Photo;AFP
Mizzima
The United Nations has just released the Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for 2024.
The report issued on 18 December is separated into four parts: humanitarian needs, humanitarian response plan, cluster needs and responses, and annex.
The following is a summary of the report:
Myanmar stands at the precipice in 2024 with a deepening humanitarian crisis that has spiralled since the military takeover in February 2021 with the civilian population that is now living in fear for their lives and whose coping capacities are stretched to the limit.
The situation is now marked by surging displacement, a fragile security environment, profound protection threats, and escalating unmet needs. The humanitarian outlook remains grim, with 18.6 million people, including 6 million children, in humanitarian need – a million more than the previous year. This alarming growth is largely fuelled by protection risks and conflict, compounded by a myriad of challenges, including food insecurity, a health system in crisis, disrupted education, huge numbers of people on the move amid fears for their safety, and the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha which struck Myanmar in May 2023. The final quarter of 2023 witnessed a significant escalation in fighting resulting in a further increase in needs; elevated protection threats including death and injury from aerial bombardment, extortion, and forced labour; and new access blockages.
Conflicts and violence are expected to worsen in 2024, with increased clashes between Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF). A rising tide of conflict with simultaneous fighting spreading across large swathes of the country, aggravated by targeting and harassment of civilians, restrictions on freedom of movement and a state of emergency in place since February 2021, will continue to exacerbate the existing humanitarian and protection crises.
Myanmar’s crisis demands immediate attention and increased international support to address the multi-faceted survival challenges faced by the civilian population. Urgent funding for complementary
development action is also required to reverse the growth in humanitarian need and build the resilience of communities in the face of persistent shocks.
Surging humanitarian needs Systematic military violence against civilians, resulting in more than 4,000 deaths and tens of thousands of arbitrary arrests, underscores the urgent decision to prioritize protection in the 2024 response. Protection concerns are pervasive, as conflict-induced violence, institutionalized discrimination, human rights violations, and fear permeate daily life for the civilian population in Myanmar. Denial of access to personal legal documents further marginalizes vulnerable populations, particularly Rohingya people who have already been rendered stateless, limiting access to services, and perpetuating a cycle of discrimination.
Mass displacement continues at an alarming rate, with almost 2.6 million people displaced as of 11 December 2023 – a year-on-year increase of 1.1 million people. This displacement includes more than 660,000 people displaced by escalating conflict since 27 October 2023. People who have fled their homes and remain displaced often endure squalid conditions and inadequate shelter in formal sites or in jungles and forests. State Administration Council (SAC) actions and policies aimed at camp closures, premature returns, and relocations are amplifying protection challenges for affected internally displaced persons (IDPs), while a heightened risk of smuggling, human trafficking, and an exodus of young people seeking safety and opportunities abroad looms large.
The confluence of a non-functional health system and increasing health vulnerabilities among large sections of the population has led to deteriorating maternal and child health outcomes, a lagging emergency care response, and dangerously low routine immunizations with potential regional implications.
Children are bearing the brunt of the crisis with interruptions to their health care and schooling, as well as exposure to a range of protection and mental health risks. Approximately a third of school-age children are not enrolled in any form of learning, and conflict, displacement, and economic hardships have severely disrupted education over the past three years with life-long impacts on the children of Myanmar. Malnutrition is feared to be spreading as large swaths of the population continue to experience high levels of food insecurity and treatment supplies are increasingly difficult for humanitarians to import into the country.
Myanmar is highly exposed to natural hazards including cyclones and flooding and globally ranks as the country that is second-most affected by extreme climate events, exposing the population to additional dangers. At least 28 million people (or half the population) are living in districts at high flood exposure risk. Extremely Severe Cyclone Mocha in May 2023 affected more than 3 million people. Lack of timely humanitarian access to those affected exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities and increased people’s dependency on aid, with flow-on impacts for needs in 2024.
The crisis in Myanmar is disproportionately affecting women, perpetuating gender disparities in employment and increasing vulnerability to trafficking, genderbased violence (GBV), including sexual exploitation and harassment (SEA). Widespread discrimination on ethnic and religious grounds play a significant role.
Persons with disabilities are especially vulnerable in the conflict and violence affecting the country, as well as natural disasters.
2024 Response Plan
The 2024 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Myanmar is launched against a backdrop of escalating conflict, political and economic instability, and a population exposed to continuous violence, displacement induced by both conflict and natural disasters, and pervasive protection risks. The HNRP outlines three strategic objectives for action in the face of these extreme needs and threats. First, to ensure the protection of three million people by identifying, monitoring, and mitigating risks while upholding human rights. Second, to prevent suffering, morbidity, and mortality among 3.7 million displaced individuals facing food insecurity, malnutrition, and health threats.
Finally, to provide essential services and support to 2.5 million crisis-affected people, ensuring their survival and preventing further deterioration of their humanitarian needs.
The HNRP maintains a national scope for 2024, focusing on support to displaced populations and hard-to-reach areas with severe needs. The plan requires US$994 million dollars to reach 5.3 million people prioritized for assistance this year. This prioritization was guided by both the severity of needs and vulnerabilities of affected people. Aligned with the UN Transitional Cooperation Framework (TCF) 2024- 2025, the HNRP emphasizes the primary humanitarian responsibility to save and protect lives, while
complementary development and peace work focuses on sustaining social services, empowering and building the resilience of communities, as well as strengthening peace drivers.
The operating context for humanitarian workers remains volatile heading into 2024, with recurring violations of international law, including attacks directed against aid workers, and chronic underfunding that have resulted in substantial response gaps over recent years. Collective advocacy on the removal of access constraints, bureaucratic impediments, and an end to the repressive environment for aid workers is increasingly critical to an effective response in 2024. The heavy politicization of aid by all sides is making humanitarian work more dangerous and requires consistent system-wide advocacy. With new regional dynamics now at play, there is an increasingly important role to be played by neighbouring states in advocating for a de-escalation of conflict in Myanmar and expanded humanitarian space to meet growing needs.
The planning assumptions underpinning the HNRP anticipate a dynamic and fast changing environment, necessitating flexible approaches to humanitarian response. Humanitarian organizations are adapting to deliver life-saving aid through diverse modalities, recognizing varying access challenges. While facing bureaucratic obstructions, attacks, and underfunding, the response aims to provide complementary, multifaceted assistance. Local responders will continue to play a crucial role in reaching vulnerable people, and the humanitarian community is committed to the localization agenda, including better harnessing the strengths of local organizations and building more equitable partnerships with local actors who are taking many risks on the front line of the response.
The mosaic of approaches also requires enhanced, de-centralized and inclusive coordination structures.
The revised coordination architecture, operational since September 2023, aims for greater efficiency, consistency, and accessibility across all impacted areas in the country but remains grossly underfunded.
The humanitarian community also emphasizes the importance of engaging with border-based actors to ensure a more holistic and complementary response.
This HNRP for Myanmar in 2024 presents a comprehensive strategy to address the complex and evolving needs of an increasingly desperate population. Despite persistent challenges, the humanitarian community remains committed to staying and delivering, while providing hope through essential support to the most vulnerable and displaced.
A collective effort, backed by adequate funding and expanded access, is essential to realizing the objectives of this Plan and alleviating the suffering of those affected by the protracted crisis in Myanmar.
