UN System humanitarian assistance

Most of the UNDP/UNOPS activities in Burma are described as "human development" projects. "Human Development" appears to be somewhere in between economic development and humanitarian assistance. Comments welcome.
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Websites/Multiple Documents

Description: These maps, profiles and lists cover the area affected by Cyclone Nargis as well as other parts of the country. The categories are: Affected Area Maps; Assessment Area Maps; Hazard Area Maps; Organizations Maps; Population Area Maps; Planning Maps; Snapshots Maps; Township Profiles Maps; Who, What, Where Maps & Reports.
Source/publisher: Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU)
2009-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2009-11-16
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: Conflict-induced displacement. Standards, mechanisms, many links to humanitarian, relief and protection agencies dealing with internally displaced people, refugees, landmines, non-state actors, international organisations etc.
Source/publisher: Office for the Cooordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN)
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: Some links are rather out of date
Source/publisher: OCHA
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOCHA
Date of entry/update: 2014-12-02
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Individual Documents

Description: "This regular update, covering humanitarian developments up to 27 February, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UN agencies. Response figures are based on self-reporting by organizations to clusters. The next humanitarian update will be issued at the end of March 2023. HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES • Humanitarian needs are rising across Myanmar and the operational environment is tightening. Martial law is now declared in 47 townships across multiple states and regions. • Concerns persist around the impact of new registration requirements on humanitarian operations. • In the first two months of 2023, more than 154,000 people have been internally displaced and are living in precarious conditions in camps and informal sites often in jungles and forests. This brings the total number of IDPs since the military takeover to 1.3 million. As of 27 February, more than 1.6 million remain displaced from previous and current conflicts. • Heavy fighting continues, particularly in Kachin, the Southeast, and Northwest, endangering lives and hampering humanitarian operations. • The ceasefire between the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) in Rakhine is still holding and the access environment has improved. • Humanitarians reached a record 4.4 million people with assistance in 2022, however the support was not as deep or multi-sectoral as planned due to access constraints and severe underfunding. • Some 17.6 million people - nearly one third of the population - are estimated to be in humanitarian need in 2023. The humanitarian community has prioritized support for 4.5 million people with severe needs, predominantly in conflict affected rural areas. • Generous funding to the US$764m Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023 is critically important to make this work possible. KEY FIGURES* 1.6M Total people currently internally displaced across Myanmar 1.3M People currently displaced by clashes and insecurity since February 2021 328K People internally displaced due to conflict prior to February 2021, mainly in Rakhine, Kachin, Chin, and Shan 55K Civilian properties estimated burnt or destroyed since February 2021. *Displacement figures fluctuate during any given month. These figures represent the number of people currently verified as displaced. Cumulative numbers for returns and displacement are not always available. SITUATION OVERVIEW Two months into 2023, reports of civilian casualties, displacement and destruction of civilian properties have continued. As of 27 February 2023, more than 1.6 million remained displaced across the country, according to the latest UN figures. This includes more than 1.3 million people who were displaced since the military takeover and more than 328,000 people who were displaced from previous conflicts. Of the total IDPs since the military takeover, the Northwest is hosting the highest number - now 915,000 people - followed by the Southeast - 379,200 people. IDPs are living in precarious situations in camps and informal sites, often in jungles and forests, with large-scale returns impossible due to the intensity of fighting, landmines, destruction of homes through aerial bombardment, and loss of livelihoods. Humanitarian partners estimate that 17.6 million people are in need in 2023. The 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan targets 4.5 million people with the most severe needs, predominantly in conflict-affected rural areas. This will require the removal of physical and bureaucratic impediments to humanitarian access and more generous funding than was received last year (41 per cent of requirements in 2022). Two months into 2023, the humanitarian response plan is only two per cent funded. Generous funding for humanitarian interventions this year is critical. In 2022, humanitarians were able to reach a record 4.4 million people, including 750,00 IDPs, with at least one form of assistance, at least once, however the assistance wasn’t as deep, multi-sectoral or sustained as planned due to underfunding and severe access constraints. This reach includes 900,000 people in the Southeast, more than 660,000 people in Rakhine, more than 500,000 people in the Northeast and almost 270,000 people in the Northwest..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2023-03-04
Date of entry/update: 2023-03-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 487.13 KB
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Description: "Response Plan Overview: The Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan requests US$764 million to reach 4.5 million people prioritized for life-saving humanitarian support (52 per cent women, 32 percent children and 13 per cent with disability). The people of Myanmar have entered 2023 facing an unprecedented political, socioeconomic, human rights and humanitarian crisis with residual needs persisting from previous years, and new needs flowing from security and conflict dynamics since the military takeover on 1 February 2021. Almost half the population is thought to be living in poverty in 2023, wiping out the impressive development gains made since 2005.1 The number of people on the move as a result of conflict and depleted coping capacity has sky-rocketed in 2022 and stands at 1.5 million at the start of 2023.2 Price hikes, severe inflation, movement restrictions, armed conflict and violence have forced many of the most vulnerable people to resort to crisis or emergency coping strategies to buy food and other basic supplies, often negatively impacting on their safety, well-being, and dignity. This multi-dimensional humanitarian crisis is now affecting the whole country, posing grave protection risks for civilians, limiting access to services and deepening food insecurity. The grim outlook outlined in the HNO makes a scaled-up, context-adapted humanitarian response essential in 2023 to prevent loss of life and reduce suffering. This response will be delivered through coordination architecture that is more fi t-for-purpose as recommended by a 2022 P2P review of the response. A new HCT Localization Strategy and workstream, also recommended by the P-2-P report, will be central to response delivery in 2023. The UN SERRP will also have a critical complementary nexus role to play in 2023 by preventing more people from slipping into humanitarian need by addressing the root causes of the crisis, targeting those who are impoverished and at-risk but not yet in humanitarian need, supporting people to build their resilience and recover from humanitarian situations, and pivoting available development resources to reach those with urgent needs whom humanitarians are not able to reach due to funding constraints through different kinds of support. Nexus interventions under the SERRP will complement the HRP by increasing access to services and strengthening the communities’ socioeconomic resilience, as well as contributing to preventing people from slipping into situations where they must rely on humanitarian assistance for survival. After a broader urban and rural response was implemented in 2022, addressing the humanitarian consequences and most severe economic impacts of COVID-19, as well as the conflict, the humanitarian response strategy in 2023 follows a slightly narrower geographical scope of action. In agreement with the development community in Myanmar, the HRP in 2023 will focus predominantly on people in need in rural areas, essentially transitioning the signifi cant caseload of vulnerable people in peri-urban and urban areas to development partners for more durable support through programming focused on resilience, prevention, and improved living conditions. The HRP is strategically aimed at providing life-saving assistance to those immediately affected by shocks, including people who are displaced, as well as those who are acutely crisis-affected and have humanitarian needs. The response will aim to alleviate suffering for people facing acute vulnerabilities such as mental and physical disability; those using dangerous coping strategies; internally displaced people and returnees; and those living in households headed by women, children, or the elderly. There is a heavy emphasis on addressing food insecurity in the Response Plan given the worsening national trends and enormous needs revealed in the HNO analysis for 2023. Protection responses and advocacy are a top priority that will be implemented through systematic information collection, protection monitoring and analysis, guided by the HCT’s newly updated Protection Strategy. The focus will be on identifying people with specific needs and reaching the most at-risk with life-saving and emergency protection services that reduce the adoption of negative coping strategies and improve people’s safety and dignity. In 2022, humanitarian partners demonstrated their ability to scale up their response in the difficult new operating environment reaching at least 3.9 million people3 out of the 6.2 million people targeted for assistance in the HRP by September using adopting flexible response modalities to ensure continuity of operations. However, this assistance has not been as multi-sectoral or as weighted towards new conflict areas as planned due to gross under-funding and heavy access constraints. Despite a shrinking space for the humanitarian response, operational partners continue to have presence and capacity across the country and are committed to staying and delivering a well-coordinated life-saving response amid increasingly challenging circumstances in 2023. With all clusters (except Logistics) fully activated nationally, humanitarian organizations have gone to great lengths to expand their footprint into areas of new need and are reaching increasing numbers of people affected by the expanding conflict. In addition to established partners who have demonstrated the scope to expand their existing response, a major effort is ongoing to link up with new partners, particularly local organizations, to increase access and reach, especially into hard-to-reach, conflict areas. At the start of 2023, 219 operational cluster partners stand ready to provide life-saving assistance to people in need, a significant increase from the 130 partners operational in quarter 1 of 2022.4 In 2023, humanitarians will continue to try all viable avenues to deliver assistance and alleviate the suffering of affected people, recognizing that there are some areas that are easier for certain actors to reach than others - especially at-scale. Those who are in-country will continue working to keep an internal window of access to affected people open - often by supporting local partners working heroically in the deep field - while simultaneously coordinating with those who are delivering assistance through remote modalities. Expanded humanitarian access, especially to conflict-affected areas, is vital to delivering on the HRP’s aims and partners will continue to employ a principled approach to access negotiations. To deepen access in all areas of the country and enable humanitarian organizations to deliver assistance, the revitalized Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG) will guide analysis, access and civil-military coordination and advocacy. Alternative delivery approaches, including cash, remote and private sector modalities will continue to be explored to reach more people in the constrained environment. In line with standard global approaches, humanitarians will continue to engage with all sides to secure access to people in need of humanitarian support and raise protection concerns with parties to the conflict. Such engagement is a practical necessity to ensure staff can safely enter conflict areas to deliver assistance. Politicization of this practical humanitarian engagement and instrumentalization of humanitarian actors in 2022 has put staff in danger and there are concerns about the safety of aid workers in this highly charged environment. To ensure no one is left behind, 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 Humanitarian Law (IHL). Despite the predominant public discourse, humanitarian focus group discussions (FGDs) with affected people in different parts of the country over the past year have consistently suggested that the most vulnerable people want humanitarians to continue with our existing work to meet their urgent and immediate needs, whatever way they can. These less visible but very vulnerable people who are receiving vital assistance continue to tell humanitarian actors that their help is a lifeline and that they are fearful of it stopping. The response will continue to emphasize the importance of enhancing AAP work, reinforcing Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA); preventing and responding to Gender-Based Violence (GBV); strengthening gender, mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS); and promoting and delivering on disability inclusion. Humanitarian systems will be strengthened through dedicated technical working groups on these areas, as well as other cross-cutting and thematic topics. Cash will play an increasingly important role in the restrictive operational environment as a means to get assistance to people in need. Cash coordination will be scaled up in 2023 with an in-depth review planned on the feasibility of moving to a genuine multi-purpose cash approach, encompassing the breadth of the humanitarian response in 2024..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2023-01-25
Date of entry/update: 2023-01-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 9.55 MB (Original version) -149 pages
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Description: "Joint Statement of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management – NUG, Karenni National Progressive Party, Karen National Union and Chin National Front on ASEAN and UN Proposed Humanitarian Support to Burma/Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management - NUG , Karenn National Progressive Party, Karen National Union and Chin National Front
2022-05-30
Date of entry/update: 2022-05-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 345.94 KB
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Description: "The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management of the National Unity Government has been implementing the following humanitarian activities in accordance with the policies, strategies and action plans spending the total budget of (2.73) billion MMK from 16th April 2021 to 10th April 2022; Sr. No. Activities MMK (Million) 1. Internally displaced population and Armed conflict affected population 1334.20..... 2. Food security for local communities and local defence forces 803.90.....3 Families with the fallen heroes and the injured 113.72.....4 Civil Servants who joined Civil Disobedience Movement 228.99.....5.Vulnerable people and their families 82.39.....6. Political prisoners and their family members 44.25.....7. Natural Disaster affected communities 10.62.....8. General Support for humanitarian measures 113.49 Of all the support delivered, the highest amount, almost half of the funding has been spent on the humanitarian delivery for internally displaced people. As per the latest report issued by UNHCR on 6th April 2022, there are over (500,000) internally displaced people since the military coup, and the Ministry has provided humanitarian aid to about (100,000) IDPs in every month covering about 20% of the total population affected by armed conflict in Myanmar. According to the statistics, humanitarian assistances were delivered to the following States and Regions depending on the needs, and Kayin, Sagaing, Karenni, Chin and Magway had received the highest amount of contributions..."
Source/publisher: Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management - NUG
2022-04-16
Date of entry/update: 2022-04-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 223.01 KB 385.89 KB
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Description: " The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 128 million in support of 1.4 million refugees and host community members in need in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District. Since the influx in 2017, over 900,000 Rohingya have sought temporary refuge in Bangladesh, where the protracted crisis is now entering its fifth year. While the Government of Bangladesh and the local and international community have been providing immediate humanitarian assistance from the onset, the needs are immense and meeting them is dependent on continued support until the Rohingya are able to voluntarily return to Myanmar in a safe and dignified manner. IOM continues to provide basic daily requirements to the refugees in a highly complex operation, thus, it is imperative for life-saving assistance to continue. “Even as we face other pressing humanitarian crises elsewhere in the world and continue to grapple with the pandemic, the world must not forget the Rohingya refugees," said IOM Director General, António Vitorino. "We must continue to advocate for sustainable solutions in Myanmar that would eventually facilitate their voluntary and dignified return home. In the meantime, we continue to work together to ensure that they are safe and are able to live in dignity.” IOM’s appeal is part of the Joint Response Plan (JRP) for Rohingya Humanitarian Crisis, encompassing 136 UN agencies and NGOs, 74 of which are Bangladeshi organizations. The humanitarian actors are collectively seeking to raise more than USD 881 million through the JRP, launched on Tuesday with the Government of Bangladesh. The humanitarian community reiterated the need for continued support and financial assistance for the refugees in Bangladesh to ensure that they are not forgotten, amid emerging crises around the world. For IOM, healthcare is a major area of focus. Additional funding will enable IOM to maintain its network of community health workers, along with the 49 primary and secondary healthcare centers that it runs or supports. Together these centers provide over 100,000 consultations per month with some operating as COVID-19 vaccination sites, supporting the Government of Bangladesh’s roll-out of vaccines for refugees over the age of 18. Basic health is also dependent on access to clean water and sanitation. IOM is providing access to latrines and clean water, reaching almost 300,000 people on a daily basis. This includes running the largest solar-powered water treatment and distribution facilities in a humanitarian setting, together with wastewater treatment and solid waste management. The need for new and better-quality shelters remains high. Support is needed to continue infrastructural work to improve sites, in addition to stabilizing slopes and continuously improving living conditions. This work also entails providing accessways, drains and lighting in public spaces. To protect the most vulnerable – especially women and children who account for over 75 per cent of the population – IOM works at both the individual and community level to mitigate the risks of gender-based violence, abuse, child neglect and human trafficking. More funding is needed for Child-Friendly Corners that offer children a place to interact in safety, and Women and Girls Safe Spaces designed to improve women’s access, and participation. Every month, IOM supports in delivering alternative sources of fuel to more than 96,000 households for cooking, contributing to food security while also reducing the environmental impact. Bamboo is the most widely used material in the camps, and over 700,000 bamboo poles have been processed through the IOM-run Bamboo Treatment Facility – the largest of its kind. Treating bamboo poles reduces pest damage and lengthens the bamboo’s lifespan, while also minimizing pressure on forests and ensuring cost efficiency. “Along with the Government of Bangladesh and our partners, IOM will continue to support the Rohingya until they can safely return to Myanmar," said Fathima Nusrath Ghazzali, Officer in Charge at IOM Bangladesh. “This appeal is a critical element of the humanitarian community’s ongoing response, and the organization is grateful to its donors for their continued support and engagement.” ..."
