Myanmar Earthquake: UN Scales Up Aid Efforts One Month On

YANGON — One month after powerful earthquakes struck Myanmar, the United Nations and humanitarian partners have reached nearly 600,000 people. From providing clean water and emergency shelter to delivering critical healthcare and protection services, the UN is helping communities recover while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience. 

Despite difficult conditions, aid operations have scaled up rapidly. The Flash Addendum to the 2025 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP) for Myanmar called for $275 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs, but only $35 million is reported as disbursed according to HNRP financial tracking system, highlighting the urgent need for additional funding to sustain the response.

Marcoluigi Corsi, the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for Myanmar, reaffirmed the UN’s support for the people of Myanmar: “Our collective response has shown the power of solidarity at a time of immense need. The UN and our partners remain committed to supporting the people of Myanmar — now and in the months ahead as recovery takes hold.”

Rapid Response and Coordination on the Ground

Within days of the disaster, the UN mobilized $15 million for immediate emergency relief — $5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $10 million through operational agencies. Following a high-level assessment mission, a further $5 million was released by CERF to expand life-saving support.

To ensure a coordinated and effective response, the UN deployed a specialist United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) team to support rapid needs assessments and work alongside national and international partners.

Through these efforts, the UN in Myanmar have delivered a wide range of assistance across Myanmar, including the following key contributions:

• Shelter, Non-Food Items (NFIs), Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster partners have reached over 116,800 people with emergency non-food item assistance across 26 townships and 13,400 people with emergency shelter support in 15 townships.
• The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and partners have provided essential sexual and reproductive health services to over 18,000 people, including maternal care and clean delivery kits, and supported thousands more with integrated gender-based violence and mental health services. They have also distributed over 12,000 dignity kits to women and girls in earthquake-affected areas.
• UNICEF and partners have helped over 550,000 people gain access to safe drinking water and provided essential hygiene supplies to more than 230,000 people. Their multipurpose cash assistance has reached over 15,000 people, including families with children and persons with disabilities, to meet urgent needs. Essential health and nutrition supplies and services have assisted 400,000 people across Mandalay, Nay Pyi Taw, Sagaing, and southern Shan.
• The UN Migration Agency (IOM) has provided multipurpose cash assistance to over 2,400 people, reached over 1,900 patients through mobile health services, and is delivering 70,000 life-saving shelter and relief items weighing worth 90 tonnes.
• The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and its partners have assisted over 56,000 people with core relief and shelter items in six emergency-declared areas and have conducted needs assessments and post-distribution monitoring to support recovery efforts.
• The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has delivered emergency food and cash assistance to over 310,000 people across Sagaing, Mandalay, southern Shan, and Nay Pyi Taw, and led the Logistics Cluster’s establishment of a new 1,000-square-metre warehouse in Mandalay to strengthen relief operations.

Beyond life-saving relief, humanitarian efforts are increasingly focused on early recovery — repairing water systems, rebuilding damaged schools, restoring vital road links, and helping small businesses reopen to support livelihoods and economic recovery.

Field teams — including many humanitarian workers who have endured personal losses — remain central to the response. One staff member from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), after losing her home, took shelter in her office before returning to frontline operations. A UN worker from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) described distributing emergency supplies under extreme heat. 

A doctor with IOM’s mobile clinics, herself affected by the earthquake, continues to serve others so that communities can heal. More than 70 UN Volunteers were serving with 10 UN agencies across Myanmar at the time of the earthquake. Today, many are assisting with emergency kit distribution, needs assessments, communications, and health and nutrition services alongside OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and the World Health Organization (WHO)

Global Solidarity and Advocacy for Access

Global support from at least 26 countries has bolstered the response, including China, Russia, and India which have provided humanitarian aid, search and rescue teams, and mobile medical units to reinforce local efforts. High-level UN engagement has also reinforced solidarity and advocacy for humanitarian access.

Throughout the response, the UN and partners have consistently called for unhindered humanitarian access to all affected areas. These appeals have been echoed at the highest levels, including by the UN Secretary-General and senior humanitarian leaders, stressing that all communities must be reached, regardless of location or control.

The UN and its partners remain committed to staying and delivering for the people of Myanmar — helping communities move beyond the immediate crisis toward a safer, stronger future.

Donations made to UN Crisis Relief help UN agencies and humanitarian NGOs reach people in Myanmar with urgent support. 

Stay Updated

For official updates on the UN’s response to the Myanmar earthquakes, visit:

• UN Myanmar Website
• UN Myanmar Twitter (X)
• UN Myanmar Facebook

Latest reports and updates from teams on the ground:

• Statement by the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for Myanmar
• OCHA Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 4
• UNICEF Earthquake Flash Update No. 10
• UNFPA Situation Report No. 5
• IOM Earthquake Response Situation Report No. 5
• UNHCR Earthquake Flash Update No. 3