှော်မှန်းချက်များ အပေါ်အခြေခံပြီး သဘောပေါက် နားလည်နိုင်သည်။
စာဖတ်သူများအား ရွှေ့ပြောင်းအလုပ်သမားများ၏ ဘဝဇာတ်လမ်းများကို ဖတ်ရှုပေးရန်နှင့် ထိုဇာတ်လမ်းများကို ရပ်ရွာလူမှုအသိုက်အဝန်းတွင်းပြောဆိုဖလှယ်မှုများ တွင် ထည့်သွင်းဆွေးနွေးနိုင်ရန် တိုက်တွန်းလိုပါသည်။ လက်ရှိကြုံတွေ့နေရသော အကျပ်အတည်းကို ဖြေရှင်းနိုင်ရန်အလိုငှာ အစီရင်ခံစာမှတဆင့် သိမြင်နားလည်မှု ဖြစ်စဉ် တစ်ခုအား ရွှေ့ပြောင်းအလုပ်သမားများ နှင့်အတူ တည်ဆောက်နိုင်ဖို့ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ထိုမှတဆင့် ပြည်သူအရေးဆောင်ရွက်ရာတွင်လည်းကောင်း၊ မူဝါဒများချမှတ်ရာတွင်လည်းကောင်း အထောက်အကူပြုနိုင်၍ လူမှုတရားမျှတမှုရှိသော ကပ်ရောဂါ အလွန်ကာလအသစ် တစ်ခုတည်ဆောက်နိုင်ရန်မျှော်မှန်းပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher:
Transnational Institute ( Amsterdam)
Date of publication:
2021-09-24
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
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11.56 MB (Original version), 2.69 MB (Reduce version) - 78 pages
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"KEY DISPLACEMENT FIGURES
22,000 Estimated refugee movements to neighbouring countries since 1 February 2021
980,000 Refugees and asylum-seekers from Myanmar in neighbouring countries as of 31 December 2020
215,000 Estimated total internal displacement within Myanmar since 1 February 2021
370,000 Estimated internally displaced persons (IDPs) within Myanmar as of 31 December 2020
HIGHLIGHTS
There are currently an estimated 215,000 internally displaced within Myanmar due to conflict and unrest since 1 February 2021. In the second half of September, violence and displacement increased in various parts of Myanmar, particularly the Northwest (Chin State, Sagaing and Magway regions). Nearly 41,096 people are currently displaced in the Region (not including Paletwa Township) as a result of heightened clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Chinland Defence Forces (CDF) or People's Defence Forces (PDF). Acts of vandalism and destruction of private property and religious sites, arbitrary arrests, physical assaults, injuries, and deaths are reported. Harvesting and other livelihood activities have been seriously disrupted, leaving IDPs with an urgent need for food, healthcare, and other basic services.
Internal displacement also increased in Shan State (North), due to intense armed clashes between Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) in Mongkaing Township; in Kayah State, due to the intensification of conflict, arbitrary arrests, and general insecurity in Demoso and Loikaw townships; and in Mon State where people were displaced in Kyaikhto Township from mid-September, due to clashes between the Tatmadaw and the Border Guard Forces (BGF) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Across South-East Myanmar, access to basic services, especially healthcare, remains constrained. The situation remains compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, with new positive cases among IDPs, including some 90 IDPs at two displacement sites in Kayah State. With positivity rates still increasing in some IDP sites, IDPs continue to have urgent needs for personal protective equipment (PPE), and COVID-19-related restrictions continue to restrict their access to livelihoods and humanitarian assistance. Despite the easing of such restrictions in some parts of the country, more than 110 townships remain under stay-at-home orders.
In Kachin State, armed clashes between the MAF and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) erupted in Tar Lon village, Tanai Township, with civilians caught in the crossfire, while in Shan State (North), fighting in Mongkaing Township forced hundreds of people to seek refuge in village monasteries. IDPs reported difficulties accessing food, healthcare, education, shelter, and WASH assistance.
In Rakhine State, a relatively small number of IDPs continue to return to their places of origin to access livelihoods and food that had been in shortage at displacement sites, but the majority of IDPs remain reluctant to return, fearing a resumption of conflict and landmines. IDPs across Rakhine State, as well as non-displaced Rohingya communities, continue to report restrictions in accessing basic services, livelihoods, and humanitarian assistance, a situation exacerbated by rising commodity prices and COVID-19 prevention measures.
RESPONSE
Myanmar
Following needs assessments, UNHCR delivered life-saving assistance to IDPs across SouthEast Myanmar. In Kayah State, over a thousand people will benefit from pipeline and water catchment systems installed in IDP sites in Demoso and Loikaw townships; the construction of one bathing unit in Loi Nan Hpa region and two at a displacement site in Loikaw township; and solar lights installed in Demoso township. Essential COVID-19 PPE items and medical equipment were also delivered to 25 hospitals and clinics in Bago (East) Region, and Tanintharyi Region, where UNHCR and the Myanmar Red Cross Society concluded a second rapid protection assessment in Palaw Township; and in Kayin State, where UNHCR conducted a rapid protection assessment in Hpapun Township.
In Kachin and Shan States, UNHCR has started distributing NFIs via local partner to IDPs recently displaced, including over 100 people in Lawa, Hpakant township, and some 660 inMongkoe Muse township, a border area near China. UNHCR conducted rapid needs assessments at 13 sites in Waingmaw township, while in Bhamo UNHCR engaged local partners to assess areas of return, as IDPs there continue to indicate return intentions and needs.
In Rakhine State, UNHCR field missions in central Rakhine continue, with some new access to IDP sites that were previously inaccessible. Between 19 September and 1 October UNHCR and its partners have distributed much needed NFI kits for 1,160 households in Rohingya camps in Sittwe Township. Additionally, shelter construction is ongoing and almost completed for more households in Sin Tet Maw camp in Pauktaw Township, and for Thet Ka Pyin in Sittwe Township. In northern Rakhine, UNHCR completed COVID-19 related NFI distributions for IDP sites in Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-10-07
Date of entry/update:
2021-10-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
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Size:
7.46 MB
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Description:
"This regular update, covering humanitarian developments from 28 July to 23 August, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group, UNHCR and WHO. The next update will be issued towards the end of September 2021.
