Aid agencies’ work hampered as Myanmar banking sector stumbles, says UN

By DMG 26 Mar 2021

DMG newsroom
26 March 2021, Sittwe

Coup-related disruptions to banking services, limited availability of cash and challenges to supply chains have hampered aid agencies’ work, the UN has said.

The spokesperson for the UN Secretary General made the remarks at a news conference on March 25 regarding Myanmar affairs.

Armed conflicts that occurred recently in some areas in northern Shan State and Kachin State could lead to a difficult situation for humanitarian organisations.

The UN team has been providing assistance for one million people, and one-third of them are internally displaced people.

The UN team has worried about receiving fewer funds for the humanitarian response plan because it has received only 10% of the required fund of US$270 million.

The UN Secretary General said he remained concerned about ongoing arbitrary arrests, including of journalists and leaders of CSOs.

The UN has called for the release of all arbitrarily detained people including President U Win Myint and State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The UN said it continues to closely monitor developments in Myanmar and is extremely disappointed over the security forces’ gunfire in a house that killed a 7-year-old child in Mandalay this week. It said there must be accountability for all human rights breaches and crimes that continue to be perpetrated in Myanmar, and called for maximum restraint.

The UN country team in Myanmar said it was deeply concerned about the impact of political developments on vulnerable people in conflict-affected areas.