ReliefWeb

NEEDS & KEY FIGURES

About 1,020,000 people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Myanmar. This includes about 460,000 people affected by the 2015 floods and others who are in need as a result of various factors including unresolved conflict, inter-communal violence, and restrictive policies and practices affecting some people. In Rakhine, continued restrictions on freedom of movement and access to basic services continue to put people at risk and make it difficult for displaced people to restore their livelihoods and become self-reliant. In Kachin and northern Shan, unresolved armed conflict has made it difficult to make progress in finding durable solutions for displaced people. Myanmar experienced devastating floods in 2015 and about 460,000 people require targeted support in the food security sector for about six months in 2016.

Humanitarian needs

1. Meeting needs of displaced people

About 240,000 people are still displaced as a result of the inter-communal violence in Rakhine State in 2012-13 as well as the armed conflict that re-started in Kachin and northern Shan in 2011. Many of these IDPs – particularly in Rakhine – live in long-houses that were designed as temporary accommodation and built to last for two years. It is now over two years since they were erected. Local communities in these areas also continue to be affected and there are serious protection concerns for women, girls, boys and other vulnerable people. If left unaddressed these could increase tensions.

2. Access to services for vulnerable people

Service provision in Rakhine State remains unequal with Muslims still facing severe restrictions on their freedom of movement, limiting their access to health facilities, education, other essential services and livelihoods opportunities. In Kachin and northern Shan the ongoing armed conflict taking place in close proximity to the civilian population as well as restricted humanitarian access constrains the ability of people to gain access to essential services and livelihood opportunities.

3. Ending displacement

In Rakhine prolonged displacement has left no choice to many IDPs but to develop negative coping mechanisms that heighten protection risks. IDPs’ prospects of a solution to their displacement require careful monitoring to ensure international standards are upheld. There is strong donor support for initiatives aimed at ending displacement and promoting self-reliance and early recovery. In Kachin, there is a need for strengthened cooperation between local authorities, civil society and international organizations to discuss and plan for durable solutions, in consultation with IDPs.

4. Strengthening resilience

The floods and landslides in Myanmar in 2015 had a devastating impact on people’s lives.
Although the overwhelming majority of those who were displaced by the floods have returned to their villages, the impact on food security and livelihoods in particular will continue to be felt in 2016 with increased risks of malnutrition and migration/ trafficking. Myanmar is one of the countries at highest risk of natural disasters in South-East Asia and there is an urgent need to strengthen disaster risk reduction activities and to enhance national capacity to prepare for and respond to future emergencies.