HIGHLIGHTS
• At least 125,000 people have been affected by monsoon floods since 21 July across various regions and states, according to local partners.
• Thousands of people have been displaced following armed clashes between the “People’s Defense Forces” (“PDF”) and Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) in Sagaing Region, according to local partners.
• In Chin State, clashes between the MAF and “PDF” continue in and around Mindat Township.
As of 17 August, close to 16,700 people remain displaced in several townships in the area.
• In the south-eastern parts of the country, an estimated 141,200 people remain displaced, mostly in Kayah and Kayin states, due to clashes and insecurity since 1 February.
• Food insecurity is becoming an evolving concern, with reports of food shortage in displacement sites and communities in northern Shan and Rakhine states.
• In Shan State, population movement remains fluid, with new displacements and returns reported on a regular basis. More than 26,300 people have been displaced across the state since the beginning of 2021; about 6,400 of them remain displaced to date.
• Regular humanitarian programmes and COVID-19 related response continue across various parts of the country, despite access challenges and insecurity.
• As of 27 August, 45 per cent of the US$276.5 million requested under the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and over 10 per cent of the US$109 million requested under the Interim Emergency Response Plan have been funded, according to the FTS.
SITUATION OVERVIEW
OVER 125,000 PEOPLE AFFECTED BY MONSOON FLOODS: Monsoon floods have been reported across the country since 21 July in a number of states and regions as torrential rains resulted in river overflows. As of midAugust, an estimated 125,000 people have been affected by flooding, mainly in Kachin, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and eastern areas of Shan states as well as in Mandalay and Tanintharyi regions, according to local partners. There have also been reports of civilian deaths and injury, as well as damage and destruction to houses and other civilian property.
In Kachin State, flash floods and a landslide on 12 August reportedly destroyed at least 15 shelters in Maga Yang camp in Waingmaw Township, which hosts about 1,600 internally displaced people (IDP); one civilian was reportedly killed during the floods. Similarly, several townships in eastern areas of Shan State experienced flash floods and landslides between 11 and 18 August. A local community, three temporary displacement sites and a relocation site in Muse Township, which hosts around 350 displaced families have been affected. Similar incidents took place in Mogoke Township of Mandalay Region in the second week of August, with floods and landslides reportedly killing four persons, including a child, and washing away a number of houses. In Rakhine State, at least 10 villages in Toungup Township have been flooded due to heavy rains on 6 August, affecting some 1,300 houses, a hospital and paddy fields, according to local partners.
Heavy rains and floods have further aggravated an already extremely challenging situation in the south-eastern parts of the country. In Kayin State, at least five townships have been affected.
Another nine townships were affected by floods in Mon State, while in Tanintharyi Region, at least three townships have been affected.
Local humanitarian actors, volunteers and communities responded to the needs of affected families, including with organizing temporary shelter for those who had to be evacuated to safer areas. The floods have also damaged crops, and according to initial assessments, at least 2,000 acres of paddy fields in Kyainseikgyi Township in Kayin State have been impacted, with farmers facing difficulties with seeds and expenses to cover replanting of the paddy.
An additional 40,000 cultivated land has been affected across different states and regions, according to partners.
NEW DISPLACEMENT IN SAGAING REGION: An unconfirmed number of people, reported to be in thousands, have been displaced across at least six townships in Sagaing Region due to clashes between the MAF and the “PDF” and insecurity in recent weeks, according to various sources. The exact number of people displaced, and their current host locations is still difficult to verify due to access challenges, fluidity and the complex nature of the situation. According to initial information, many IDPs are hiding in nearby forests. There had been limited presence of humanitarian personnel in Sagaing Region prior to this worsening situation in the area. Humanitarian partners are making efforts to scale up coordination to assess needs and provide the necessary support to the newly displaced.
VOLATILE SITUATION IN THE SOUTH-EAST: The security situation in south-eastern Myanmar remains volatile, particularly across Kayah and Kayin as well as southern areas of neighbouring Shan State. Sporadic clashes between the MAF and the “Karenni Nationalities Defense Force” (“KNDF”), “PDFs” and “Karen National Liberation Army” (“KNLA”) continue to be reported. In Kayah State, hostilities between the MAF and the “KNDF” have increased up since 3 August in Bawlake, Demoso, Hpasawng, Hpruso and Loikaw townships. In the southern areas of Shan State, clashes between the alliance of “KNDF” with local “PDFs” and the combined forces of the MAF with the “Pa-O National Army” have also been reported in Pekon and Pinlaung townships. In Kayin State, armed clashes, including artillery fire, have been reported between the “KNLA” and the alliance of the MAF with the Border Guard Force (BGF) in Hpapun Township since 1 August. Sporadic small-scale clashes between the MAF and the “KNLA” and “PDFs” have also been reported in Mon State, eastern Bago and Tanintharyi regions.
As of 23 August, UNHCR estimates that 141,200 people remained internally displaced across south-eastern Myanmar as a result of armed clashes and insecurity; this includes 75,300 in Kayah, 17,700 in southern Shan State (South- Pekon and Hsihseng townships), 47,100 in Kayin and 1,100 in Mon states. Population movement in affected areas remains fluid; initial reports indicated at least 4,000 people were newly displaced in Kayah State during the reporting period. Despite intermittent fighting, returns have been observed in Kayah State and Shan State (South) in recent weeks as IDPs did not have access to healthcare in the displacement areas and some of them needed to tend to farming in their areas of origin. Many IDPs were previously sheltered by host families and living in difficult, crowded and make-shift conditions with limited resources. Renewed or recurrent displacements from areas of return can be expected should the security situation deteriorate.
The majority of displaced populations and those otherwise affected by hostilities remain in need food, health care, shelter, WASH and protection services, despite the efforts of operational partners and local communities. UNHCR and partners, for example, have been able to distribute non-food items to around 10,000 individuals in Kayin State and Bago Region since 1 February. Mounting a comprehensive response, however, has been a challenge since the escalation of clashes due to access restrictions, caused by active conflicts, poor road conditions (including as a result of monsoon floods), COVID-19-related travel restrictions and bureaucratic impediments.