Source/publisher: International Organization for Migration ( Switzerland)
2022-03-30
Date of entry/update: 2022-03-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 7.08 MB (Original version) - 44 pages
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Description: "Updating journalists at the daily media briefing in New York, Stéphane Dujarric cited humanitarians in saying that “conflict, food insecurity, natural disasters and COVID-19” have left some three million women, children and men in urgent need of life-saving assistance and protection. “This includes one million people who were in need at the start of the year, plus an additional two million people identified as needing help after the military takeover on 1 February”, he said. At that time, following a general election in which Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party won by a landslide, the military seized control of the country and declared a year-long state of emergency. As protesters took to the streets, security forces imposed curfews and other restrictions, leading to widespread alleged human rights abuses, thousands of arrests, and hundreds of deaths. Displaced and vulnerable people Since then, clashes between Myanmar Armed Forces, different ethnic armed organizations and people’s defense forces have left some 219,000 people newly displaced, said Mr. Dujarric. This comes as a recent wave of COVID-19 has exacerbated the dire humanitarian situation. At the same time, floods in Rakhine and Kayin states, have left tens of thousands without water and sanitation. “The UN once again calls on parties concerned to ensure that aid can be scaled up to reach people affected by the continued armed conflict”, said the Spokesperson. Despite conflict and COVID, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its partners have been able to reach more than 33,000 people with water and sanitation supplies. Mr. Dujarric also said that UNICEF continues to help nearly 150,000 internally displaced people and others in Kachin, Northern Shan, Rakhine and Sagaing. Families flee Meanwhile, the agency on Monday posted a detailed account of the deteriorating situation in Mindat – located in the southern Chin state of western Myanmar – which has been under martial law since May. According to a UN humanitarian report, Mindat is one of the worst affected places in the country, with residents there urgent need of support. Amid continuing armed clashes and a devasting third wave of the pandemic, UNICEF told the story in a blog post of Hay Mar and her husband, who, like many others, decided to flee the violence, forced to leaving behind some of the most vulnerable - including elderly relatives, and heavily pregnant women. “My mother-in-law could have run with us, but she said she didn’t want to. She wanted to stay in her home”, said Hay Mar. The family fashioned makeshift shelters in the forest, which left them with little protection from the monsoon rains. Future of uncertainty Two weeks after Hay Mar and her family left, she began to worry about her mother-in-law. With her three children in tow, she decided to return to the town. Although her youngest was petrified as they re-entered, she said that he is now slowly showing signs of overcoming the trauma and is returning to the lively boy he once was. While Hay Mar is happy to see positive changes in him, she is unsure how long this period of peace and calm will last. Like most of the other children in Mindat, her 12 and 17-year-olds have been out of school for almost two years – first because of the pandemic and then due to the life-threatening security crisis. “If we live in this situation, how will my children grow? I’m very worried about their future. I just want to live in peace”, she told UNICEF..."
Source/publisher: UN News
2021-10-19
Date of entry/update: 2021-10-20
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "United Nations aid to displaced people from Mindat, a mountainous town in Chin State which saw fighting between junta troops and civilian resistance fighters, is only reaching areas permitted by Myanmar’s regime. This week UN humanitarian organization the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) delivered humanitarian aid in “emergency response” to Mindat’s growing displaced population. However, the aid had not reached those in need, who fled the town following shootouts into rural Mindat. But villagers told The Irrawaddy this week that the aid had not left Mindat town and they had not received any assistance. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/ceasefire-broken-in-chin-state-as-myanmar-junta-troops-clash-with-civilian-resistance-fighters.html “The travel authorization granted to UNHCR permitted access to a number of displacement sites within Mindat town,” the UNHCR told The Irrawaddy by email on Friday. UNHCR convoys carrying non-food items and COVID-19 preventative materials went to Mindat on Monday. The agency said that since February it has been closely following developments in Chin State to assist those displaced. The UNHCR said it “calls for the continued collaboration of all concerned to facilitate unimpeded humanitarian access in Chin State and across the country, so that no disruption to humanitarian work occurs”. The agency declined to provide details about how the aid was distributed and how many civilians benefited from the assistance. The agency said on Monday it plans to distribute tarpaulins, mosquito nets, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen equipment, solar lamps and protective equipment for COVID-19 prevention as humanitarian assistance for up to 5,000 people. Dr. Bu Htang, a member of a displacement camp committee in Tuili village, about 50km from Mindat, told The Irrawaddy on Friday that the internally displaced people (IDP) in his village did not receive the UNHCR’s aid. His village hosts some 1,200 people who fled fighting in Mindat town and are unable to return home. “There is no support. We are sharing whatever donations we have. We heard the UN’s aid only goes to the areas where the military regime’s governing council permits. The aid should be delivered to the IDPs and many of those are in the villages, far from the town,” he said. Despite the hurdles, the UNHCR said the agency is in regular contact with partners “to explore the best way to reach and respond to the needs of those displaced in other areas of Chin State”..."
Source/publisher: "The Irrawaddy" (Thailand)
2021-07-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: UNHCR is partnering with local communities and faith groups to help an estimated 200,000 people driven from their homes by fresh violence since February’s military takeover.
Description: "Armed conflict is sadly nothing new for 27-year-old Nway Nway Htay. An ethnic Rakhine woman originally from Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, she became familiar with the sounds of artillery and gunfire as the Myanmar Armed Forces, locally known as the Tatmadaw, battled ethnic armed groups in her native state. Security was something she constantly worried about. “I may be used to the sound of gunshots, but the fear is always there,” she said. “Last year, I came back to Rakhine to give birth when fighting erupted near the hospital. The explosions made the process even more stressful.” Following the birth of her son, Nway Nway Htay returned to Kachin State, a mountainous region wedged between India and China, where she had been living with her ethnic Kachin husband for two years. There, the couple worked the land along with a small group of villagers, growing oranges as cash crops in Injangyang Township to support themselves. Nway Nway Htay’s move to a rural corner of Myanmar’s northernmost state in 2019 was made in the hopes of living a more peaceful life. While also embroiled in its own ethnic armed conflict, prospects for peace in Kachin State had been improving. Negotiations between the Tatmadaw and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) were making headway. Major hostilities ceased in late 2018, while smaller-scale skirmishes had largely subsided by the end of 2020. “I may be used to the sound of gunshots, but the fear is always there.” That all changed in 2021. Following a military takeover on 1 February, Myanmar was plunged into a crisis that saw the spread and intensification of fighting in many areas. Violence resurfaced once again in Kachin State, including frequent heavy clashes and airstrikes. Nway Nway Htay is one of an estimated 200,000 people across the country forced to flee their homes by the upsurge of armed conflict. One sunny day in mid-March, she was at home with her son when the sound of gunshots echoed between the hills. Having experienced similar incidents before in Rakhine State, Nway Nway Htay’s first instinct was to stay inside the safety of her home. Moments later, her husband burst through the door saying they had to leave. The fighting was getting closer. By the time Nway Nway Htay stepped outside, the village had emptied and they were the last to leave. Her anxiety grew as they fled. “The Tatmadaw and KIA were constantly firing at each other and a soldier we encountered warned us of landmines in the area. Each step we took filled me with dread,” she recalled. The family eventually reached the banks of the Malikha River where a boat transported them to a nearby safe zone. There, they hid with other villagers for five days before making their way by motorbike to the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina. With little more than what they could carry on their backs, the family called on a relative who took them in. Seeking the assistance of relatives is often the preferred choice for internally displaced people (IDPs) in Myanmar, a country with a strong tradition of extended family support and community solidarity. Religious affiliation often also determines how assistance is sought. Buddhists prefer to approach Buddhist charities and shelter at monasteries while Christians often receive assistance from Christian organizations and seek refuge at church compounds. Host families and communities therefore act as crucial first responders, offering material assistance such as shelter and food as well as psychological support in the form of emotional and spiritual security. In Nway Nway Htay’s case, her husband’s religious affiliation as a Baptist led to the family seeking assistance from the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC). The ethnic Kachin are predominantly Christian and faith-based organizations like KBC play a prominent role in supporting IDPs within Kachin State. Many facilitate the day to day running of IDP camps and mobilize resources to support new arrivals. “We have to find them so that no one is left behind.” “These organizations spearhead humanitarian responses and our role is to reinforce their capacity, introduce best practices and complement their interventions,” explained Cliff Alvarico, UNHCR’s Head of Office in Myitkyina. Since 2012, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has been helping KBC and other faith-based organizations optimize resources to assist displaced populations and ensure a swift response. “We also ensure that those who stay outside of IDP camps remain on our radar and receive the same level of assistance as those inside,” he added. “Wherever they are, we have to find them so that no one is left behind.” The focus on assisting IDPs outside of camps is particularly pertinent in Kachin State. Many existing camps in urban centres face space constraints as they already host thousands of IDPs displaced up to a decade before the recent resurgence of armed conflict. New arrivals have therefore on occasion been asked to seek temporary accommodation elsewhere. “Restarting will not be easy.” Though hosted by a relative, Nway Nway Htay and her family are entitled to the same level of assistance as those living in camps. UNHCR ensures this by having them registered as members of a nearby IDP camp. A coalition of humanitarian agencies provide food and other support to the population on a regular basis. For its part, UNHCR distributes domestic items such as blankets, sleeping mats and mosquito nets to new arrivals as well as the rest of the registered population. While relieved that her immediate material needs have been taken care of, Nway Nway Htay is worried about what lies ahead. Four months after their arrival in Myitkyina, the family has been unable to return to their village due to continued insecurity. Finances remain tight as they seek alternative means to make ends meet. “My husband has left to work at a mine. It’s not a stable job and when fighting occurs nearby, he has to stop work and flee,” she said. “Restarting will not be easy. We’ve already lost one harvest and have to wait until the rainy season ends.” Nway Nway Htay’s focus in the meantime remains on caring for her child. “My priority is my son. I want him to be strong and healthy before we return in case we ever have to run again.”..."
Source/publisher: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva)
2021-07-23
Date of entry/update: 2021-07-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The UN in Myanmar is alarmed at recent acts of violence that illustrate a sharp deterioration of the human rights environment across Myanmar. One such case is the discovery of two mass graves in Myawaddy Township (Kayin State), containing the human remains of twenty-five people who had reportedly been detained on 31 May by the Karen National Defense Organization (KNDO). Another case is the reported burning by security forces of more than 150 homes in Kin Ma Village in Pauk Township (Magway Region) on 15 June, leaving two dead and approximately 1,000 people homeless. The United Nations in Myanmar reiterates its call on all actors in the current crisis to ensure that international human rights norms and standards are respected. This includes upholding the obligation to minimize collateral harm to civilians and to civilian infrastructure, and prohibiting the application of collective punishments against communities, families or individuals. The United Nations in Myanmar calls for those responsible for human rights violations to be held accountable, including the perpetrators and their chain of command. လူ့အခွင့်အရေးများဆိုင်ရာ ဝန်းကျင်အခြေအနေ လျင်မြန်စွာ ယိုယွင်းကျဆင်းလာမှုအပေါ် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ စိုးရိမ်ထိတ်လန့် (ရန်ကုန်) – မကြာသေးမီက ဖြစ်ပေါ်ခဲ့သော အကြမ်းဖက်လုပ်ရပ်များ သည် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတစ်ဝှမ်းရှိ လူ့အခွင့်အရေးများဆိုင်ရာ ဝန်းကျင်အခြေအနေ လျင်မြန်စွာ ယိုယွင်း ကျဆင်းလာမှုကို ဖော်ကျူးနေသည့်အတွက် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအနေဖြင့် အထိတ် တလန့်ဖြင့် စိုးရိမ်ပူပန်လျက် ရှိပါသည်။ ဖြစ်ရပ်တစ်ခုမှာ မြဝတီမြို့နယ် (ကရင်ပြည်နယ်) တွင် လူ (၂၅) ဦး၏ ရုပ်ကြွင်းများကို မြှုပ်နှံထား သည့် နေရာနှစ်ခုအား တွေ့ရှိရခြင်း ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ ထိုသူများသည် ကရင်အမျိုးသားကာကွယ်ရေးအဖွဲ့ (KNDO) မှ မေလ (၃၁) ရက်နေ့တွင် ဖမ်းဆီးထိန်းသိမ်းခြင်းခံခဲ့ရသူများ ဖြစ်သည်ဟုဆိုပါသည်။ နောက်ဖြစ်ရပ် တစ်ခုတွင် ရရှိသည့် သတင်းများအရ ဇွန်လ (၁၅) ရက်နေ့က လုံခြုံရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့များသည် ပေါက်မြို့နယ် (မကွေး တိုင်းဒေသကြီး) ရှိ ကင်းမရွာတွင် လူနေအိမ်ခြေပေါင်း ၁၅၀ ကျော်ကို မီးရှို့ဖျက်ဆီးခဲ့မှုကြောင့် လူ နှစ်ဦး သေဆုံးခဲ့ပြီး လူပေါင်း ၁,၀၀၀ ခန့် အိုးမဲ့အိမ်မဲ့ ဖြစ်ခဲ့ရခြင်းပင် ဖြစ်ပါသည်။ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများအနေဖြင့် လက်ရှိအကျပ်အတည်းတွင် ပါဝင်ပတ်သက် နေသူများအားလုံးအနေဖြင့် နိုင်ငံတကာလူ့အခွင့်အရေးစံများနှင့် စံချိန်စံညွှန်းများကို လေးစားလိုက်ကြရန် ထပ်လောင်းတိုက်တွန်းလိုက်ပါသည်။ နိုင်ငံတကာလူ့အခွင့်အရေးစံနှုန်းများကို လိုက်နာမှုဟု ဆိုရာတွင် စစ်ဘက်ဆိုင်ရာ လုပ်ဆောင်မှုများအတွင်း အရပ်သားများနှင့် အရပ်ဘက်ဆိုင်ရာ အခြေခံအဆောက် အအုံများကို ထိခိုက်မှုများ နည်းနိုင်သမျှအနည်းဆုံးဖြစ်အောင် လုပ်ဆောင်ရမည့် တာဝန်နှင့် ရပ်ရွာလူထုများ၊ မိသားစုများ သို့မဟုတ် လူပုဂ္ဂိုလ်များအပေါ် သိမ်းကျုံးရောနှော၍ အပြစ်ပေးခြင်းကို တားမြစ်ရန် တာဝန်တို့အား စောင့်ထိန်းခြင်းလည်း ပါဝင်ပါသည်။ လူ့အခွင့်အရေးချိုးဖောက်မှုများအတွက် ကိုယ်တိုင်ကျူးလွန်သူများ နှင့် အမိန့်ပေးစေခိုင်းသူများအပါ အဝင် တာဝန်ရှိသူများကို တာဝန်ခံမှုရှိစေရန် မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့များမှ တိုက်တွန်းပါသည်။..."
