UNICEF Myanmar Humanitarian Situation Report No. 4, 2024

Highlights

• More than 3.1 million people have been internally displaced, including 112,000 in the past month. They remain in precarious conditions and in need of life-saving assistance.

• 18,929 children were provided with access to formal and non-formal education including early learning; more than 43,000 people were reached with clean drinking water; and lifesaving child protection services reached more than 34,000 people during the month of April.

• In areas with heightened conflict, the need for access to services continues to increase while the cost of programme delivery is also increasing in a resource constrained environment.

• Underfunding remains a significant constraint with only 11 per cent of against the Humanitarian Action for Children (HAC) Appeal requirement being received. Timely and sufficient funding is crucial in providing immediate assistance for children and their families, especially with the onset of the monsoon season.

Situation in Numbers

6,000,000
children in need of humanitarian assistance

18,600,000
people in need (HAC 2024)

2,830,200
Internally displaced people since 1 February 2021

64,600
People displaced to neighbouring countries since 1 February 2021 (UNHCR, 03 June 2024)

289,000
displacement before February 2021

Funding Overview and Partnerships

UNICEF Myanmar Country Office has appealed for US$ 208.3 million in 2024 to address the needs of 3.1 million people, including an estimated 2.1 million children. As of 31 May 2024, UNICEF’s funding level remains unchanged at US$ 23.1 million (11.1 per cent of its appealed funding), comprising of US$9.9 million received for the current year and US$13.2 million carried forward from the previous year.

In 2024, UNICEF has received generous funding support from the Government of Japan, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) as well as internal allocations from global humanitarian thematic funding. Additionally, UNICEF also acknowledges the contributions previously made by the Australia’s DFAT, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA), the European Commission’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Department (DG ECHO), the Government of Canada, the Government of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Government of Norway, the Royal Thai Government, the Czech Committee for UNICEF, the French Committee for UNICEF, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) along with the CERF and the Myanmar Country-Based Pooled Fund (CBPF). Moreover, in 2024, UNICEF Myanmar also received an internal loan from the Emergency Programme Fund (EPF) to support the humanitarian response, following a similar grant received the previous year.

With these resources, UNICEF and its partners are delivering humanitarian services in nutrition, health, HIV/AIDS, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), education, child protection, gender-based violence in emergencies (GBViE), social protection and cash-based programming. UNICEF is also providing humanitarian leadership and cluster coordination and is strengthening protection against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), social behaviour-change and accountability to affected populations. However, UNICEF capacity to deliver these services is severely limited by the funding gap of 89 per cent which has remained unchanged over the last two months. Without the funding for these resources, targeted populations, especially children, who need basic social services, will not be able to receive assistance. UNICEF continues its efforts to mobilize resources and expresses its sincere appreciation to all private and public sector donors for their contributions to supporting the children of Myanmar.

Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs

Armed conflict has been escalating across Myanmar, and more than 3.1 million people are internally displaced in precarious conditions and in need of life-saving assistance. This includes more than 112,000 people displaced since the end of April. The protection situation of children who are suffering grave violations of their rights remains of great concern. Humanitarian assistance is significantly challenged due to access restriction, roadblocks at checkpoints, high commodity prices, transportation costs, banking issues and forced recruitment by different armed groups.

In northern Rakhine, armed conflict between the Arakan Army and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) intensified, particularly in Buthidaung and Maungdaw, and also expanded to southern townships such as Ann and Thandwe and Toungup townships. Clashes have been escalating with artillery shelling, gunfire, airstrikes and bombardment from the sea. This has severely affected both the Rakhine and Rohingya communities, resulting in casualties, multiple displacements, and the destruction of property. More than185,000 people have been displaced across Rakhine since November 2023. Taking into account those displaced earlier in the conflict, the total displacement in Rakhine numbers more than 402,000 people at the end of May. Protection concerns and rights violations have increased. An unverified number of houses in Buthidaung and Maungdaw were set on fire including humanitarian facilities and properties of humanitarian staff were also impacted. Artillery shelling hit a hospital in Buthidaung which was sheltering displaced people, and at least one hospital and one school were bombed in Kyauktaw township.

An estimated 420,000 basic education students will miss formal classes if schools in the conflict-affected townships are not able to open as usual. Routine immunization was stopped in most of the central and northern part of Rakhine for six months. An estimated 1.6 million people could be without access to hospital care in central and northern Rakhine. Restrictions on access and on the movement of supplies, plus the closure of roads and waterways continue to hamper the humanitarian response. There are increased reports of water scarcity across the state including in Pauktaw, Ponnagyun and Myebon. There are shortages of food and essential items, life-saving medicine and therapeutic nutrition commodities and increasing prices, especially in the conflict-affected townships.

The armed conflict in Kachin State has significant developments in May 2024, resulting in substantial changes in the control areas of the ethnic armed organizations/Kachin Independence Army and MAF. This conflict has led to an influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) across the state, particularly in the townships of Myitkyina, Waingmaw, Bhamo, Tanai, Mansi, Hpakant and Mohnyin during April and May 2024. The state is home to more than 150,000 IDPs (protracted and new) in more than 142 sites and host communities, lacking the means of survival and livelihoods. The humanitarian operations in Bhamo, Tani, Mansi, Shwegu, Mohnyin and Waingmaw townships are facing severe challenges due to fighting and limited access. The numerous checkpoints by different actors along the line from Yangon to Myitkyina impose arbitrary taxes and have significantly impacted supply movements into, and within, the state. In some parts of the state, there is still a need to conduct rapid needs assessments. However, shelter, WASH, food and protection have been identified as the most urgent humanitarian needs. UNICEF, along with its partners, has been working to provide WASH, health and nutrition services, education and child protection services for the newly displaced people. Despite these efforts, there are still significant unmet needs.

In the southeast, the escalation of armed conflict continued throughout the region, particularly in Kawkareik and around Hpa-An districts in Kayin state, and there have been intense armed conflicts in Tanintharyi, Mon and Bago east. As a result, the number of displaced people in this region has increased to around 660,000, the highest increase here since 2021 and highly likely to continue to increase the displacement as the conflict escalates.

In the northwest, armed clashes have continued, resulting in the displacement of more than 1.5 million people. In addition, in early May, strong winds and heavy rains damaged or destroyed about 400 homes, temporary shelters and other structures. The main road from Kalay to Hakha is still blocked, there are unstable phone and internet connections and reportedly increasing the arbitrary arrests of young people for the military service.

The approaching monsoon season with a heightened risk of cyclones and floods further increases the risks faced by the vulnerable population. Already strong winds and heavy rain has impacted multiple locations in recent months damaging infrastructure. If a cyclone with a scale similar to that of last year hits Myanmar this year, its impact would be even more devastating for the populations whose coping capacity continues to be eroded by the escalating conflict and the increasing socio-economic hardships.