CONTINUED VIOLENCE IN AND AROUND MINDAT: The security situation in Chin State remains volatile with renewed and intense fighting reported between the MAF and “PDF” in Falam, Hakha, Matupi, Mindat and Thantlang townships. In Mindat Township, indiscriminate artillery shelling has been reported, which forced an unconfirmed number of people from Shet and Muitui villages as well as surrounding areas to flee to safer locations. The exact locations of people newly displaced and their humanitarian needs could not be identified due to access and communications challenges. As of 17 August, close to 16,700 people remained displaced in several townships in and around Chin State. Despite the volatile security situation, there have also been reports of small-scale returns among the displaced population, with some 2,170 people having returned to Thantlang during the reporting period.
Humanitarian assistance to people who remain displaced and those otherwise affected remains hindered. Food and non-food assistance have been distributed to the IDPs in urban Mindat in recent weeks; however, significant needs still remain, especially in the rural areas of Mindat and other townships in Chin State. This displacement is in addition to some 9,850 people who remain displaced across 27 sites in Paletwa Township in Chin State due to the earlier conflict between the MAF and the “Arakan Army” (“AA”).
FOOD SHORTAGE IN SHAN AND RAKHINE: Food insecurity is becoming an evolving humanitarian concern, with reports of food shortage in displacement sites and communities in northern Shan and Rakhine states. In Kutkai Township in northern Shan, urgent food needs have been reported in five relocation/resettlement sites in Mine Yu Lay Village, which hosts more than 1,000 IDPs since 2013. Similar food needs have been reported in other relocation sites across northern Shan, including Hseni and Kutkai and among local communities in Manton townships, since early August.
In Rakhine State, 900 IDPs in Kan Htaung Gyi displacement site in Myebon Township have been facing food shortage since June. Humanitarian partners reported being unable to deliver food assistance to the site due to access challenges and difficulties withdrawing cash. Food distributions in other displacement sites have also been delayed since July. Shortage of food has also been reported among some 200 IDPs in Bodawmaw Monastery displacement site in Sittwe Township, as well as at the Nyaung Chaung displacement site in Kyauktaw Township.
Despite these challenges, 1.2 million vulnerable people across various parts of Myanmar received food, cash and nutrition assistance since the beginning of 2021.
FLUID POPULATION MOVEMENT IN SHAN STATE: An estimated 4,000 people have reportedly been newly displaced in four townships in the southern and northern areas of Shan State during the reporting period due to armed clashes between the MAF and Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) and among EAOs. In Kyaukme Township in northern areas of Shan State, close to 2,000 people from eight village tracts had fled from their home due to clashes between the “Restoration Council of Shan State” and the alliance of the “Shan State Progress Party” with the “Ta’ang National Liberation Army”; a further 170 people in Man Yang Village Tract in Muse Township were displaced due to clashes between the MAF and the “Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army”. There have also been displacements in Kyethi and Mongkaing townships in southern areas of Shan State.
Meanwhile, IDP returns in areas where the security situation improved continue to be reported. For example, in Kyethi Township, close to 4,200 IDPs were able to return to their villages of origin during the reporting period. There were small-scale returns in other townships during the reporting period. Since the beginning of 2021, about 20,000 people have managed to return out of more than 26,300 persons who have been internally displaced across 15 townships in Shan State..."
Source/publisher:
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-08-27
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
783.64 KB
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Description:
"1. Foreword
2020 was the deadliest year on record for refugee journeys in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. Governments and leaders across Asia Pacific have been confronted with the question of whether we have collectively learned from history. Even more critically, we must ask ourselves whether we can sit by and repeat past tragic mistakes.
These past twelve months call to mind the events of 2015, another harrowing, landmark year for refugees and migrants at sea. The world was shocked by not one but two major, almost simultaneous humanitarian emergencies: the Andaman Sea crisis followed swiftly by the desperate journeys of more than a million men, women and children by sea to Europe.
Here in the Asia Pacific, the abandonment at sea of some 5,000 men, women and children by people- smugglers, with no government willing to bring them ashore, was a moment of reckoning. We watched in horror as human beings who had fled discrimination and persecution were left adrift, starving and sick, for months. Hundreds died. Not long afterwards, on the other side of the globe, the body of the young Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi, washed ashore in Turkey. The collective tide of emotion was not only one of grief, but shame that such tragedies could happen.
In South East Asia, governments resolved to prevent collective inaction and its fatal consequences. Through the 2016 Bali Declaration, States acknowledged the need for a reliable and concerted response to this genuinely regional challenge. In establishing the ASEAN Trust Fund, member states also committed in 2015 to provide financial support to emergency and humanitarian relief efforts during similar movements of people, so that such vessels are never denied entry for fear of carrying the responsibility for reception and solutions alone.
Today, some six years later, these mechanisms have failed to live up to their promise. We see once again increasing movements of Rohingya refugees in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. We know their voyages are becoming more deadly. The longer a ship remains at sea, the more refugees are exposed to life-threatening risks. Increasingly, a majority of those aboard are women and children.
International Laws and conventions stipulate clear obligations for States to provide a safe harbour for those in distress at sea. But these legal frameworks derive from a much older and more instinctive truth – that rescue at sea is a fundamentally humanitarian act.
We have seen this humanity reflected in myriad acts of ordinary citizens around the world and in Asia. Acehnese fisherman who, with no fanfare or agenda, quietly rescued some 470 Rohingya refugees and brought them ashore between June 2020 and June 2021. Host communities in Bangladesh who, despite limited resources, have taken in more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees and provided them with sanctuary.
This report sets out the developing trends in movements of refugees in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, and the clear need for more comprehensive solutions. Equally critically, however, it gives voice to the thousands of refugees who have risked their lives in desperation – to reunite with family, to access education, to support themselves through gainful employment.
Among them, a young Rohingya father who was reunited with his wife and daughter after their seven- month ordeal at sea. “It was the happiest day of my life,” he told UNHCR staff upon seeing his family for the first time in over six years. “We are faceless, homeless and left adrift; we need a solution. I want to say to the whole world, please find a solution for us.”
