This regular update, covering humanitarian developments up to 25 August, is produced by OCHA Myanmar in collaboration with the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group and UN agencies. The next humanitarian update will be issued at the end of September 2022

HIGHLIGHTS & KEY MESSAGES

• Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the armed conflict while households are grappling with financial stress as a result of soaring inflation.

• Almost 1.3 million people are currently displaced across the country. This includes more than 974,000 people displaced by the conflict and insecurity since the military takeover last year.

• Tensions are rising in Rakhine state and southern Chin between the Myanmar Armed Forces (MAF) and the Arakan Army (AA) with concerns for the impact of a resumption in fullscale fighting on civilians. Funding is urgently needed to procure depleted supplies for both the ongoing response and to meet new needs both for displaced people and affected communities.

• Rising food prices and constrained agricultural production nationwide are contributing to deep food insecurity as items become more unaffordable for much of Myanmar’s population. Fertilizer and other farm inputs are now prohibitively expensive, lowering productivity at the same time that fuel challenges and conflict are making transportation of produce more difficult. Concerns remain regarding food availability during the upcoming lean season as conditions are expected to worsen.

• Low availability of some medical products is being reported due to import issues.

• Despite the ongoing challenges, humanitarian partners have continued to rapidly scale-up in response to new needs, reaching a total of 3.1 million people with at least one form of assistance in the first half year of 2022.

• However, due to a shortfall in funding and access constraints, partners are not able to deliver the depth of relief required and there are significant unmet needs.

• The 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) is only 17 per cent funded, leaving a gap of US$688 million (FTS) that is forcing partners to make tough decisions about prioritization of assistance. Worryingly, funding remains below 2021 levels despite a dramatic increase in needs in 2022.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs:
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