Source/publisher: United Nations Myanmar
2021-06-17
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-18
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Description: "HIGHLIGHTS: Tens of thousands of people have been newly displaced within Myanmar in recent weeks, as fighting broke out between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and local defence groups, particularly in Kayah State, Shan State (south), Chin State and Magway Region. There are now an estimated 200,000 people who have been displaced within Myanmar since 1 February, a nearly 15% increase since two weeks ago. In southeast Myanmar, the security situation remains volatile, with intense armed clashes in Kayah State, Kayin State and eastern Bago Region, as the MAF clashed with both the Kayah People’s Defense Forces and Karen National Union. Among over 160,000 people displaced in or from the southeast since 1 February, some 97,000 are in Kayah State and 48,000 in Kayin State. Following an outbreak of conflict in an area of Kayin State, some 400 Myanmar nationals crossed into Thailand’s Tak Province in early June, but have since returned to Myanmar. In Chin State, new fighting between the MAF and local defence groups has further increased displacement and spread into Magway Region, where an additional 5,000 people have recently been displaced. Violence has also continued in Kachin State, with more armed clashes between the MAF and the Kachin Independence Army, as well as instances of explosions and arson. As a result of the situation in Chin State, Indian state authorities have been reported in the media as estimating that the border states neighbouring Myanmar are currently sheltering around 15,000 new arrivals, although UNHCR is unable to verify precise figures..."
Source/publisher: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
2021-06-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "KACHIN STATE: Armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Kachin Independence Army continue unabated in Kachin State. Over 600 people were newly displaced in 10 different locations in Bhamo and Momauk townships over the course of May. A total of 11,654 people have been internally displaced since the resurgence of hostilities in mid-March 2021. About 10,217 of them remain displaced in seven townships, unable to return home due to insecurity. 9 June 2021 marked 10 years since armed conflict resumed following a 17-year ceasefire in Kachin State. Around 95,500 people remain displaced across the state in protracted IDP camps or in host communities since 2011.....SHAN STATE: Armed clashes between the MAF and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) or among the EAOs have been reported for the first time this year in Mongkaing and Kyethi townships in the southern parts of Shan State. Around 1,800 people were displaced due to these clashes, mainly in Kyethi Township. In northern Shan, over 3,000 people were displaced in May, particularly in Hsipaw Township. Meanwhile, around 3,400 people who were displaced earlier this year in the same township were able to return home once the hostilities in the area subsided. In total, around 15,271 people have been internally displaced in northern Shan since the start of 2021. Another 1,900 were displaced in southern Shan. More than 5,000 people remain in 21 displacement sites in several townships.....KAYIN, KAYAH, MON STATES AND BAGO REGION: A total of 160,400 people have fled violence, insecurity and clashes in southeastern Myanmar since 1 February, according to UNHCR. In Kayah State, around 108,800 people were internally displaced following an escalation of hostilities between the MAF and the Karenni People’s Defense Force. Of this figure, around 11,700 have fled to southern parts of neighboring Shan State. Additionally, some 47,600 people remain displaced in Kayin State and 4,000 people are displaced in parts of Mon State and Bago Region. National and international humanitarian actors are complementing the local response efforts led by communities, which has been immediate, but not sufficient to address all needs. Efforts have been met with access challenges due to insecurity and roadblocks.....CHIN AND RAKHINE STATES: The security situation remains tense in Chin State with clashes between the MAF and Chinland Defence Force reported in Hakha, Kanpetlet, Mindat and Thantlang townships, as well as neighboring Gangaw Township in Magway Region. Around 19,500 people are currently hosted in over 70 displacement sites in four townships in Chin State since 12 May and in Saw Township in Magway Region since 6 June. Chin State is already hosting almost 9,850 people in Paletwa Township due to the MAF and the Arakan Army (AA) conflict. In Rakhine, no new displacement has been reported and despite a lull in hostilities between the MAF and the AA since November 2020, casualties due to landmines and explosive hazards continue to be reported. Four people were reportedly killed by a landmine in Ponnagyun Township on 4 June. A total of 31 civilians were killed or injured due to landmines in Rakhine in the first quarter of 2021, according to UNICEF...."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-06-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-16
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Bangladesh Provided Myanmar Information that Refugee Agency Collected
Description: "The United Nations refugee agency improperly collected and shared personal information from ethnic Rohingya refugees with Bangladesh, which shared it with Myanmar to verify people for possible repatriation, Human Rights Watch said today. The agency did not conduct a full data impact assessment, as its policies require, and in some cases failed to obtain refugees’ informed consent to share their data with Myanmar, the country they had fled. Since 2018 the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has registered hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladeshi camps and the Bangladesh government has issued them identity cards, which are needed for essential aid and services. Bangladesh then used the information, including analog photographs, thumbprint images, and other biographic data to submit refugee details to the Myanmar government for possible repatriation. “The UN refugee agency’s data collection practices with Rohingya in Bangladesh were contrary to the agency’s own policies and exposed refugees to further risk,” said Lama Fakih, crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch. “UNHCR should only allow data that it collects to be shared with countries of origin when it has properly obtained free and informed consent from participants.” Since 2016, over 800,000 Rohingya from Myanmar were expelled or fled crimes against humanity and acts of genocide across the border to Bangladesh. The Myanmar government continues to carry out the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution against the remaining Rohingya population. From September 2020 to March 2021, Human Rights Watch interviewed 24 Rohingya refugees about their registration experiences with UNHCR in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh and spoke to 20 aid workers, analysts, local activists, journalists, and lawyers who observed or participated in the Rohingya registration. Human Rights Watch sent detailed questions and its research findings to UNHCR in February and April, and received responses from UNHCR on May 10. UNHCR denied any wrongdoing or policy violations, stating that it had explained all purposes of the data gathering exercise and obtained consent. The agency said that its data collection efforts were aimed at finding durable solutions for the refugees and that no Rohingya were put at risk. In 2018, the Bangladesh government sought to supplement previous registrations by beginning a joint registration exercise with UNHCR. The government aimed to provide an identity card for refugees – called a “Smart Card” – that allows them to obtain aid and services. The government also sought to gather personal data collected by UNHCR to submit to Myanmar for repatriation eligibility assessments. UNHCR said this would help protect the refugees’ right of return. In a January meeting with Human Rights Watch, UNHCR said that field officers had asked Rohingya for permission to share their data for repatriation eligibility assessments, explaining that a Smart Card would still be issued to those who did not agree. However, at the time of the registration exercise, UNHCR staff said publicly that the data was not linked to repatriations, including on a September 2018 Rohingya community radio show, and in November 2018 comments to international media. Rohingya refugees had in fact staged protests in the camps that month partly out of concern that data collection would be used to facilitate forced returns. The refugees Human Rights Watch interviewed also gave a different account than UNHCR staff had outlined in the January meeting. All but one of the 24 said that UNHCR staff told them that they had to register to get the Smart Cards to access aid, and they did not mention anything about sharing data with Myanmar, or linking it to repatriation eligibility assessments. Three said they were told after giving their data that it might be used for repatriation purposes. One said he noticed after leaving the registration center that the box to share data with Myanmar, on a receipt printed out and given to refugees only in English, had been checked “yes,” although he was never asked. He was one of only three among the refugees interviewed who could read English. Human Rights Watch viewed the English-only receipt that UNHCR gave to Rohingya refugees after their registration. It includes a box noting “yes” or “no” as to whether the information can be shared with the Myanmar government. Human Rights Watch interviewed 21 refugees whose names were included in the list verified by Myanmar for repatriation. Twelve of the 21 people were added to repatriation eligibility assessment lists in 2019 – lists drawn up based on the data collected by UNHCR. The 21 said that after being registered they later learned that their information had been shared with Myanmar and their names were on lists of people verified for return. They all went into hiding in other camps because they feared being forcibly returned. So far, Bangladesh has not forced any Rohingya in the camps to return against their will to Myanmar. One of the 24 refugees interviewed said that the UNHCR field officer registering him asked if he consented to have his data shared with the Myanmar government. He said he felt pressure not to refuse: “I could not say no because I needed the Smart Card and I did not think that I could say no to the data-sharing question and still get the card.” UNHCR in this case did not seek free and informed consent, which would have required making certain that the refugees knew and understood the risks of sharing their and their family’s data with Myanmar, that they had the ability to opt-out without prejudice, and that they could get the Smart Card even if they did not agree. UNHCR staff told Human Rights Watch that they did not discuss any specific risks with Rohingya before registering them, and the Rohingya interviewed said they were not told about any such risks. Between 2018 and 2021, the Bangladesh government submitted at least 830,000 names of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar along with biometric and other data for each person, for repatriation eligibility assessments. Myanmar reportedly agreed to allow about 42,000 Rohingya to return. UNHCR told Human Rights Watch that it played no role in drawing up these lists but that the names and other data included in the lists submitted from 2019 onwards, including biometrics, came from analog versions of the data it had gathered during the joint registration exercise, for example, non-digital thumbprint images. In its global guidelines on sharing information on individual cases, UNHCR acknowledges the risks of sharing such information and says that “UNHCR should not share any [individual case] information with the authorities of the country of origin.” In the Myanmar context, risks include involuntary Rohingya returns to Myanmar, particularly given Bangladesh’s forced repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar in the 1970s and 1990s. In those cases, UNHCR tacitly condoned Bangladesh’s coerced returns. Bangladesh’s submission of lists to Myanmar may also have put refugees, or at least the subset that Myanmar agreed to return, on track to receive Myanmar’s National Verification Cards (NVCs), which many Rohingya reject because they believe it undermines their claims to Myanmar citizenship. The UNHCR-Bangladesh exercise appears to have violated the agency’s policy on protecting personal data that it collects, which requires UNHCR to tell people in a language and manner they understand why it is collecting their data and whether it will be transferred to another entity. It also appears to have undermined the objective of UNHCR’s policies that aim to ensure that consent is not coerced. UNHCR’s Handbook on Voluntary Repatriation says that the agency should never directly link registration or other verification exercises with registration for voluntary repatriations because “[l]inking the two may create confusion for the refugees by giving the impression that one needs to register for voluntary repatriation in order to be entitled to assistance in the country of asylum. This may seriously jeopardize voluntariness.” Linking the eligibility assessment and registration for services did create confusion, Human Rights Watch said. Nearly all of the refugees interviewed did not understand that their data would be shared with the Myanmar government. In the one case in which the refugee was told that it would be, he said he felt he could not refuse consent without jeopardizing his access to services. UNHCR should have recognized that Bangladesh sharing data with Myanmar raised serious protection concerns. “[T]he idea of sharing data with Myanmar, or allowing data to be shared with Myanmar, on this community should have been out of the question until there were minimum guarantees in place – which there aren’t,” said an aid worker familiar with the process in Bangladesh. Finally, UNHCR has a policy requiring a data protection impact assessment before it enters into data transfer arrangements like the one in Bangladesh. However, staff said they did not carry out a “full-fledged” impact assessment, only undertaking several risk assessments prior to signing the data-sharing agreement with Bangladesh. The apparent failure to take into account the history of forced returns from Bangladesh to Myanmar, in those assessments, is important. UNHCR should not combine collecting people’s data for services or identity cards with data collection for repatriation eligibility, Human Rights Watch said. UNHCR should ensure that people who agree to have their data shared are able to withdraw that consent and know how to do so. The agency should only share data or allow data that it collects to be shared with countries of origin when it has taken all efforts to obtain free and informed consent. “Humanitarian agencies obviously need to collect and share some data so they can provide refugees with protection, services, and assist with safe, dignified, and voluntary returns,” Fakih said. “But a refugee has the right to control their data, who has access to it, and for what purposes, and UNHCR and other agencies should be accountable to those whose data they hold.” Purpose of the UNHCR-Bangladesh Registration Exercise In 2017, the Bangladesh government conducted its own registration of Rohingya refugees by collecting personal data, including biometrics, and collaborated with UNHCR through its Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission to conduct a family counting exercise. In 2018, the government asked UNHCR to participate in a joint exercise to link the registration data that it had collected and the data collected by UNHCR in collaboration with the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission. UNHCR signed a data-sharing agreement with Bangladesh in January 2018. Following Myanmar and Bangladesh’s November 2017 repatriation agreement (the Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State), which required Bangladesh to conduct a “pre-verification” exercise to vet refugees before Myanmar would carry out its own assessment of return eligibility, Bangladesh and Myanmar also entered into an agreement outlining the verification and repatriation process, including collecting and sharing refugee data. The agreement stated that “[r]elevant information or data generated by, and available with, relevant UN agencies may be used for reference, as and when necessary … Bangladesh may provide verified lists of returnees from Bangladesh to the UNHCR Representatives for ascertaining voluntariness from prospective returnee families.” The annexed verification form requested extensive identifying data. UNHCR’s independent evaluation of its emergency response, published in December 2018, noted that for the lists Bangladesh would need to prepare for Myanmar, authorities would “require a level of detail about place of origin, family composition and so on” that the government had not obtained in its initial registration. UNHCR’s independent evaluation found that the agency saw the joint registration exercise as an opening to assist the “durable documentation” of Rohingya for potential returns. In its May 2021 written response to Human Rights Watch, UNHCR said that this unique verification process stems from the discriminatory nationality restrictions that Rohingya face, because most now lack official documentation proving they are from Myanmar. UNHCR officials said that as part of the joint registration exercise, field officers asked Rohingya two questions: first, whether they consented to have their data shared with partners for assistance in Bangladesh and, second, whether they consented to have their data shared with Myanmar to assess repatriation eligibility. They said the agency