Finally, this report makes clear and actionable recommendations on how to avoid further tragedies. These include bolstering search and rescue efforts at sea, stopping the deadly practice of pushbacks, and working towards a regional mechanism for predictable and equitable disembarkation.
For as long as States bordering the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal are reluctant to rescue and land those in distress at sea, that collective failure to act will have tragic and fatal consequences. We can and must do better.
Indrika Ratwatte Director of the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees..."
Source/publisher:
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-08-19
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNHCR (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), Human Rights and international relations, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Human rights and education, Public Health, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
(10.93 MB - Original version), (5.07 MB - Reduce version)
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Description:
"The National Health Committee was formed by the following representatives of the
Ministry of Health of the National Unity Government (NUG) of Myanmar and Ethnic
Health Organizations (EHOs) on 5 August 2021, following the National Health
Conference, which was convened by the NUG and EHOs on 2 – 5 August 2021.
1
Dr. Cynthia Maung
Consultant
2
Dr. Myint Cho
Consultant
3
Dr. Salai Par Cin
Consultant
4
Dr. Thein Win
Consultant
5
Dr. Naing Shwe Thein
Consultant
6
Dr. San Aung
Consultant
7
Dr. Nyunt Naing Thein
Consultant
8
Dr. Aung Kay Tu
Consultant
9
Dr Khin Saw Win
Consultant
10
Sai Hlian
Consultant
1
Padoh Mahn Mahn
Chair
2
Dr. Zaw Wai Soe
Vice-Chair (1)
3
Khu Plureh
Vice-Chair (2)
4
Dr. Oakar
Secretary
5
Saw Nay Htoo
Joint Secretary (1)
6
Nan Snow
Joint Secretary (2)
7
Dr. Khin Maung Lwin
Member
8
Khun Myint Tun
Member
9
Lway Katae Nyime
Member
10
Saw Thar Win
Member
11
Dr. Shwe Pone
Member
12
Naing Aye Lwin
Member
13
Naing Banyar
Member
14
Jessica
Member
15
Salai Biak Pum
Member
16
Khoon Phillip
Member
17
Moe Tae
Member
18
Rakhine Representative
Member
19
SHC Representative
Member
20
KPICT Representative
Member
21
Community Based Health Workers (3 Representatives)
Member
Notes: The Composition will be expanded as required.
2. The objectives of the National Health Committee (NHC) are:
(a) To formulate a national health policy of the future federal union;
(b) To collaborate implementation health programmes and projects of ethnic areas/states of the Union;
(c) To cooperate with the international organizations; and
(d) To prepare for possible dire situations caused by various crises, including infectious diseases and natural disasters, and respond promptly and effectively
3. Ways forward -
(a) To carry out the Health System Development based on the Federal Health Policy
(b) To Strengthen the Health Information System
(c) To build a well-coordinated communication mechanism with the International Partners
(d) To accelerate the medical trainings and develop the necessary curriculums
(e) To endorse effective strategies for control and mitigation of the COVID-19 Pandemic
National Health Committee is committed to work collaboratively with all stakeholders to implement Federal Health Policy to achieve the ultimate goal of Universal Health Coverage.
For Further Information, please contact
1. Dr. Cynthia Maung - (+66) 899615054
2. Padoh Mahn Mahn - (+66) 879438750
3. Dr. Oakar - (+95) 9456696679 (Viber, Signal)..."
Source/publisher:
National Health Committee
Date of publication:
2021-08-16
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
100.29 KB 161.62 KB
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Description:
"PRESS STATEMENT
U.S. AMBASSADOR THOMAS L. VAJDA
AUGUST 13, 2021
On behalf of the U.S. Embassy, I extend sincerest condolences for the lives of the Myanmar people who have been lost to the pandemic. The current surge of COVID-19 infections has taken a cruel toll on families and communities who have already suffered so much, including our own Embassy colleagues. The people of Myanmar, and those who seek to help meet their urgent health needs, must be able to live and work in safety.
The United States remains steadfastly committed to the people of Myanmar as they strive for a return to the path of democracy and now confront a worsening pandemic. Since the outbreak began in 2020, we have provided more than $20 million in COVID-19-related assistance to Myanmar, which has enabled millions of people to protect themselves from infection and seek the help they need. We have already supported more than 650 non-governmental primary health facilities, including health organizations operated by ethnic minority groups, serving people affected by COVID-19. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced this week more than $50 million in critical humanitarian assistance to the people of Burma, including for those forced to flee violence and persecution in the wake of the military coup. This aid will enable our international and NGO partners to provide emergency food assistance, life-saving protection, shelter, and essential health care to the people of Burma. However more can and must be done.
The United States continues to provide significant funding to international partners, including the Global Fund and Gavi, to support the people of Myanmar in overcoming this public health crisis. We are united in our efforts to expand access in Myanmar to COVID-19 testing, clinical care including oxygen, food assistance, and vaccines in a manner that directly supports the people of Myanmar and in accordance with humanitarian principles.
As President Biden said on June 10, “We value the inherent dignity of all people. In times of trouble, Americans reach out to offer help and to offer a helping hand. That’s who we are.”..."
Source/publisher:
U.S. Embassy in Burma
Date of publication:
2021-08-13
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, USA-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"On February 1, 2021, the Myanmar armed forces (known as the Tatmadaw) seized control of the country, following a general election that the National League for Democracy party won by a landslide. The military have since declared a state of emergency to last for at least a year, and numerous countries have condemned the takeover and subsequent violent crackdown on protestors.
Over the past six months, between February and July 2021, hundreds of people, including children, have been killed and many injured during the protests.
The military-run State Administrative Council (SAC) has targeted doctors and other health workers for taking a leading role in the nationwide Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Doctors and nurses have been served with warrants and arrests, health workers have been injured while providing care to protestors, ambulances have been destroyed, and health facilities have been raided.
It has been reported that World Health Organization (WHO), NGO, and INGO staff are being threatened and forced to return to work by the military council. Most of them were either working from home or had stopped working due to the current security situation. There are reports that the SAC is trying to replace NGO workers believed to be close to the CDM with government appointees.
