UN official applauds Myanmar aid workers, condemns the violence that makes them necessary on World Humanitarian Day 

By DMG 19 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
19 August 2022, Sittwe 

A United Nations official in Myanmar used the occasion of World Humanitarian Day, marked annually on August 19, to call for “an end to the unrelenting violence that is terrifying communities and making these brave humanitarian efforts necessary” in the country, which has seen hundreds of thousands of civilians displaced since the military’s February 2021 coup. 

“Civilians should never be a target and humanitarian workers in Myanmar must be allowed to do their jobs free from restrictions and harassment, in line with all the protections afforded to them under international law,” said Ramanathan Balakrishnan, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, in a statement on Friday. 

The UN official also commended “the dedicated aid workers of Myanmar who are risking their lives to deliver vital assistance to communities in need every day” and recognised those who have lost their lives for humanitarian causes in the country. 

“Never has this work been more important with conflict raging, 1.2 million people now displaced, and poverty and inflation surging,” he added. “A massive national effort is underway to reach more than 6 million crisis-affected people with assistance before the end of the year and we are half-way to this annual goal despite severe access constraints.” 

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in Myanmar on August 2 warned of limitations in providing assistance to those who have fled their homes due to fighting between junta troops and anti-regime armed groups. 

Military blockades in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, and Paletwa Township, Chin State, are just two of the most recent examples of access restrictions affecting the flow of both humanitarian aid and basic goods. 

Arakan National Party (ANP) Chairman U Tha Tun Hla said some armed forces in Myanmar ignore the people’s difficulties under the pretext of security. 

“As the armed forces, it is necessary not to completely block the organisations trying to help the plight of the people,” he told DMG. “Currently, the political problems in Myanmar are the ones that have to be solved by political means. Instead of relying on weapons to solve the political problems, it is necessary to do it through a political dialogue and find a solution.” 

Nationwide, more than 1.2 million people remained displaced as of July 25, including more than 866,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) uprooted by conflict and insecurity since the 2021 military takeover, UNOCHA in Myanmar said in a statement late last month.