"OVERVIEW: The humanitarian crisis in Myanmar has deteriorated dramatically in the first quarter of 2024, characterized by persistent conflict, widespread insecurity, surging displacement and disrupted basic services. The intensification of fighting, aerial bombardment in urban areas and growing explosive ordnance contamination is having severe consequences for millions of civilians, exacerbating humanitarian needs across the country, including shortages of food and lack of access to critical services such as health and WASH. Amid the escalating conflict, the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) had surged to 2.9 million by 31 March, reflecting a significant increase from 2.6 million at the start of 2024. Changes in territorial control in many parts of the country have made humanitarian operations increasingly complex and conflict dynamics in Rakhine are fueling worrying inter-communal tension. Despite these daunting challenges, humanitarian partners remained committed to delivering assistance to meet the deepening needs of affected populations, reaching almost 950,000 people during the first quarter. However, a comparison between the first quarters of 2023 and 2024 reveals a concerning trend with the percentage of the targeted population reached decreasing from 27 per cent in 2023 to 18 per cent in 2024. This 9 per cent decline is likely the product of both severe underfunding and the heavily restricted operating environment. The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) remains alarmingly under-resourced, with only 5 per cent of required funding received, according to the Financial Tracking Service (FTS) as of 31 March. This is despite the deepening needs, the surge in new displacement, and soaring inflation that have further stretched the grossly insufficient resources across clusters. Challenges posed by funding shortages and access constraints were exacerbated by the targeting of aid workers by parties to the conflict. Between January and March, humanitarian organizations reported a total of 359 access incidents across the country, impeding the delivery of vital assistance and services to conflict-affected populations..."