This document is the result of collaboration between Insecurity Insight, Physicians for Human Rights, and the Johns Hopkins Center for Public Health and Human Rights as part of the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition (SHCC).
It highlights reported incidents of violence against or obstruction of health workers, facilities, and transport in Myanmar between February 1 and July 31, 2021, to highlight the impact on the health system as a whole. It does not include information on violence against patients.
The incidents referred to are based on the dataset 01 February - 31 July 2021 Violence Against Health Care in Myanmar Data, which is available on the Humanitarian Data Exchange (HDX)..."
Source/publisher:
Insecurity Insight via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-08-09
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
560.45 KB
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Description:
"In the sixth month since its forcible and unconstitutional power grab, the junta’s oppressive acts to secure political, territorial, or economic control have escalated conflict and the deadliness of a third wave of COVID-19. COVID-19 ripped ferociously through Burma, where a weakened health system and junta restrictions on treatment measures contributed to untold deaths. As the junta brought testing closer to pre-coup levels, it saw COVID-19 positivity rates up to 40%.
During July alone, security forces killed at least 56 civilians. There were 348 violent attacks that either targeted or failed to protect civilians during 1–23 Jul, and a total 3,446 incidents 1 Feb–23 Jul..."
Source/publisher:
Altsean Burma, Burma Human Rights Network, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, Initiatives for International Dialogue, International Federation for Human Rights, Progressive Voice, US Campaign for Burma, and Women Peace Network
Date of publication:
2021-08-02
Date of entry/update:
2021-08-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma, Human Rights and international relations, National Unity Government (NUG), Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH), Flooding in Burma/Myanmar, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
682.21 KB
Local URL:
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Description:
"Dear friends,
As some of you may know, both Thailand and Myanmar are currently experiencing severe epidemics of COVID-19. Tak Province of Thailand, where Mae Tao Clinic is located, is currently seeing relatively high numbers of cases daily. As a precaution, starting on July 15th, most clinical services at the clinic were suspended indefinitely in order to protect the health and safety of our staff members, their families, and all the communities we serve.
We have received inquiries from our friends, supporters, media and the community as to the current situation, including the status of our services and the safety of MTC staff, partner organizations, their family members and the community. Thank you for your concerns. We have also received countless supports from the community, partner organizations and overseas. We cannot thank you enough for the heartwarming support.
Despite the challenges, we are putting our utmost effort to mitigate the evolving situation and implement strict guidelines in areas in need to prevent further transmissions.
We would like to share with you the latest update on the current situation, our responses, challenges and our essential needs to continue carrying out public health activities.
In the document, there are key contact persons in three different categories: general inquiries and donations; media inquiries; and clinical inquiries. Please contact us should you need further information.
We will make sure that you will be kept informed on the most up-to-date information as it becomes available..."
Source/publisher:
Mae Tao Clinic
Date of publication:
2021-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
223.35 KB 176.34 KB
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Description:
"• The recently launched addendum to the 2021 Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan: Interim Emergency Response Plan for new areas estimates that an additional 2 million people need humanitarian assistance since February 2021.
• Rainfalls across the country recorded since 25 July resulted in flooding and overflow of rivers, affecting several townships in Rakhine State and certain areas of south-eastern parts of the country • Amidst the COVID-19 third wave (with test positivity over 35 per cent and mortality at ~2 per cent) and operational challenges, UNICEF is working with partners and directly with private contractors to procure and deliver additional oxygen concentrators to central medical store depots for further distribution to hospitals as needed; as well as providing personal protective equipment and risk communication and community engagement messages.
• 500 portable hand-washing stations to reach 25,000 people have been distributed and installed in communal places, temporary learning spaces (TLS) and schools through the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) response.
• A total of 4,889 individuals, including 3,981 children (1,812 girls and 2,169 boys), have benefited from psychosocial support; this includes targeted responses to Hotline distress calls and individual psychotherapy sessions..."
Source/publisher:
UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) via Reliefweb (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund), Public Health, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
325.8 KB
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Description:
"The MIMU 3W gathers inputs from participating humanitarian and development agencies on Who is doing What,
Where, across Myanmar. It is normally conducted every 6 months and provides information on agencies’ activities at various levels (village/village tract/township and IDP camps). Given the changing situation, there has been a 9 month gap since the last 3W round documenting agencies activities as of August 28th 2020.
In total, 159 agencies participated in the May 2021 3W, providing information on their humanitarian, development and peace-focused activities across 22 sectors and 157 sub-sectors as defined by technical/sector working groups. 3W reporting tends to be more comprehensive for projects of INGOs, UN and Red Cross agencies, but there is underreporting of activities for local NGOs and CBOs, since not all are participating. 54 less agencies reported in this May 2021 round than in the last MIMU 3W in August 2020, possibly due to the pressures of the COVID pandemic and/or uncertainty re the situation for agencies’ activities countrywide. Note that agencies must report to a sufficiently detailed level (village or camp level) for their work to be reflected fully in the MIMU 3W products.
This Overview covers projects under implementation reported to the MIMU 3W as of May 31, 2021 in Bago (East),
Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Shan (East), Shan (South) and Tanintharyi. Further information on planned and recently completed projects is available from the 3W dataset, which can be requested by 3W Partners. Projects under implementation can also be viewed on our interactive dashboards - 3W Township Dashboard and 3W Village Tract Dashboard..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Information Management Unit via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of publication:
2021-07-29
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Agriculture in Burma/Myanmar: general and research, Education in Burma/Myanmar - general, Food Security and nutrition in Burma/Myanmar, Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.51 MB
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Description:
"In addition to a vengeful campaign of human rights violations committed by state-backed forces, the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to increase the death toll in Myanmar. Health care workers working to control the spread of the pandemic and treat patients are being locked up by the junta. Myanmar needs health care workers now more than ever. Their expertise is critical to providing life-saving solutions. Yet, the military is choosing to preserve their self-interests instead of helping the country’s heroic health professionals
Since the military junta seized power in a coup on February 1, disorder and chaos set the tone for their illegitimate rule. The junta’s disregard for life amounts to crimes against humanity. In their pursuit for power, security forces have ruthlessly killed and tortured over 900 innocent civilians since the military coup. They have arrested and detained senior health officials and created a climate of fear for press freedom and civil rights. The growing threat of the pandemic and its impacts on civilians is being described as the ‘perfect storm’ by the United Nations.1 There are currently over 200,000 cases of COVID-19 in Myanmar, and the numbers continue to rise daily. Aside from the ever-present tyranny of the state, citizens do not have access to life saving supplies, including oxygen and personal protective equipment.