began the registration exercise in June 2018, collecting “a significant amount of information about the family, place of origin and relatives overseas,” and fingerprints, iris scans, photographs, and shared much of that data with the Bangladesh government. Following the joint exercise, Bangladesh issued refugees over age 12 identity cards known as Smart Cards, which are linked to their biometric data. UNHCR officials said that they advocated successfully to include the phrase “Forcibly Displaced Myanmar National/Person of Concern to UNHCR” on the cards, as well as a written commitment that the card bearer should be protected from being forcibly returned. The cards gave Rohingya valid identification and allowed them access to food, aid, health care, and other essential services. During the registration exercise, some Rohingya raised concerns that the data would be used to facilitate repatriations and be integrated into the Myanmar National Verification Cards (NVC) system – an inherently discriminatory process that identifies Rohingya as non-citizens. A visit to the Bangladesh camps in early 2018 by Myanmar’s social welfare minister, Dr. Win Myat Aye, stoked those fears. He said during the visit that NVC cards would help to verify the identity of refugees returning to Myanmar. Some Rohingya held protests against the registration exercise in late 2018, which in a few cases the camp authorities met with violence. A 2020 study by the Engine Room, an international organization working with data and technology to encourage social change, said a number of refugees spoke of fears around data sharing with Myanmar, telling them, “We are still having doubts about one matter ... they assured us that they won’t share our biodata with the [government of Myanmar], but what if they cheat us and share this data … [and] send us back to [Myanmar]?” In response to refugee concerns, UNHCR officials made confusing public statements about the purpose of the data collection exercise. For example, in November 2018, after protesters complained that Myanmar would access the data, a UNHCR official told Reuters that the data was being collected for a verification process that would help Rohingya refugees get better protection and ensure their access to services in Bangladesh and was “not linked to repatriation.” In its May 10, 2021 response to Human Rights Watch, UNHCR said that Reuters had selectively excerpted this statement without providing more context and that UNHCR staff consistently said that Bangladesh may share data with Myanmar to verify eligibility for returns, and this would not be linked to any “actual return movement.” In September 2018, a UNHCR assistant registration officer had addressed the issue on a Rohingya community radio show, Bala-Bura: There isn’t any association between the Smart Card and the repatriation to Myanmar. Repatriation is based on your own willingness and it doesn’t look like it could actually happen right now. It could only happen when there is peace in your country, when you get your rights back, when you get your house, land and properties returned, when you get the freedom of movement—these are the criteria for voluntary [returns]. And this [Smart Card] is to live in Bangladesh, to stay safely in Bangladesh, to get assistance- this card is being given to ensure all of that. There is not any association with the repatriation to Myanmar. When you receive that identity card or the “Smart Card,” the first advantage you will get is that you can stay peacefully and safely in Bangladesh. At the same time, the official said that Bangladesh would share some limited information on who people were and what village they came from with Myanmar but did not explain that this would be linked to repatriation eligibility assessments, nor that it would include additional data including photographs or thumbprint images. In a January 2019 operational update, UNHCR said the exercise was intended to ensure that refugees had identity documents and could use those documents to get services, and “contribute to ensuring a refugee’s right to return.” The statements from UNHCR officials contributed to refugees incorrectly believing that the data UNHCR collected was not going to contribute to anything related to potential returns. As one aid worker, who at the time was attending meetings between Rohingya leaders and UNHCR on this issue put it, “UNHCR kept saying to them [Rohingya leaders] the memorandum of understanding it signed with Myanmar had nothing to do with repatriations and nor did the joint registration exercise. It was basically ignoring the Rohingya and their concerns that there was a link.” Free and Informed Consent UNHCR predicates its assistance and protection on free and informed consent by beneficiaries. A 2020 UNHCR guide for making refugee status determinations, for example, states that UNHCR should inform an individual of: the extent of the information to be disclosed, the recipient of the information, the purpose of the disclosure and the likely use of the information. Consent must be sought each time the information is to be disclosed to a different third party or used for purposes which the Applicant was not informed about and would not have reasonably expected at the time of the initial consent. In addition, to be valid: consent must be informed, that is consent must be based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and consequences, which obliges UNHCR to inform the person of the purpose(s) of data collection, and how the data is, or is likely to be, used. Consent must also be freely given, meaning that the individual must have a genuine choice and be able to refuse or withdraw consent without adverse consequences. While UNHCR policy allows for processing data without consent under some circumstances, including emergency situations, this should not override the need for consent or appropriate alternatives during registration exercises so as to not expose individuals or groups to harm, or otherwise jeopardize their protection. UNHCR staff told Human Rights Watch in 2021 that when registering Rohingya for the joint registration exercise in 2018, field staff asked refugees whether they consented to have their data shared with Myanmar to assess their repatriation eligibility. They said that Rohingya could have registered for the Smart Card even if they did not want their data shared with Myanmar. They contended that the vast majority of refugees consented but did not say how many refused. The Rohingya interviewed by Human Rights Watch disputed these claims. Human Rights Watch believes that combining registration required for services with consent to a repatriation eligibility assessment is contrary to the principle of free consent. Rohingya refugees require a Smart Card to get all services in the refugee camps. UNHCR’s policies provide that the agency should never directly link registration or other verification exercises with registration for voluntary repatriations. UNHCR disputed the relevance of this principle by arguing it applies to registration for voluntary repatriation, not sharing names to assess eligibility for return. But the aim of the policy – to ensure that consent is not coerced – should also apply in the registration exercise that UNHCR conducted with Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch said. Human Rights Watch found that UNHCR gave refugees mixed messages about how their data would be used and did not provide enough information for people to understand when, how, and for what purposes their information would be shared with the Myanmar government. UNHCR said that when communicating with refugees and media about the registration exercise, UNHCR staff members consistently noted the possibility that the government of Bangladesh may share the data with the government of Myanmar for the purpose of verifying their eligibility for return, but this would not be linked to any actual returns. In February, a UNHCR official said the question about sharing data for eligibility assessments during the joint registration exercise was a “tick box” on a consent form that each refugee signed. She claimed the agency “always asked this question and the refugees understood what we meant very quickly.” This is contrary to the experience of 23 of the 24 Rohingya refugees interviewed, who said that they believed at the time that the data collection was only to get the Smart Card and access to services, and a counting exercise. They said they did not sign a form, but instead gave their data in their own language to a field officer typing into a computer, and received a printed English language-only receipt with that data at the end of the interview. One Rohingya man who shared with Human Rights Watch the English language receipt said he was shocked to see that his data could be shared with Myanmar: When I got to the [registration] center no one there told me why they were collecting my data, it was assumed that I knew like everyone that it was in order to receive services and for a counting exercise. After they took my data, they printed out a receipt. I walked back to my tent, and then I looked at the paper, and noticed that on the top there was a tick box that the person at the center had marked as “yes” without ever asking me, that my data would be shared with Myanmar. I was so angry when I saw that, but I had already given my data, and I needed services, so I didn’t know what I could do about it. And I am one of the few people who probably even realized that. Most Rohingya do not read English. But why did they do that? Why don’t they ask the person in front of them instead of just clicking and maybe even causing us harm by doing that? The man said that before his data was collected, a senior UNHCR official told a community meeting he had attended that, “in the future, if you agree, UNHCR and Bangladesh will share your information with Myanmar so the government can verify where you are from,” but that he was never told this collection exercise would be for that purpose. Another Rohingya man said: UNHCR did not tell us it would be used for anything linked to repatriations. When the registration exercise started, we had said we didn’t want to participate because we were worried about repatriations, but the UNHCR staff told us, “We will not share your information with Myanmar until you give us permission to.” And then they never came back to us to ask if they could share our information. He added that when field staff collected his data, they did not discuss consent in any detail. In its May responses, UNHCR stated that Rohingya refugees were provided extensive counseling on the sharing of their information with Myanmar for the purposes of verification of eligibility for return, but at the same time acknowledged that in some cases a more thorough explanation and counseling for refugees may have helped them better understand the process and its purpose. UNHCR said that the vast majority of refugees in 2017 and 2018 were expressing a desire to return home “if conditions were conducive” – a sentiment that refugees also expressed to Human Rights Watch at the time. The Rohingya refugees have repeatedly said that they wish to return to Myanmar when it is safe and their citizenship rights, right to freedom of movement, and other human rights are guaranteed. But when Bangladesh started submitting names to Myanmar for repatriation eligibility assessments in 2018, Rohingya refugees told Human Rights Watch that they still did not feel safe to return. The one Rohingya man who said UNHCR did ask his consent to share his data with Myanmar said he felt pressure not to refuse. He added that he assumed, based on UNHCR’s mandate to protect vulnerable people, the data would only be shared at a time when safe and dignified repatriations were possible. “We would be very worried to have our full information shared without those conditions, especially now with the Myanmar military in control of the government,” he said. Bangladesh officials said that by early 2021 they had submitted lists with at least 830,000 names to Myanmar. Bangladesh’s foreign minister reported that the lists included all the data the government had on each individual, including biometric data. Myanmar authorities verified the eligibility of 42,000 people for return, though UNHCR considered the situation in Myanmar not conducive for safe refugee returns. Once they were verified for return, UNHCR interviewed those selected, and almost all said they did not want to return, with some going into hiding out of fear of forced repatriation. Human Rights Watch believes that biometric data should only be gathered when necessary and proportionate, and when fully compliant with privacy and data protection legislation and internal data retention and privacy policies. If biometric data collection (such as fingerprint images) is deemed necessary, in line with various data protection regulations and established principles of data collection in sensitive contexts, UNHCR should collect and store as little data as possible about vulnerable people. Implementation of UNHCR Policy UNHCR has a policy and practical guidance to protect personal data that it collects on beneficiaries and shares with third parties. The policy specifies that “before entering into data transfer arrangements with Implementing Partners or third parties which may negatively impact on the protection of personal data of persons of concern, UNHCR needs to carry out a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).” UNHCR told Human Rights Watch that it did not carry out a “full-fledged DPIA,” but undertook several risk assessments prior to signing the data-sharing agreement with Bangladesh and embedded and applied risk-mitigating measures into the agreement. In its assessments, UNHCR said it took into account “application of data protection provisions, refugees’ consent, UNHCR’s prior written authorization to disclose, limitations to the use of data, the format in which data are being shared, and balanced any identified risks against the benefits of upholding refugees’ right to return to their country.” It is important, though that it did not seem to take into account the context of historical involuntary returns from Bangladesh to Myanmar. A former senior UNHCR staff member said that while the agency has a policy in place, “UNHCR has not put procedures to enforce the policy. DPIAs are generally not conducted.” He added that while the policy document seeks “adequacy” with Europe’s General Data Protection Regulation, in practice staff deviate from the requisite standards including informed consent. UNHCR’s policy also dictates that when it collects personal data. it should inform the person “in a manner and language that is understandable” of the specific purpose for which the data will be processed and whether the data will be transferred to another entity. Twenty-one of the 24 Rohingya interviewed said they found out their names were on repatriation eligibility assessment lists only after the Myanmar government had verified them for return. UNHCR said it was unable to share a copy of its data-sharing agreement with Bangladesh without the government’s permission. Human Rights Watch asked the Bangladesh government for a copy of the agreement but has yet to receive a response. UNHCR said its protection staff in Bangladesh and Myanmar have monitored whether the sharing of refugee data has resulted in any harm to refugees or their families and had not identified any harm thus far. Potential Harm Involuntary Repatriations In a May meeting with Human Rights Watch, a UNHCR official defended the agency’s data sharing with Bangladesh – knowing that Bangladesh would, in turn, share this data with Myanmar as part of the process for verifying eligibility to return – by saying that UNHCR’s engagement would help to ensure that any returns would be voluntary. UNHCR said that an April 2018 memorandum of understanding between the agency and Bangladesh on the voluntary return of Rohingya to Myanmar includes a role for UNHCR to assist Bangladesh to register refugees who indicate a willingness to return and to ascertain the voluntariness of their decision after the eligibility for return is verified and confirmed between Bangladesh and Myanmar. It also states that UNHCR will assist in voluntary returns but only when the conditions for safe and dignified return are in place. In its May written response to Human Rights Watch, UNHCR repeated that Bangladesh is upholding its commitment not to involuntarily repatriate Rohingya and pointed out that in November 2018 and August 2019, Bangladesh did not force any Rohingya who had been verified for return to go back to Myanmar. It said that “UNHCR has insisted since the beginning of the Rohingya refugee crisis that the refugees have a right to return if conditions are conducive yet that this should be voluntary and on the basis of informed consent.” If the necessary conditions are not in place for safe and dignified return, UNHCR engagement on return is usually limited to planning, monitoring, counseling, advocacy, and ongoing analysis of obstacles to and conditions necessary for return, and identifying the necessary actions to address them. By indirectly assisting Bangladesh, through the collection of data, to draw up lists for verifying return eligibility, UNHCR has in effect assisted with potential repatriations, governed by the bilateral agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar. This comes in the context of previous forced repatriation from Bangladesh to Myanmar, first in 1978 and then between 1992 and 1997, including UNHCR’s involvement in those episodes of mass forcible return, or refoulement. A study by the Stimson Center found: In the 1970s and 1990s, UNHCR made choices that prioritized relationships with the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar over explicitly addressing human rights and protection concerns facing refugees… protection practices and norms such as individually interviewing refugees prior to return, were often sidelined in favor of maintaining these relationships. In 2021 Bangladeshi authorities have continued their