" ASEAN, led by its Secretary-General Dato Lim Jock Hoi, handed over USD 1.1 million worth of medical supplies and equipment ready to be distributed by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) for immediate support to the COVID-19 response, in a handover ceremony held virtually today. The delivery of the first batch of ASEAN’s Humanitarian Assistance in Myanmar was a follow up to the Pledging Conference held on 18 August. The items delivered in this batch were supported by the Governments of Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Turkey, and Temasek Foundation International. In his remarks, Dato Lim Jock Hoi underscored the importance of the initiative to showcase the solidarity in the spirit of ‘One ASEAN, One Response’ to extend a helping hand to the people of Myanmar in the realisation of a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN Community. He thanked the four donor countries and Temasek Foundation International, and expressed his confidence that the assistance would alleviate the sufferings of the people of Myanmar in this critical time. He further called for other countries to contribute to the humanitarian efforts for Phase 1 urgently and Phase 2 at a later stage. The next batch for Phase 1 is expected to be provided by support from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Singapore and Viet Nam, along with other donor countries and organisations. The Special Envoy of the ASEAN Chair on Myanmar, Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, in his recorded remarks further emphasised that COVID-19 pandemic is “the common enemy” that has exposed the vulnerabilities not only of our socio-economic structures, but the fragility of human life. In his remarks, he urged the international community to continue giving support and complement ASEAN’s efforts, further highlighting that the “provision of humanitarian assistance is a true reflection of the “ASEAN Way”, and demonstrates our commitment to help our ASEAN family when they are in need”. The Executive Director of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre), representatives of ASEAN Member States, donor countries and other organisations attended the ceremony. Contributing to the implementation of the “Five Point Consensus” on Myanmar agreed at the ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting in April this year, the ASEAN’s Humanitarian Assistance to Myanmar aims to address the most pressing humanitarian needs of the people of Myanmar. The AHA Centre, as the operational lead, facilitates the delivery of assistance. Meanwhile, the MRCS, as a local partner, supports ASEAN by providing last mile distribution of the medical supplies and equipment to the communities in need in Myanmar..."