The demand for health supplies has also driven the market price up, posing yet another threat to Myanmar’s overwhelmed health care infrastructure. Civilians across the country are lining up in front of pharmacies waiting to purchase painkillers, cough medicine and multivitamin pills, all of which are in short supply and have nearly doubled in price. Face masks are in low supply with prices ‘beyond the reach of everyday people.’2 Funeral services are overwhelmed as hundreds of bodies are being registered daily at cemeteries and crematoriums. The majority are dying from a lack of oxygen.3 The National Unity Government expressed concern at the junta’s approach in handling the increase in cases in a statement which stated, “Myanmar people who are now going through the third wave of the pandemic, are seeing their health entitlements being denied by the regime.”4
In this short briefing paper, the Network for Human Rights Documentation (ND-Burma) will draw upon the four humanitarian principles which refer to healthcare as a human right. In this context, the failings of the military junta will be highlighted. In their lack of response to the pandemic, they are willingly leaving behind the most vulnerable in society. While the military council is not a humanitarian agency, they’re still equipped with the tools and resources to respond with concerned urgency. Health is a human right. But in Myanmar, the junta is stripping this right to access healthcare, treatment, and resources...."
Source/publisher:
Network for Human Rights Documentation - Burma
Date of publication:
2021-07-28
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, Right to Health: reports of violations in Burma, Right to Life: reports of violations in Burma, Humanitarian assistance - emergencies
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
266.46 KB
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Description:
"This report covers the period January to December 2020 and outlines TBC’s progress based on the
organisation’s Strategic Directions for Thailand and Myanmar 2020–2022. TBC’s programmes reached
more than 140,000 men, women, and children—about 80,000 in nine refugee camps in Thailand, and
over 60,000 in 14 townships in south eastern Myanmar.
In Myanmar the role of ethnic service providers in combatting COVID-19 was considerable, manning
screening checkpoints and enforcing community based quarantines. Through quick adjustment with
local partners and a transition to online meetings and trainings, programmes managed to stay broadly on
track. In elections held on 8 November the National League for Democracy won over 82% of the total vote.
2020 saw continued militarisation and conflict throughout ethnic areas of the country and COVID-19 saw
a large return of roughly 100,000 Thailand based migrant workers
In Thailand, COVID-19 saw the government declare a state of emergency. The enforcement of restrictions
on refugees being allowed in and out of camp negatively impacted their ability to generate income outside
of camps. In 2020 one case of COVID-19 was detected in Umpiem Mai, brought into the camp from a
migrant worker visiting relatives. UNHCR facilitated voluntary repatriation scheduled for February was
postponed with no-one returning to Myanmar through the formal process during the year. Restrictions in
camp access saw TBC pivot to remote communications with camp based staff.
At the end of December, 79,463 people remained in nine camps in Thailand 5
, 982 people had departed
for third country resettlement, and 1,362 people left the camps to seek alternatives in Thailand 6. There
were 1,594 children born in the camps over the year.
Expenses for 2020 totalled THB 567M (USD 18M) against the adjusted budget of THB 586M (USD 18.6M)
in income. The operational budget for 2021 is THB 544M (USD17.2M). With a constant population during
2020 due to COVID-19 and the added potential for increased needs on the border given the February 2021
Military coup in Myanmar, TBC plans to maintain current reserves..."
Source/publisher:
The Border Consortium (Thailand)
Date of publication:
2021-07-28
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
TBC, TBBC, : Annual reports and 6-monthly Programme Reports, TBC/TBBC documents on internal displacement, Humanitarian assistance - emergencies, COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
14.72 MB
Local URL:
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Description:
"In response to the ongoing rapid increase of COVID-19 cases in Myanmar, the European Commission has mobilised €2 million in emergency assistance to actions helping to fight the pandemic in the country.
Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “The EU stands in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this difficult time. With this funding, given the challenges of a fragile health system in the country, the EU will be helping in providing treatment to COVID-19 cases. The people of Myanmar continue to suffer from the rampant violence since the takeover by the military junta and it is of great concern that the medical sector is increasingly being targeted. The EU strongly condemns these attacks and calls for the protection of medical workers in respect of International Humanitarian Law. Medical workers are putting their life on the line to save people - they should be able to carry out their work in safety and the humanitarian access to medical facilities should be guaranteed.”
The funding, allocated to trusted and independent humanitarian organisations, will help to support:
the procurement and use of medicines for COVID-19 treatment, oxygen and related equipment, personal protective equipment and provide technical medical support
emergency healthcare, first aid and water, sanitation and hygiene related activities in response to the latest COVID-19 wave
home-based clinical management and stabilisation through tele-medicine and care corners.
The EU continues to support vulnerable people in Myanmar. In addition to the funding announced today, in 2021, the European Union allocated €20.5 million in humanitarian aid to address the immediate needs of displaced and conflict-affected communities in Myanmar.
Background
Myanmar is currently reporting its largest number of coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic. The majority of public hospitals and testing centres in the country are not functioning at full capacity, leaving the country with limited capacity to detect and respond to a new wave of COVID-19.
The COVID-19 situation is exacerbating a dire humanitarian situation that has arisen since the military coup d’état of February 2021, which has resulted in the killing of 931 people by the junta, and the displacement of 206,400 people.
The European Commission has been active in Myanmar since 1994. It has funded emergency relief programmes to assist victims of both conflict and natural hazards, with total funding of over €287 million.
Since 2013, we have provided €8.65 million for emergency education to conflict-affected children, including €2 million in 2021.