rhetoric around the need for repatriations, including directly after the February 1 military coup in Myanmar. Human Rights Watch questions the extent to which UNHCR will be able to prevent forced returns should they be attempted, given its inability to prevent the Bangladeshi government from relocating – including involuntary transfers – Rohingya to facilities on the remote island of Bhasan Char, where they lack freedom of movement and sustainable livelihoods or education. The principle of nonrefoulement, the right of refugees not to be returned to a country where their lives or freedom would be threatened, is the cornerstone of international refugee protection, enshrined in article 33 of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Although Bangladesh is not a party to the UN Refugee Convention, it is bound to uphold the principle of nonrefoulement as a matter of customary international law. Returning Rohingya to Myanmar would put them at grave risk of arbitrary arrest, torture and other ill-treatment, and possible death. An estimated 600,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine State, confined to camps and villages without freedom of movement or access to adequate food, health care, education, and livelihoods. Approximately 130,000 internally displaced Rohingya have been arbitrarily held since 2012 in open-air detention camps. A 2020 report by Human Rights Watch found that that the repression imposed on the Rohingya amounts to the crimes against humanity of persecution, apartheid, and severe deprivation of liberty. The UN-backed Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar warned in 2019 that the Rohingya remaining in Myanmar faced a greater-than-ever threat of genocide in the face of ongoing marginalization and brutality by the authorities. The 21 Rohingya who told Human Rights Watch that their names had been on repatriation eligibility assessment lists and been verified for return fled their huts and went into hiding into other camps because they were afraid of being forcibly returned. One said his family fled because Bangladeshi security forces threatened that if they did not return to Myanmar, “then they would bulldoze our hut inside the camp.” Another Rohingya man said Bangladeshi authorities had told him he must return to Myanmar or he would be forced to, though he was not ultimately forced to do so. One aid worker who witnessed families fleeing their huts said that in November 2018, when authorities tried to get the first group of Rohingya that had been verified for return to leave, she saw camp leaders trying, and ultimately failing, to forcibly round them up and put them on buses. Denial of Citizenship and Potential Statelessness The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group who have lived for generations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. They are not listed among the 135 national ethnic groups Myanmar recognizes and are effectively denied citizenship under the discriminatory 1982 Citizenship Law. Without citizenship, they are for practical purposes stateless, facilitating long-term and severe Myanmar government human rights violations, including deportation, arbitrary confinement, and persecution. Myanmar authorities have issued documents under successive “citizenship verification” systems, including “white cards,” or temporary registration cards, which were nullified in 2015. The end of the “white cards” was followed by the current National Verification Card (NVC) process, which has been marked by coercion and deceit. Rohingya are also registered on documents under repressive travel authorization and administrative procedures, such as household lists, Form 4s, and “Village Departure Certificates.” At the time of their registration in Bangladesh, many Rohingya were concerned that their data would be integrated into the Myanmar NVC system, which they believe would undermine their claims to citizenship. A 2019 repatriation assessment conducted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with support from the Myanmar government stated that all returning refugees will be registered for NVCs upon arriving at Rakhine State “reception centers.” Arbitrary Detention In line with its repatriation agreements with Bangladesh, the Myanmar government has built “reception centers” and “transit camps” in northern Rakhine State to process and house returnees. They are surrounded by high barbed-wire fencing and security outposts, similar to the central Rakhine State detention camps. Such camps, constructed on land from which the Rohingya had fled, including villages that were burned and bulldozed in their wake, would invariably limit basic rights, segregate returnees from the rest of the population, restrict freedom of movement, and exacerbate persecution. The ASEAN repatriation assessment outlines “strict security measures,” including the extensive presence of armed border guard police at the camps that raise grave rights concerns. One Rohingya man told Human Rights Watch that his name had appeared on a Myanmar government list of suspected members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the ethnic Rohingya armed group. He said that around August 2019, he found out from a Bangladesh government-appointed representative in the camp that his name had been included on one of the repatriation eligibility assessment lists and he was verified for return. “I am worried that the Myanmar authorities added my name to the list as a trap, so they can bring me back to Myanmar and then arrest me for membership in ARSA,” he said. Recommendations Human Rights Watch appreciates the vital role that UNHCR plays in ensuring that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are issued identity documents and have access to basic services. Human Rights Watch also recognizes that Bangladesh authorities require some personal data to issue these documents. It is less clear, however, to what extent facial images, fingerprints, and other biometric data are necessary and proportionate to serve this purpose. As UNHCR guidelines recognize, there are significant risks that this information could be shared with refugees’ countries of origin and the personal information collected should only be shared with the country of origin after an individual confirms that they want to voluntarily return home. In its April 14 letter to UNHCR, Human Rights Watch included detailed recommendations for the agency to consider. These included investigating the manner in which data collection proceeded in Bangladesh in 2018. More broadly, Human Rights Watch recommends the following to UNHCR: Do not combine collecting data on individuals to provide services or identification documents with collecting data for repatriation eligibility assessment or repatriation. Data collection for repatriation purposes should remain a separate exercise, ideally with a strict firewall in the databases maintained; Instruct field officers to engage in detailed consent discussions with every person being considered for eligibility for repatriation, and for repatriation, which should include ensuring that refugees understand any risks of having their data shared and that they have the ability to opt-out without prejudice; Only share data or allow data that it collects to be shared by host countries with countries of origin, when individuals have given free and informed consent; Ensure that people who agree to have their data shared for repatriation purposes are able to later withdraw that consent, and are informed how to do so in a clear manner at the time they give initial consent; Impose restrictions and safeguards that limit the authorities who can access and share data within the government and prohibit access to this data by third governments and other parties; Carry out mandatory data assessments and, to ensure independence, use teams supervised by an independent body to conduct data impact assessments before engaging in new programming that requires sensitive data collection. Assessments of this risk should include an examination of the historical context of the communities and countries involved; and Ensure that all data collection, including biometric data, meets the requirements of necessity and proportionality. Human Rights Watch also recommends that donor governments play a greater role in ensuring rights-based data practices. This includes requiring agencies and organizations that collect sensitive data to use independently supervised entities for data protection impact assessments for new projects before data collection begins, and to conduct annual data protection audits..."
Source/publisher: "Human Rights Watch" (USA)
2021-06-15
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-15
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Sub-title: But the International Community Should Do Much More to Ensure that the Refugees Can Safely Return to Myanmar
Description: "In late May, thousands of Rohingya refugees whom Bangladesh authorities had relocated to remote Bhasan Char island broke out of their shelters during a visit by United Nations representatives. “We don’t want to live here,” they chanted. The protests indicate the extent of the problems on the silt island in the Bay of Bengal, where nearly 20,000 Rohingya, including over 8,000 children, have been moved in recent months from the refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar. In research by Human Rights Watch for a new report, refugees described being lured to the island with false promises of adequate food and livelihood, monthly cash assistance and access to proper health care and schools. A recent cyclone that missed the island still caused strong winds and some flooding there, leading refugees to fear for their safety in the face of the upcoming monsoon season. Many concerns On May 31, the refugees protested during a meeting with a visiting high-level delegation from United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the UN refugee agency, to share their concerns about conditions on the island. Bangladeshi security forces had warned them to stay inside, but if asked, to only praise the arrangements on the island. They had complied with such orders during previous visits by foreign officials, but this time many of the refugees grew desperate and surged forward, only to be beaten back by the police. “The Rohingya who are there became unruly the moment the UNHCR representatives landed [on the island] by helicopter today,” the local police chief, Alamgir Hossain, told AFP. “They came at the police...Their demand is they don’t want to live here.” UNHCR issued a statement saying it was “deeply concerned” that refugees, including women and children, were injured. The government blamed international media and civil society organizations for opposing Bhasan Char relocations to “undermine the magnanimous humanitarian gestures and the sincere efforts of Bangladesh”. After the delegation had left, Bangladeshi officials threatened the refugees. “You all are finished,” one refugee says an official told him. How did it come to this? The Bangladesh government deserves praise for opening its borders in August 2017 to hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who were fleeing the Myanmar military’s campaign of ethnic cleansing, including crimes against humanity and acts of genocide. Bangladeshis responded with an outpouring of sympathy. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina committed to help, saying that if the country could afford to feed its 160 million people, it could provide for the additional refugees as well. “If necessary, we will eat one meal a day and share another meal with these distressed people,” she said. Now, after more than three years, and with nearly a million refugees crowded into the settlement in Cox’s Bazaar, that warm welcome is fast fading. Myanmar has shown no signs that it will create conditions for the safe, dignified, and voluntary return of the refugees. Its failure to take any meaningful actions to address recent atrocities against the Rohingya or put an end to the decades-long discrimination and repression against the remaining population in the country, including the crimes against humanity of apartheid and persecution, is at the root of delays and failures in refugee repatriation. Instead, since the military coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, the country is fully controlled by the same generals who led the campaign of mass atrocities against the Rohingya in 2017, making the prospect of a safe and dignified return ever more distant. Since the coup, the junta leader, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, has said that Myanmar will not repatriate people whom they do not consider its citizens. Heavy-handed tactics This is increasingly vexing the Bangladesh host community. In what appears to be an effort to show that the Rohingya refugees are temporary residents, the authorities have denied Rohingya the right to build permanent housing, restricted their movement by erecting barbed-wire fencing, and denied their children any access to formal education. The Bangladesh government, resorting to heavy-handed tactics, has not stopped its security forces from committing serious abuses, including arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and extrajudicial killings, against any Rohingya suspected of crimes. Access to the internet and telecommunications was blocked for nearly a year after the refugees had staged large demonstrations in the camps to demand their right to return to Myanmar. The Bangladesh government is frustrated by having been left to shoulder the refugee burden alone. Malaysia, Thailand, and India have all attempted to push refugees that turn up at their coasts or borders back to Bangladesh. “Has Bangladesh been given the global contract and responsibility to take and rehabilitate all the Rohingya or boat people of the world?” said Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen last February. “No, not at all.” In May 2020, after Bangladesh authorities rescued about 600 Rohingya refugees who had been stranded at sea, they detained over 300 of them on Bhasan Char instead of reuniting them with their families in the refugee camps. The government has ignored refugee pleas to return to the mainland, and stalled UN officials who sought visits to assess their protection needs. Bangladesh says it has invested up to $300 million to develop infrastructure on the island. But the government broke its promise to first accept an independent assessment of technical and protection needs on Bhasan Char, and to act on the report’s recommendations, before starting any voluntary relocation. Instead, since December the government has brought thousands of Rohingya refuges from the camps to Bhasan Char. Bangladeshi officials told Human Rights Watch in December 2020 that the relocations were voluntary, and claimed that “the 13,000-acre island has year-round fresh water, an uninterrupted supply of electricity, agricultural plots, cyclone shelters, two hospitals, four community clinics, mosques, warehouses, telecommunication services, a police station, recreation and learning centers, playgrounds and more”. The refugees, who generally agreed that the shelters and open areas on Bhasan Char were better than in the mainland camps, said though that there were only informal classes for young children instead of proper schools, and that the healthcare services were inadequate. Of the 14 people we interviewed about their health needs, four had passed away by the time we published our report. Family members said they died because of a lack of proper medical care. One man said his wife died in childbirth because he could not get permission in time to transfer her to a hospital on the mainland, which is three hours away by boat followed by a two-hour drive. The refugees also described food shortages. Without proper livelihood opportunities, they said they did not have the money to supplement their rations or afford fish, which is their staple. Whether the move to Bhasan Char was voluntary is also in question. Several refugees said that they had no idea how they had ended up on the lists to be relocated or that the authorities had made false promises as they compelled the refugees to relocate. Scores have started fleeing Bhasan Char. Those caught escaping have been detained and beaten by security forces. The Bangladesh authorities know there are shortcomings on Bhasan Char and it is not quite the “beautiful resort”, they once claimed. But instead of waiting to conduct proper consultations to assess the island’s emergency preparedness, habitability, and safety, the government sought to present the United Nations and international donors with a cruel fait accompli, putting pressure on them to start supporting the refugees on the island or take responsibility for the consequences. What is more, the authorities are still stalling on policy and technical dialogue with agencies and donors about humanitarian operations. The government says that any “undue criticism” of its temporary arrangements for the Rohingya refugees “will only shift the focus from the permanent solution, which lies in repatriation and reintegration of Rohingyas in Myanmar”. While there is no doubt that the international community should do much more to ensure that the Rohingya can safely return to Myanmar with justice and dignity, the Bangladesh government should also accept that it needs to protect the rights of the refugees in its care. Bhasan Char should first be thoroughly and professionally assessed and deemed safe – with proper emergency and logistical response preparations– for refugees, for humanitarian workers, as well as for the Bangladeshi officials and security personnel who support them. There needs to be a civilian governance structure. Relocations from mainland camps should be fully informed and voluntary. This means that the Bangladesh authorities should allow any refugee who wants to return to Cox’s Bazar to do so. With the monsoon fast approaching, the Bangladesh government should stop stalling, and once again focus on securing Rohingya refugee lives..."