All EU humanitarian funding is provided in line with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and is channeled directly through NGOs, UN Agencies, and the Red Cross..."
Source/publisher:
European Commission (Brussels)
Date of publication:
2021-07-26
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-27
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, Human Rights and international relations, 2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état
Language:
more
Sub-title:
About 100 people staying at a monastery need masks, hand sanitizer and medicine
Description:
"Dozens of elderly people who are staying in temporary shelters at monasteries in southern Shan State after fighting between two local armed groups broke out in early June are at risk of a Covid-19 outbreak, two aid workers have said.
The displaced people were among about 900 who fled from the Mong Khun village tract for safety in Wan Hway Long village when the armed wings of the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS) and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP) began fighting.
The clashes have now stopped and the younger adult villagers have returned home, but about 100 elderly people and young children stayed behind because it would be difficult for them to flee again if there was more fighting.
Those left behind need personal protective equipment including masks and hand sanitizer to prevent an outbreak of the virus, said an aid worker on condition of anonymity.
“We need to do awareness raising about Covid-19 prevention and we need medicines and protective equipment,” the aid worker said. “There will be a huge problem if there is an outbreak at such a place because the camps have many elderly people.”
Some of the displaced people aged between 60 and 70 have survived strokes, the aid worker added.
Twelve people tested positive for Covid-19 this month in the town of Mong Kung, about 20 miles from the monasteries, and individual donors from the town have been barred from entering the shelters, according to another aid worker.
The junta’s ministry of health said there were 537 positive cases and 12 fatalities in Shan State on Thursday, but the official tally is widely distrusted and locals estimate that the actual number is much higher.
The RCSS and SSPP are fighting because of a territorial dispute over the Loi Hun mountain range in Mong Kung Township.
While the clashes have stopped in southern Shan State, the two groups fought near Nawng An village in Hsipaw Township in the north on Thursday.
The SSPP says it plans to inoculate 500,000 people against Covid-19 in its territory using vaccines from China..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Now" (Myanmar)
Date of publication:
2021-07-24
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, Internal displacement/forced migration of Shan. Palaung and Wa villagers, Armed conflict in Burma - Impact on village life, including health and education
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Tom Andrews urges the junta to stop attacking healthcare workers during a COVID-19 outbreak.
Description:
"Tom Andrews, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, recently warned that a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases during a third wave of the coronavirus coupled with the public mistrust of the junta following its Feb. 1 coup d’état had created “a perfect storm of factors that could cause a significant loss of life in Myanmar.”
In an interview with RFA’s Myanmar Service on Thursday, he said the crisis will not end until the junta ends its attacks on healthcare professionals, and he called on the international community to exert more pressure on the military. He said there has been an “exponential increase” in cases of COVID-19 in the Southeast Asian nation since the latest outbreak began in May.
RFA: What is your opinion of the situation in Myanmar right now?
Andrews: There's very, very deep concern within the United Nations about conditions in Myanmar. Needless to say, there's been an explosion of COVID cases. We're still unclear exactly what the count is of people that have been infected or people who have succumbed to the disease, but we know that there has been a significant increase, almost an exponential increase in the number of cases. And so, it is a very dangerous situation and we're very deeply concerned about what's going on in Myanmar right now.
RFA: Are you positive that the junta will allow the U.N. and international NGOs to come in and provide assistance in Myanmar?
Andrews: Well, that's the key question right now. I mean obviously, the junta will play the most decisive role in terms of stopping, of preventing, the care, the support and the help that the people of Myanmar desperately need. I mean let's face it, the best thing that could possibly happen would be for [junta chief] Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and the military junta to stand down for a civilian government, a legitimate government to be immediately reinstated so that this emergency response to this crisis could go on.
Since the coup, all of that [prevention and vaccine roll out by the civilian government] has collapsed. We know that the healthcare system as a whole has collapsed since the coup. So that's been just simply a disaster. That's the only way to put it.
Short of stepping down, the next step would be for the junta to at least agree to stop attacking doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. These attacks continue as I speak. And the fact is, you can't attack COVID-19 and attack doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals. All hands have to be on deck, and as long as the junta continues this extraordinarily destructive path, then there's really not going to be the kind of help and support for the people of Myanmar that the people of Myanmar desperately need and deserve.
So, I think what has to happen, frankly, is for those interlocutors or potential interlocutors who have the ear of the junta, those who have a direct interest in stopping COVID to speak with the junta and appeal to them to at least take the minimal steps that would be required to stop this disaster from getting any worse. And the first step of that, of course, is to stop attacking those who are providing health care or could be providing health care to the people of Myanmar in their hour of desperate need.
Pressure needed
RFA: You are calling for an emergency coalition for Myanmar from the United Nations with U.N. member states, so how far does that go? What kind of action can we expect from that coalition in the near future?
Andrews: Well, an emergency coalition is, I think, important. I continue to call for it and encourage countries to consider it. There are two major areas that I think it could have a significant impact on. One, of course, is in confronting this healthcare crisis—nations coming together in a very coordinated and focused way to provide for the extraordinary needs that exist right now within Myanmar and working together to try to create the conditions necessary for that aid to get through.
Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and his generals are not going to end this horrible reign of terror because they wake up one day and realize they've made a terrible mistake. They're only going to do this when there is the requisite pressure, when they feel that there is no alternative but to stand down. And that is exactly what we have to focus on.
The suffering that the people of Myanmar are suffering through, it's hard to imagine. The hopelessness that's being felt. I've spoken to people in the country. I know that there are people who are losing their families. I understand just the horrific conditions that are being confronted by the people of Myanmar and I'm so deeply, deeply sorry for what is happening to you. And I'm just so amazed at the courage and the tenacity of the people of Myanmar, dealing with this crisis and standing up as best as they can against this military junta.
The international response to this crisis is painfully slow. And I want you to know that that there are those of us who are working very, very hard and focusing as much energy and attention as possible to move the international community forward as directly and as powerfully as possible. So please know that we are with you, that we will continue to work with you and that this crisis that you are facing, you are not facing it alone. And I fully understand the suffering and the frustration that is being felt by the people of Myanmar. And I'm sorry that it is taking as long as it's taking, but we will persevere..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of publication:
2021-07-23
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
2021 Burma/Myanmar coup d'état, COVID-19 (Coronavirus), Public Health, Human Rights and international relations
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Description:
" Angered by doctors' support for anti-junta protests, Myanmar's military has arrested several doctors treating COVID-19 patients independently, colleagues and media said, as the health system struggles to cope with a record wave of infections.
Since the military overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in February, the ensuing turmoil and protests have thrown Myanmar's COVID-19 response into chaos, as activists say scores of doctors have been arrested for their prominent role in a civil disobedience movement.
Myanmar registered on Thursday over 6,000 new COVID-19 infections after reporting 286 deaths a day earlier, both record highs. Medics and funeral services say the real death toll is far higher, with crematoriums unable to keep pace.
To help people who either refuse to go to a state hospital, because of opposition to the military, or find hospitals are too strapped to treat them, some doctors participating in the anti-junta campaign have offered free medical advice over the telephone, and visited the sick at home in some cases.
But according to doctors and media reports in the past few weeks nine volunteer doctors offering tele-medicine and other services have been detained by the military in Myanmar's two largest cities - Yangon and Mandalay.
The information team of the army-led State Administration Council issued a statement denying reports that five doctors had been arrested in Yangon, but omitted any reference to the alleged arrests in Mandalay, which included doctors active in the civil disobedience movement.
All telephone calls from Reuters to a spokesman for the junta were unanswered.
A doctor, who asked not to be named for fear of being targeted by the military authorities, said four of his colleagues from the "Medical Family - Mandalay group" had been arrested.
They included Kyaw Kyaw Thet, who had been tutoring medical students, and senior surgeon Thet Htay, who the doctor said witnesses had seen handcuffed and bruised before being led away on July 16.
Their group was set up to advise virus sufferers over the telephone how to breathe, how to use an oxygen concentrator, which medicines to buy and how to administer them.
"We have been giving medical treatment to hundreds of patients per day," the doctor said, adding that many more of those patients could have died if they had not been attended to.
Media reports from Yangon, which have been denied by the junta, said three doctors from a COVID-19 response group were arrested after being lured to a home by soldiers pretending to need treatment. The junta also denied Myanmar News portal reportthat security forces had arrested two doctors during a followup raid on their offices in the North Dagon district of Yangon.
The National Unity Government, set up as a shadow body by army opponents, and media reports had also accused security forces of taking oxygen cylinders, protective wear and medicine for their own use during those raids.
"WEAPONISING COVID"
It was unclear why any of the doctors would have been detained, but the military has arrested medical staff previously for their conspicuous support for the civil disobedience movement.
An activist group, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, has said hundreds of doctors who joined the anti-junta campaign have been charged with spreading false news and 73 have been arrested.
The consequent shortage of staff at hospitals and clinics has added to public mistrust of the junta.
A junta spokesman urged people last week to cooperate with the government in order to overcome the epidemic. And according to some doctors, the latest arrests could be an attempt to force people to rely more on the military authorities.
Denying the reported arrests in Yangon, the military administration referred to information about COVID-19 patients being secretly treated and charged high prices or being directed to online cures, adding that lives were being lost unnecessarily.
Yanghee Lee, a former U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar now on an advisory council, has accused the junta of "weaponising COVID-19 for its own political gain."..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK)
Date of publication:
2021-07-22
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-23
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"22 July 2021: The UN Security Council must urgently mandate an international humanitarian intervention in Myanmar, including aid workers on the ground, to get life-saving assistance to millions of people suffering under a devastating third wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, says the Special Advisory Council for Myanmar (SAC-M).
The military junta in Myanmar has allowed COVID-19 to run free since it attempted to seize power six months ago. The impacts of its failed coup on 1 February have included the destruction of the country’s healthcare system, and a massive third wave of COVID-19 is devastating Myanmar as a result. People are lining the streets in search of oxygen supplies, families are losing multiple loved ones, and crematoriums are filled beyond capacity.
“The situation has become a humanitarian disaster of such proportions that an international presence of health and medical personnel has become critical,” said Chris Sidoti of SAC-M. “The junta has demonstrated that it has neither the will nor the capacity to tackle a crisis on this scale – a crisis that it has deliberately fuelled.”
SAC-M is calling for the UN Security Council to mandate an urgent humanitarian intervention under a joint initiative with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. This is the only way to ensure life-saving assistance reaches the millions of desperate people in Myanmar’s heartlands and in the junta’s jails, where thousands of political prisoners have been detained arbitrarily.
SAC-M called last week for urgent cross-border assistance, with supply lines into Myanmar from neighbouring countries. This remains vital for the ethnic service providers, civil society organisations, humanitarian groups and others aligned with the National Unity Government and Civil Disobedience Movement who are already fighting to keep people alive.
The National Unity Government has called for assistance from the international community. Myanmar does not have time to wait for the junta to ask for help, as was the case after Cyclone Nargis devastated the country in May 2008. However, the UN Security Council and ASEAN can use the experience gained in the aftermath of Nargis as a precedent for much-needed humanitarian intervention.
“This is a crisis the world cannot afford to ignore, much less the region,” said Marzuki Darusman of SAC-M. “The makeshift efforts to ease the plight of people crossing into Thailand and India are far from being able to roll back the epicentre of the pandemic within the country, which needs to be the primary strategic objective of massive regional and international action.”
The junta’s forces are seizing supplies of oxygen and personal protective equipment and medical professionals are being detained by the junta if they are caught supporting volunteer relief efforts. Community preventative measures such as checkpoints are also being destroyed. Meanwhile, the junta is drastically under-reporting case numbers.
“The junta is not a partner for the delivery of aid. That is why a humanitarian presence on the ground is needed,” said Yanghee Lee of SAC-M. “Assistance must be delivered through international medical personnel, and international protection given to Myanmar’s own medical professionals who are desperate to come out of hiding and work to save their country. No one will trust anything from the junta now.”..."
Source/publisher:
Special Advisory Council for Myanmar
Date of publication:
2021-07-22
Date of entry/update:
2021-07-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
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