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Source/publisher: Human Rights Watch (USA)
2021-06-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The United Nations in Myanmar is concerned about the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Kayah State and other areas in southeastern Myanmar. Recent violence in Kayah State, including indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilian areas, has led to the internal displacement of an estimated 100,000 men, women and children. Many of them are currently seeking safety in host communities and forests across Kayah and southern parts of neighboring Shan state. This crisis could push people across international borders seeking safety, as already seen in other parts of the country. The United Nations reiterates its earlier calls for all parties to urgently take the necessary measures and precautions to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, particularly protected objects such as medical units and personnel, and to adhere to the fundamental principles of distinction, necessity, proportionality and protection. People fleeing and those remaining in locations affected by ongoing hostilities are in urgent need of food, water, shelter, fuel and access to healthcare. The United Nations and its partners have humanitarian supplies, including food, shelter materials and other basic relief items ready to be deployed to complement the local response, which has been immediate, but insufficient to address all needs, particularly for those persons in remote locations. Ongoing insecurity, travel restrictions imposed by security forces, and poor road conditions, however, are delaying the delivery of these supplies. The United Nations calls on the security forces to allow safe passage of humanitarian supplies and personnel and to facilitate the direct provision of relief assistance by the UN and its partners to all those in need in Kayah, as well as other states and regions across the country where there are urgent humanitarian needs. The United Nations reiterates the Secretary General’s call for a global ceasefire made in March 2020 and to join forces to respond to the growing risk of another outbreak of COVID-19 and other humanitarian and health challenges..."
Source/publisher: UN Country Team in Myanmar via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-06-08
Date of entry/update: 2021-06-09
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Topic: Protection and Human Rights
Topic: Protection and Human Rights
Description: "With over 10,000 refugees fleeing Myanmar in just three months since February 2021 because of violence and the deteriorating situation in Myanmar, neighbouring countries in the region are witnessing increasing arrivals of people from Myanmar seeking international protection.' UNHCR and partners stand ready to support host countries and communities that have generously provided safety to these refugees to assist them and to find solutions to their plight. Persons already abroad who fear return to Myanmar should also have access to protection. Key protection messages Words matter. The men, women and children fleeing Myanmar because violence since February 2021 are refugees. As refugees, they should be allowed access to the territory to seek asylum and be protected against refoulement, which means that they should not be returned to their country as long as it is not safe. People from Myanmar already abroad should not be returned when seeking international protection and should be referred to the appropriate authorities. Refugees have the right to return to their homes voluntarily, in safety and with dignity. While a solution to this crisis lies in Myanmar, the international community must provide protection and support to fleeing refugees. Governments are encouraged to keep their borders open and allow refugees from Myanmar safety and protection in line with long traditions of offering sanctuary to those in need. In order to respond to humanitarian needs, it will be important to provide support and adopt an inclusive approach in responding to the problems of refugees fleeing their country, including access to territory, protection from detention and abuse, and access to basic services. Humanitarian access to arriving refugees is essential to provide the necessary assistance. As the identification of individuals with specific needs and vulnerabilities is a key element of any humanitarian response, it is important to strengthen existing systems for the identification of unaccompanied minors and separated children, survivors of violence and torture and persons suffering from trauma amongst others. Where COVID-19 related bans or border closures are implemented, such measures must not result in denying refugees an effective opportunity to seek asylum or result in refoulement. As in any humanitarian crisis, the importance of upholding the civilian and humanitarian character of asylum is paramount and States would need to assess the situation of arrivals from Myanmar carefully so as to identify armed elements and separate them from the civilian refugee population..."
Source/publisher: UN High Commissioner for Refugees (Geneva) via Reliefweb (New York)
2021-05-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-23
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Sub-title: Thai government instructed authorities to block refugees from Myanmar
Description: "The Government of Thailand should protect refugees from Myanmar from being forcibly returned and establish protection mechanisms in line with international human rights law, Fortify Rights said today. On March 19, Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed government agencies to prevent “illegal immigration” from Myanmar, according to government meeting minutes. In line with this order, a Thai provincial official confirmed to Fortify Rights that Thai authorities this week returned to Myanmar at least 2,000 refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar’s Karen State. “The Thai government should be preparing to protect refugees rather than prevent border crossings,” said Amy Smith, Executive Director at Fortify Rights. “Thailand has made positive commitments and taken steps to establish procedures to recognize and protect refugees during the past several years. Now is the time for Thailand to put those commitments into action to protect refugees fleeing the ongoing crisis in Myanmar.” According to meeting minutes of the Thai Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA), dated March 19, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha instructed the Ministry of Interior, CCSA, and other concerned agencies to “monitor and prevent illegal immigration” along the Thailand-Myanmar border and instructed the Immigration Bureau to “enforce strict inspection of border crossings.” The government has also deployed Royal Thai Army troops and patrol boats to “monitor illegal entry along the western borders both by land and sea,” according to the meeting minutes. The Thai Government does not recognize refugees and considers undocumented or unauthorized entry or stay in Thailand as “illegal immigration.” A Thai government official speaking on the condition of anonymity told Fortify Rights that the Ministry of Defense is responsible for coordinating the government’s response to refugees from Myanmar. Among those responsible for this coordination is the Naresuan Force of the Royal Thai Army. The Naresuan Force is a special unit designated to protect the borders of Tak and Mae Hong Son provinces by “interception, retaliation and pushing back foreign forces deemed to violate Thai sovereignty.” The Naresuan Force held more than 2,100 refugees in makeshift shelters in Mae Sariang District of Mae Hong Son Province after they crossed into Thailand last week to flee attacks in Myanmar. Less than 100 remain in Thailand as of May 11, according to a Thai provincial official. Civil society actors in Karen State told Fortify Rights that Thai authorities also forced back to Myanmar most of the 5,000 refugees who crossed into Thailand in March and April. The official also confirmed that the army continues to restrict humanitarian organizations and U.N. agencies, including the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), from accessing groups of newly arriving refugees from Myanmar, citing security and COVID-19 health concerns. “Ensuring protections for refugees is first and foremost a humanitarian issue that demands an appropriate response from the Thai authorities to prevent the loss of life,” said Amy Smith. “Public health concerns due to the COVID-19 pandemic and national security can be addressed and managed through proper screening mechanisms. Rather than restrict and sideline U.N. and humanitarian organizations who are ready to assist, Thai authorities should draw on their technical expertise and resources to facilitate a coordinated response.” According to the Thai government’s meeting minutes, the prime minister called for “effort” to be made to “prepare an area to host the influx of migrants into Thailand, quarantine facilities and field hospitals.” However, the Thai authorities have yet to announce the construction of facilities for refugees or that refugees will be provided access to quarantine or medical facilities. On May 6, Thai officials, including Mae Hong Son Governor Sithichai Jindaluang, the Commander of the Special Unit 7thInfantry Regiment, Colonel Sujin Subsin, and Permanent Secretary of Mae Hong Son Province Chanathip Semyam met with UNHCR-Thailand to discuss potential refugee influxes into Thailand and responses. At the time of writing, Thai authorities have yet to approve UNHCR operations to assist new refugees from Myanmar. UNHCR’s Key Legal Considerations on Access to Territory for Persons in Need of International Protection in the Context of the COVID-19 Response provides that “[d]enial of access to territory without safeguards to protect against refoulement cannot be justified on the grounds of any health risk.” Myanmar military attacks on civilian areas and clashes between the Myanmar military and ethnic armed groups have displaced more than 55,000 people in Kachin, Karen, and Shan states in Myanmar since February 1 , according to the latest figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Myanmar. A majority of the displaced, approximately 40,000, were forcibly displaced following renewed clashes between the Myanmar military and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), as well as airstrikes, “indiscriminate attacks,” and “shelling of civilian areas” by the Myanmar military, according to OCHA Myanmar. Since taking power in a military coup d’état on February 1, the Myanmar junta has continued to kill, arbitrarily arrest, and commit other crimes against political leaders, human rights defenders, peaceful protesters, and others in Myanmar. In a document seen by Fortify Rights and provided by the Myanmar junta to members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations ahead of a controversial summit to discuss Myanmar last month, the junta claimed that it detained 9,848 persons, released 4,511, and charged 5,070 between February 1 and April 15. Forcing refugees back to Myanmar violates the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits the “rejection at the frontier, interception and indirect refoulement” of individuals at risk of persecution. While Thailand has not ratified the 1951 U.N. Refugee Convention nor its 1967 Protocol, the principle of non-refoulement is part of customary international law and is therefore binding on all states. Under this principle, all countries are obligated to protect people from being returned to where they face danger or persecution, including through informal returns. The Thai government has repeatedly expressed a commitment to protect refugees, including by adopting the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration and endorsing the Global Compact on Refugees during the U.N. General Assembly in December 2018. The Thai government also affirmed a commitment to “humanitarianism and to take care of various groups of irregular migrants” during the U.N. Human Rights Committee review of Thailand’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in March 2017. On December 24, 2019, the Thai Cabinet endorsed regulations to establish a national screening mechanism to identify and potentially protect refugees. However, the mechanism has yet to be implemented and has come under criticism from human rights groups for failing to meet international standards. Thailand currently hosts more than 100,000 refugees, most of whom are protracted refugees from Myanmar living in temporary shelters along the Thailand-Myanmar border, as well as refugees from various countries living in Bangkok and surrounding provinces. All refugees in Thailand lack formal legal status and are at risk of arbitrary detention and being forcibly returned to countries where they may face persecution. “Thailand still views refugees primarily through a national security lens, but the only real threat to regional peace and security is the Myanmar junta,” said Amy Smith. “If Thailand wants to protect its own security, it should protect the people of Myanmar and work with the international community to deprive the junta of its weapons and financial resources..."
Source/publisher: "Fortify Rights"
2021-05-12
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: Agriculture, Health, Protection and Human Rights
Topic: Agriculture, Health, Protection and Human Rights
Description: "In northern Shan, armed clashes between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and various ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) or amongst EAOs continue across a number of townships, resulting in population displacement and civilian casualties. In Kutkai Township, four civilians were injured on 4 May due to clashes between the MAF and the allied forces of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to local reports. Hostilities in the area reportedly damaged a number of houses and livestock, leaving those affected in need of shelter and livelihoods support. In Hsipaw Township, armed confrontations between the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army and the TNLA displaced around 310 people between 2-3 May. Since January 2021, a total of 12,280 people have been internally displaced in at least nine townships across northern Shan. Almost half of them already returned to their places of origin; the other half is hosted in more than 30 sites, mainly in Hsipaw, Kyaukme and Namtu townships. Humanitarian actors are making all efforts to address the immediate needs of displaced families - which include shelter, basic household items, access to healthcare, water and sanitation and food - but access and insecurity continue to hinder these operations.³..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (New York) via "Reliefweb" (New York)
2021-05-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 1.89 MB
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Description: "The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres: One hundred days since the Myanmar military takeover that has left hundreds of civilians killed and included numerous arbitrary arrests and other human rights violations, the Secretary-General renews his call on the country's military to respect the will of the people and act in the greater interest of peace and stability in the country. The Secretary-General also encourages the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to swiftly follow through on its own commitments, and the international community to support regional efforts, to bring an end to the repression by the military. He also calls on the international community to respond to the increased humanitarian needs. The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, Christine Schraner Burgener, is in the region and continues to engage intensively with a range of key stakeholders, including in light of the broader ramifications of the crisis. She continues to promote coherent international action. The Secretary-General will continue to stand with the people of Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: United Nations ( New York )
2021-05-11
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Topic: Peace and Security
Sub-title: The United Nations independent human rights expert on Myanmar on Friday called on countries that have not yet done so, to impose arms embargo on the country urgently, to stop the “massacre” of citizens across the country.
Topic: Peace and Security
Description: "Tom Andrews, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the southeast Asian nation, underscored in a statement, the need to stop the flow of weapons and so called dual-use weapons technology into the hands of forces under the command of the military junta, describing it as “literally a matter of life and death.” “There is no time to lose … I urge governments who support cutting the flow of weapons to a brutal military junta to consider immediately establishing their own arms embargo against Myanmar while simultaneously encouraging UN Security Council action.” ‘Dual-use’ technology Mr. Andrews also said that bilateral arms embargoes should encompass both weapons and dual-use technology, including surveillance equipment. “Together, they will represent an important step forward to literally taking guns out of the hands of those killing innocent men, women and children.” The Special Rapporteur also applauded a call by over 200 civil society organizations to bring the arms embargo issue to the attention of the 15-member Security Council. He is currently updating a list of States that have established arms embargoes against Myanmar, Mr. Andrews added, noting that he intended to publish an updated list next month. The independent expert’s report to the Human Rights Council in March identified that nations that had already established arms embargoes. Month four Into its fourth month, the political turmoil – marked by near daily pro-democracy protests and a brutal crackdown by security forces – has reportedly claimed at least 750 lives and wounded countless more. There are also serious concerns over the continuing impact of the crisis, with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) warning of an economic collapse, and the UN human rights chief cautioning that Myanmar could spiral into a “full-blown conflict” similar to the implosion of Syria over the past decade, if the bloodshed does not stop.....Preparing supplies for refugees, in Thailand: Meanwhile, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has said that it is pre-positioning key relief items and personal protective equipment (PPE) in Thailand, which could potentially be provided to those fleeing violence in Myanmar. According to a bulletin issued earlier this week, about 2,300 people crossed from Myanmar into Thailand on 27 April due to increased fighting and they are currently hosted in safe zones, managed by the Thai Army. “UNHCR has advocated for access to the population and offered support to the Thai Government’s efforts to respond to further displacement from Myanmar and address refugees’ protection needs”, it said. As of 31 December 2020, there are about 92,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand, who fled previous waves of displacement, in nine temporary shelters, according to UNHCR.....Refugee arrivals in India: Similarly, the agency estimates that between 4,000 to 6,000 refugees from Myanmar have entered into the Indian states of Mizoram and Manipur since March, where local charities and individuals have provided life-saving assistance those arriving. “Some 190 have moved onward to New Delhi, where UNHCR is assessing their needs and has begun registering and providing them with basic assistance”, the agency added, noting that it has offered its support to the Indian Government in protection, and humanitarian coordination and response to new arrivals from Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: UN News
2021-05-07
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Press Conference: Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the United Nations in Myanmar, Mr. Andrew Kirkwood. UN Acting Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar Andrew Kirkwood said the “future of the country is at stake” adding that the current crisis also has “important regional implications.” Speaking at a virtual press conference from his residence in Myanmar’s capital Yangon, Kirkwood said there was a curfew being imposed by the military across most of the country, adding that people were living in fear particularly at night, when the night raids start and people are dragged from their homes. He said at least 2,400 people have been arrested for their suspected participation in protests, the vast majority held incommunicado, adding that there are increasing reports of sexual-based violence against detainees. Kirkwood said, “At least 211 have been killed in the last 7 weeks and possibly many more. And this includes at least 15 children some as young as 14. And I think it is really important to emphasize that many of these people have been killed through gunshots to the head by snipers for peaceful demonstrations.” The acting UN Resident Coordinator said the army and police have “definitely increased the violence over the last couple of weeks in an attempt to get control of the situation, but the protests and the resistance continues. It's led by doctors and nurses and teachers and truck drivers and farmers who have all coalesced under this civil disobedience movement, the CDM.” Kirkwood emphasized that the situation could get worse and spin out of control. He said some two million people are living under martial law in and around Yangon, leading tens of thousands to flee those areas. He said he was very worried about an impending humanitarian crisis as the public health systems have practically collapsed. Security forces occupied 36 hospitals around the country and some patients were evicted. This is in addition to an ongoing banking crisis causing major disruptions to supply chains, Kirkwood said. The UN official noted that, even before coup, the UN was providing urgent humanitarian assistance to over one million people, adding that the coup complicated that. He expressed concern over an increasing number of people requiring humanitarian assistance, with nearly all COVID-19 testing and treatment halted. Kirkwood said the UN was focusing on providing humanitarian assistance across the country wherever it can under the circumstances. He said the country team has had very little contact with the military, which is kept strictly to what is needed to continue humanitarian operations. The acting UN Resident Coordinator said there were huge expectation by the people of Myanmar from the UN and the entire international community. He said what is needed is collective member state action in the Security Council. He added, “I think that the Secretary-General has been clear, the Special Envoy has been clear, many others have been clear, and we've consistently clear in country in our messaging. The killing has got to stop. The arbitrary detentions really have to stop. And there has to be respect by the authorities of fundamental freedoms and human rights. That said, we are doing everything we can in the current situation and there is still frustration among the people here that the international community hasn't done more to date.”..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: United Nations (New York)
2021-03-19
Date of entry/update: 2021-05-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: ""After killing all the men, they asked: 'Who are you?' We replied: 'We are Rohingya, Rohingya'. They said: 'This is not your country, you can't live here," recalls Rowza Begun, a Rohingya refugee. In August 2017, Myanmar's military launched a large-scale "security clearance operation" in the northern Rakhine state which left thousands dead and drove more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee their homes to neighbouring Bangladesh. The crackdown on the Rohingya has been described by the UN as ethnic cleansing and possible genocide, and UN investigators have warned that the genocide threat for Myanmar's Rohingya is greater than ever. Despite historical evidence of their long-standing presence in Rakhine state, Myanmar's government and army refuses to recognise the Rohingya's right to citizenship and classifies them as "illegal migrants" from Bangladesh and India. "They call themselves Rohingya, but to us they are Bengali. What do you want us to do? There's too many of them," says U Parmaukha, a nationalist Buddhist monk. When modern Burma was established after gaining independence from Britain in 1948, the Rohingya were first recognised as part of the Burmese nation and were registered as citizens, as an ethnic minority. But "as early as 1966, the Burmese military started to see the Rohingya as a problem," says Burmese academic Maung Zarni and explains that the government set up special forces to deal with the Muslim minority..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
2019-11-26
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Myanmar Humanitarian Fund (MHF) mobilizes resources for humanitarian actors to respond to critical humanitarian needs in Myanmar. It provides funding to both national and international humanitarian organizations for activities that are in line with the United Nations and Partners' Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan. As of 31 October 2019, a total of US$ 9.4 million has been allocated to 24 projects targeting 500,000 people in need in Chin, Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and south-eastern Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (USA)
2019-10-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "The Myanmar Humanitarian Fund (MHF) mobilizes resources for humanitarian actors to respond to critical humanitarian needs in Myanmar. It provides funding to both national and international humanitarian organizations for activities that are in line with the United Nations and Partners' Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan. As of 31 October 2019, a total of US$ 9.4 million has been allocated to 24 projects targeting 500,000 people in need in Chin, Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and south-eastern Myanmar..."
Source/publisher: OCHA (New York) via Reliefweb (USA)
2019-10-31
Date of entry/update: 2019-11-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Since August 25th, Bangladesh has welcomed over 923,0001 Forcibly-displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN), who require immediate, large-scale humanitarian services to address their basic needs. Recent multi stakeholder needs assessments, have identified that the majority of the new arrivals either have little knowledge of how and where to access services or are not aware of services being available or provided to them. They also need rapid and complete information and knowledge on key life-saving/priority practices. With the onset of cyclone and monsoon seasons, families and individuals in the camps are at risks of cyclone, flooding and land slide. Therefore, the need for information on how to prepare and respond in case of a cyclone, flooding and landslide are vital. The members of CwC Working Group are running around 90 “Information Hubs (Info Hub)/Information Center (IFC)” and are providing information on essential lifesaving needs to re-enforce access to and utilization of basic humanitarian services as well as providing a platform for engaging with to voice communities’ views and feedback. The Info hubs, as like as other facilities in camps, are vulnerable to cyclone and monsoon hazards including flooding, landslides etc. This SoP for Info Hub/IFCs is developed to provide guidance on monsoon and cyclone preparedness communication and also on how to operate before, during and after such event..."
Source/publisher: "Reliefweb" via Inter Sector Coordination Group
2019-08-05
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 674.63 KB
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Sub-title: This update is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with humanitarian partners. It covers the period from 10 to 18 July 2019
Description: "More than 45,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by flooding in Kachin, Rakhine, Mon and Chin states and Mandalay, Sagaing, Bago and Magway regions in Myanmar. • In areas at higher altitudes it has not rained for four days, and water is draining off to lower-lying areas. Many people have thus returned home, leaving more than 11,500 people in evacuation centres, according to the most recent data. Data for Kachin, for example, hasn’t been issued yet, but people there are generally returning. • However, rivers are still overflowing their banks and remain at dangerously high levels, upstream and downstream. • Areas downstream are of particular concern, as water flows generally to the south/southeast toward Mandalay, Magway and Pyay along the path of the Irrawaddy River and its delta. The situation could deteriorate should it start to rain again, and those areas, including heavily populated Mandalay, are potentially at risk. • Likewise, the Kaladan River, which runs through Chin State southward into Rakhine State, and the Lay Myo River pose a risk to villages and displacement sites across a wide area that is also currently embroiled in conflict, meaning civilians there are considerably vulnerable. • This is only the beginning of the monsoon rains. There is a need for vigilance and to maintain preparedness measures, as has been done effectively so far. The situation remains dynamic and hard to predict. It can quickly change...မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ- ရေကြီး- ရေလျှံခြင်း အကျဉ်းချုပ် အစီရင်ခံစာအမှတ် ၁..."
Source/publisher: "Reliefweb" via UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
2019-07-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 383.45 KB 272.88 KB
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Description: "• Monsoon floods that have affected eight states and regions are estimated to have displaced more than 78,000 people. • Where flood waters have receded, evacuation centres have been closed and people have returned to their homes. • However, with water moving to the south, floods have affected Sagaing, Mandalay and Magway regions where over 43,000 people were evacuated. • As of 23 July, more than 40,000 people remain displaced in 39 evacuation centres in these three regions while almost all of the displaced people in other affected states and regions have returned to their homes. • UN and humanitarian partners are working closely with the authorities, monitoring the situation and ready to reinforce the Government’s response to floods as required... မြန်မာနိုင်ငံ- ရေကြီး- ရေလျှံခြင်း အကျဉ်းချုပ် အစီရင်ခံစာအမှတ်၂..."
Source/publisher: "Reliefweb" via UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
2019-07-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 356.37 KB 296.98 KB
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Sub-title: Biometric, fraud-proof cards being issued to all verified refugees over 12 years old, says UNHCR
Description: "More than half a million Rohingya refugees living in makeshift camps in Bangladesh have been issued identity documents, a UN agency said Friday. To date, “more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been jointly registered by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency”, the UNHCR said in a statement. Those registered, mostly for the first time, now have proof of their identity -- a secure identity card, it added. “The biometric, fraud-proof cards are being issued jointly by Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR to all verified refugees over the age of 12.” The accurate data will help agencies in their program planning, particularly for those with specific needs such as women, children and people with disabilities, the statement said. “The new registration cards indicate that Myanmar is the country of origin, a critical element in establishing and safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar,” it said. The fraud-proof identification can be used by humanitarian partners to ensure there is no overlap in assistance and nobody is left out, the statement added. An estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in crowded settlements in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, with over 740,000 thought to have fled from Myanmar since August 2017, it said, although according to Bangladesh government statistics, the country is now hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees. According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "ASIA - PACIFIC"
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "UN aid agencies and NGO partners launched the 2019 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, and are seeking to raise USD920 million to meet the massive needs of more than 900,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities. Information for media: If you would like to use this video to communicate refugee stories or require B-Roll, transcripts, stills or much more information, please contact [email protected]..."
Source/publisher: UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
2019-02-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar travelled to the country from 9 to 18 July. In Yangon, she met with representatives of civil society, think-tanks, eminent personalities and INGOs, the UN country team and the diplomatic corps. She also met with religious leaders, members of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance and Development (UEHRD) and members of the former Rakhine Advisory Commission. In Rakhine she travelled to Myebon and to Sittwe and visited IDP camps from both Rakhine and Muslim communities, as well as resettled Rakhine persons. She met with the representatives of civil society, political parties and members of parliament and the Rakhine State government. She also had discussions with the INGOs and with representatives of the resident UN agencies in Sittwe. In Nay Pyi Taw, she met with various government officials, including the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye; the Union Minister of Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe; the Union Minister of Education Dr. Myo Thein Gyi; the Union Minister of the State Counsellor’s Office U Kyaw Tint Swe; the Union Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, and the Vice-Senior General Soe Win of the Tatmadaw . She also met with members of parliament, in particular, U Aye Tha Aung, the Deputy Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) in his capacity as Chair of the Committee for Supporting Peace and Stability in Rakhine State (CSPSRS) together with some members of the Committee, and the Public Complaints Committees of the Amyotha Hluttaw and of the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House). While welcoming the fact that the IDP Camp Closure Strategy had been finalised and was pending distribution, she regretted that for instance in Myebon, where over 80% of the IDPs have citizenship, their freedom of movement remained very limited. In her discussions, issues of security and divisions within and between the communities were raised. She repeatedly underlined the need to overcome them..."
Source/publisher: Progressive Voice via "UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar"
2019-07-18
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: ''A few days after starting this job, in September 2017, I went to Diffa in Niger, on the border with Nigeria, a place to which huge numbers of people, most of them women and girls, had fled from the Boko Haram terrorists who were wreaking havoc in their homelands. I met a woman called Achaitou, and her four young children. They were living under a plastic sheet. Achaitou was terrified of violence, especially fearful that she and her daughters might be abducted by armed men roaming over the border. To protect them, she took her children into the bush every night, risking disease and snakebites. A few weeks later I was in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, listening to the stories of women who had fled the violence of the Myanmar authorities in Rakhine. Stories of being forced to watch as their husbands, sons and fathers were killed. And then being themselves subject to the most extreme forms of rape and sexual violence. A few months later, I met Monga Albertine and her children, in a camp near the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Her husband had been killed in tribal fighting, and she fled to try to save her children. She was trying to survive under a plastic sheet on a wet, slippery hillside, with not enough to eat, no school for the children and no way of making a living. And two months after that, I met a woman called Fatima in another camp in South Kordofan, in Sudan. She described the risks she took every day, gathering firewood in an area where women are frequently assaulted and raped. Most people caught up in humanitarian crises round the world are just like this. The majority are women and girls – although there are many men and boys too. Most of them are caught up in conflict. And the thing that makes it hardest to help them is how the men with guns and bombs behave in those conflicts. The world’s humanitarian agencies do a good job in saving lives and reducing suffering among people caught up in conflict. But we do not do a good enough job for women and girls. In my dozens of visits to countries caught up in crisis, the stories of women and girls have stuck with me more than any others. Stories of escape from violence and terror. Stories of barbaric acts committed against them. Stories of fear for their children and loved ones. But, stories also of resilience and hope. Women and girls defiant...''
Source/publisher: reliefweb
2019-02-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 190.26 KB
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Description: "The Humanitarian News Digest is a monthly compilation of links to reports, web stories, press releases, and other public products published online by international organizations with humanitarian operations in Myanmar. The content and views expressed in these publications do not necessarily reflect the views of OCHA... Web Stories and Blogs: Humanitarian aid: Five years of conflict in Kachin, Myanmar (Trócaire , 28 June 2016)... Supporting community health and harmony through Chin Lone (UNFPA, 27 June 2016)... Helping displaced people rebuild lives (U NDP, 23 June 2016)... Refugee children connected to learning at ?Heavenly Home? (UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 17 June 2016)... Sweden Provides 30 Million Swedish Krona to Support UNDP?s Work in Myanmar (UNDP, 17 June 2016)... Developing a new roadmap for making Myanmar safe and resilient (UNDP, 16 June 2016)... Myanmar students compete in country?s first moot court competition (ICRC, 9 June 2016)... Solar pumps bring safe water to families in Myanmar (UNICEF, 3 June 20.
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
2016-06-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-08-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: HIGHLIGHTS: • IDPs in camps in Rakhine State urgently need repairs to their shelters ahead of the rainy season • Dry season water shortages in Rakhine State • Thousands displaced following renewed clashes in northern Shan State in February and March • Majority of people in flood evacuation sites have now been resettled, but over 3,000 remain displaced • Major assessment by FAO and WFP shows that food security and livelihoods are still at risk following 2015 floods • Putting ?Protection? at the heart of humanitarian action in Myanma
Source/publisher: ReliefWeb
2016-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-05-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 249.75 KB
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Description: "In 2015, there continued to be significant humanitarian needs in Myanmar with additional displacements and vulnerability resulting from renewed conflicts in Kachin and Shan states, and devastating floods that affected 12 of the country?s 14 states/regions. In Rakhine and Kachin/Shan states, many of the IDPs living in camps or camplike situations remain dependent on humanitarian assistance to meet their basic needs largely due to continued restrictions on movements and limited access to livelihood opportunities. The protracted displacement also has an adverse effect on the host communities, straining already scarce resources. The situation was further compounded by the countrywide floods that affected over nine million people across the country..."
Source/publisher: Office for the Cooordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
2016-02-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 682.98 KB
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Creator/author: John Ging
Source/publisher: UNOCHA via UN Webcast
2016-03-01
Date of entry/update: 2016-03-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "On the night of 13 March, a public ferry, the Aung Dagun 3, sank near Myebon town in Rakhine State. According to state media, the boat was carrying at least 225 passengers plus crew when it sank en route from Taungup to Sittwe. The most recent reports from state authorities indicate that 169 people were rescued and that at least 69 people died. The Myanmar Government has set up a commission to investigate the incident. The Myanmar Navy, local authorities, local community members and the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) led the search and rescue operations for survivors. Local authorities and the local community in the areas close to where the incident happened mobilized quickly and provided assistance to rescued passengers. There were many reports of heroic efforts made by the local community to rescue passengers and provide emergency assistance..."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
2015-03-31
Date of entry/update: 2015-05-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Myanmar is pursuing an ambitious, multilayered reform agenda, which includes political opening, democratization, modernizing state institutions, market re-forms, in addition to a complex peace process, aimed at brokering a settlement between the Myanmar Government and the ethnic armed groups. Related to that is an unparalleled diversity of development contexts - ranging from ongoing conflict and post conflict settings, severe rural poverty, to the challenges of fast growing urban development - which implies that development terms like poverty reduction, community resilience or inclusive governance means different things in different states and regions. This complexity poses challenges to government and development partners alike. Economically, Myanmar was forecasted to grow by about 7% in 2014, which according to preliminary government estimates seems to have been exceeded. Despite impressive economic progress, Myanmar still records low human development, positioned at 150 out of 187 countries in the Human Development Index rankings for 2014. Graduation from LDC status by 2020 has become a key mid-term policy objective of the government. Similar to other developing countries, the challenge for Myanmar is to enable growth and to tackle vulnerabilities - regions, the poor, informal workers, small farmers, women, people with disabilities, children etc - and to build resilience to economic shocks, natural disasters, climate change, conflict and civil unrest, so that its economic progress translates into developmental benefits for all over the long term."
Source/publisher: UN Development Programme (UNDP)
2014-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-05-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "Fighting broke out between the Government of Myanmar Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and other armed groups in the Kokang Self- Administered zone, north-eastern Shan State, on 9 February. The fighting continued throughout the month of February. More than 13,000 people are estimated to have been internally displaced from Kokang to other parts of the country during February, according to the Relief and Resettlement Department in Lashio. Many of these people are migrant workers who have travelled on to their places of origin in other parts of the country. The number of people who have fled across the border into China is unconfirmed. Chinese state media have reported that 60,000 people have crossed the border from Kokang into China since 9 February, and that Chinese state authorities are providing assistance to these people. Access to the Kokang Self-Administered Zone has been restricted due to the ongoing fighting. Limited information is available on the humanitarian situation and on people displaced or affected by the fighting in this area. The number of civilians killed or injured due to the fighting is unconfirmed. According to the Government?s Rehabilitation and Administrative Support Committee for the Kokang Self-Administered Zone, 3,000 people are staying at an IDP site at Border Post 125, on the Myanmar side of the border with China, with some assistance provided by the government?s Relief and Resettlement Department and local civil society organizations (CSOs). UN staff have also had access to some 950 displaced people from Kokang who are now in Namtit (Wa Self-Administered Division)."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
2015-02-28
Date of entry/update: 2015-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "On 14 January, fighting broke out in the Hpakan area of Kachin State between the Government of Myanmar Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). According to national NGOs and local authorities, over 1,000 civilians from Aung Bar Lay village and surrounding areas were displaced to Kan See village. Those displaced were staying in religious compounds in Kan See, in close proximity to the conflict area. More than 1,000 residents of Kan See village were also affected by the situation. Those displaced left their homes quickly, during the winter and without any personal items. The most urgent humanitarian needs of the newly displaced people were met by local authorities in Hpakan, as well as by the Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS) and national NGOs, with support from the UN and international NGOs. This includes food rations for two months, blankets, mats, hygiene, dignity and UNICEF student kits, and other basic items. Food assistance was also provided by local NGOs, supplemented by WFP, to existing IDP camps in Hpakan and Lone Khin for approximately 3,000 people."
Source/publisher: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
2015-01-31
Date of entry/update: 2015-04-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "To strengthen inter-agency coordination, TBBC and the Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) have mapped organisational reach in South East Burma/Myanmar for the education, health care and livelihoods support sectors. Information collected by MIMU from agencies registered with the Government of the Union of Myanmar has been combined with information collected by TBBC from border-based agencies recognised by non-state armed groups. The result is a comprehensive mapping of organisational reach with input from 32 agencies funded through Rangoon/Yangon and 27 agencies funded along the border. However, due to protection and visibility concerns, the data does not include all relevant agencies. The maps highlight how aid agencies based along the border complement the efforts of agencies based in Rangoon/Yangon in responding to humanitarian needs. Given the scale of vulnerabilities and limited funding, the agencies active in each sector have been disaggregated to the township-level to facilitate information sharing and to promote a more coordinated response. While the border based responses are predominately managed by community-based organisations, the maps reflect how initiatives from Rangoon/Yangon are generally led by United Nations? agencies and international non-governmental organisations. As the peace process evolves and opportunities to expand humanitarian access into conflict-affected areas increase, the challenge will be to ensure that international agencies build on the local capacities of these community-managed approaches."...6 MAPS -- 2 FOR EDUCATION (BASIC AND COMPARATIVE), 2 FOR HEALTH CARE (BASIC AND COMPARATIVE) AND 2 FOR LIVELIHOOD SUPPORT (BASIC AND COMPARATIVE). THE MAPS ARE ABOUT 1.8MB EACH.
Source/publisher: The Border Consortium (TBC) , MIMU
2012-07-31
Date of entry/update: 2012-07-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: CONTENTS: HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AT THE CENTRE - MDG 1: Organized Initiatives for the most Vulnerable; Self-Reliance Groups in Action; Mentoring for Success; Community Leading Development... FINANCING RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Boosting Rural Finance; From Disaster, to a Hopeful Future; Every One Count... SOWING THE SEEDS OF LIVELIHOODS: Uniting Efforts for the Poores; Advancing Recovery; Rebuilding Livelihoods... REDUCING THE IMPACT OF DISASTERS: Preparation, Preparedness, and Response; Safe Shelter; Northern Rakhine State Flooding and Landslides; Cyclone Giri... ENSURING EQUALITY: Engendering Development; United against Discrimination; Living lives with Dignity; Youth Action... FOCUSING INTERVENTIONS: Sustainable Future; Healthy Lives; Education for All... UNITED PARTNERSHIPS... THE ROAD AHEAD... FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN BY PROJECT... FINANCIAL DETAILS.
Source/publisher: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
2010-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-04-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.26 MB
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Description: A HDI project administered by UNOPS
Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "...Sustainable Livelihoods through Micro-Credit for the Poorest is one of 10 projects under the United Nations Development Programme?s multisectoral Human Development Initiative Extension (HDIE) programme in Myanmar. It provides credit and assistance in building small businesses to people in 11 of the poorest townships in Myanmar: three in the Delta (Ayeyarwady Division), five in Shan State, and three in the Dry Zone of central Myanmar. The Micro-Credit project targets especially those who would not normally qualify for credit through the banking system: women, the landless, and other marginalized groups. Experience elsewhere has shown that with the right types of support, these people are excellent credit risks; repayment rates often approach 100%. Overall, it is hoped to benefit about 30,000 of the poorest households (200,000 people) in the 11 townships..."
Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
2007-06-29
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: The Shan Plateau in eastern Myanmar is an extensive, mountainous upland ranging from 1000 to 2300 m in height. The area is undulating; areas that have been stripped of their natural forest are subject to severe erosion. The area covers the watersheds of four of Myanmar?s most important reservoirs: Kinda, Inle, Paung Laung and Zawgyi. Erosion from the uplands threatens to clog these reservoirs with silt, endangering much of the country?s hydropower production and irrigation water supplies for the lowlands. The main staple crop is rice, but many other crops are also grown, including wheat, maize, chili, cotton, potatoes, groundnuts, sesame, pulses, tea, tobacco and cabbages. The rainy season lasts from mid-April to mid- November. Farmers in Shan State face numerous problems. The soils are generally infertile, and crop and livestock yields are low. The area?s isolation and lack of infrastructure make it difficult for farmers to sell any surplus produce at a profit. Landholdings are small, and population growth forces farmers to overexploit the natural resources: cutting more trees for fuelwood and clearing land on steep slopes for cultivation. This environmental degradation further reduces yields, reinforcing a vicious cycle of poverty.
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2010-12-06
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Two years after the destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis created a rare opening for foreign assistance into Myanmar, aid workers say they still face numerous operating challenges.
Source/publisher: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)
2010-05-24
Date of entry/update: 2010-06-04
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Agencies working inside Myanmar to assist forcibly displaced people work within an extremely constricted operational environment. Despite occasional glimmers of hope, carving out sufficient humanitarian space to meet urgent needs remains an uphill struggle.
Creator/author: Jean-François Durieux, Sivanka Dhanapala
Source/publisher: "Forced Migration Review" No. 30
2008-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2008-11-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese
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Description: Conclusion: Agencies working outside Burma, especially opposition groups in exile and their support and lobbying networks, should be encouraged to gain a better understanding of the important assistance and protection work undertaken – despite government restrictions – by local civil society actors in Burma. Organisations working from inside Burma cannot afford to be as bold in their advocacy roles as those based in Thailand and overseas. However, the presence of local and international agency personnel in conflict-affected areas can help to create the ‘humanitarian space? in which to engage in behind-thescenes advocacy with national, state and local authorities.
Creator/author: Ashley South
Source/publisher: "Forced Migration Review" No. 30
2008-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2008-11-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese
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Description: Humanitarian agencies and community-based organisations are working in partnership to assist remote communities in the most contested areas of eastern Burma...Humanitarian responses to this chronic emergency have come both from agencies based inside Burma and from agencies based in neighbouring countries and working discreetly across national borders. Government restrictions on programmes and travel by international staff in remote areas were formalised in a set of guidelines for humanitarian agencies in 2006. These government regulations have particularly restricted agencies that prioritise the field presence of expatriate staff as a protection strategy.
Source/publisher: The Thailand Burma Border Consortium via "Forced Migration Review" No. 30"
2008-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2008-11-30
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Executive Board of the United Nations Development Programme and of the United Nations Population Fund Distr.: General 11 July 2001 Original: English Second regular session 2001. 10-14 September 2001, New York. Item 5 of the provisional agenda. Country cooperation frameworks and related matters. Future assistance to Myanmar. Note by the Administrator. Summary: The current phase of UNDP assistance to Myanmar is expected to be concluded at the end of 2001 in line with Executive Board decision 98/14. The present report is submitted in pursuance of decision 2001/7, in which the Board requested the Administrator, taking into account the findings of the independent assessment mission to Myanmar, to submit at the earliest possible date, a proposal for continued UNDP assistance to Myanmar in accordance with the guidelines provided in Governing Council decision 93/21 and Executive Board decisions 96/1 and 98/14. The attention of the Board is drawn in particular to chapter III, which provides an outline of proposals for Board action in relation to future assistance to Myanmar.
Source/publisher: Executive Board of UNDP and UNPF
2001-09-14
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Source/publisher: UNOPS
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: First regular session 2002. 28 January - 8 February 2002, New York. Item 1 of the provisional agenda. Organizational matters. Including: Note by the Administrator on future assistance to Myanmar. 77. The Resident Representative introduced the note by the Administrator on UNDP continued assistance to Myanmar (DP/2001/27)... General comments on the note by the Administrator: 80. Seven delegations commended the high quality of the note and thanked the Resident Representative for a clear and informative presentation and the excellent work in Myanmar... :UNDP response 85. The Resident Representative thanked delegations for their positive comments and guidance... 90. The Executive Board adopted the following decision: 2001/15, Assistance to Myanmar The Executive Board 1. Takes note of the proposals presented in chapter III of document DP/2001/27 for future assistance to Myanmar; 2. Approves continued funding of UNDP project activities for Myanmar from target for resource assignment from the core funding (approximately $22 million) in the sectors previously outlined in Governing Council decision 93/21, and confirmed in Executive Board decisions 96/1 and 98/14 for the three-year programme-planning period (January 2002 to December 2004); 3. Authorizes the Administrator to approve, on a project-by-project basis, HDI project extensions up to $50 million in the event that additional funding becomes available from non-core resources as mentioned in chapter IV of document DP/2001/27; 4. Also authorizes the Administrator to mobilize non-core resources in order to supplement limited core resources for HDI activities proposed for the programme-planning period (2002-2004) to be implemented in accordance with the guidelines set out in Governing Council decision 93/21 and Executive Board decisions 96/1 and 98/14. 14 September 2001
Source/publisher: Executive Board, UNDP and UNPF
2002-02-08
Date of entry/update: 2003-06-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 215.02 KB
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