Mizzima

UNICEF has increased its appeal to US$217.9 million to respond to urgent needs identified after Cyclone Mocha and continue delivering humanitarian assistance to displaced people and host communities throughout Myanmar, according to a statement 9 June. 

This funding will allow UNICEF and its partners to reach 3.7 million people, including 2.3 million children affected by the humanitarian crisis caused by the ongoing armed conflict and Cyclone Mocha. Lack of funding will limit UNICEF's ability to reach more than 930,000 people with critical WASH supplies and services, 2 million children and their parents with psychosocial support and support for child victims of explosive weapons, more than 890,000 children with access to education, and 750,000 children with immunization. The additional funds will also support the rehabilitation of WASH and school infrastructure completely destroyed by the cyclone and provide added protection for victims of gender-based violence due to increased vulnerability.

Increased, predictable and flexible funding is urgently needed for UNICEF and its partners to respond to escalating needs in Myanmar and reach people with critical assistance. This funding will enable the most vulnerable children and families to access life-saving and protective services.

One of the strongest cyclones ever recorded in Myanmar, Mocha made landfall in Rakhine State on 14 May 2023. The cyclone continued inland, bringing heavy rains and winds, and leaving a trail of destruction through Chin, Sagaing, Magway and Kachin. An estimated 3.4 million people live in the areas most impacted. Significant damage to houses, shelters for internally displaced people, and public infrastructure has been reported.

Around 17.6 million people were already in need of humanitarian assistance before Cyclone Mocha, including 4.5 million in severe conditions, mainly in conflict-affected rural areas. An additional estimated 500,000 in the five states and regions need humanitarian assistance following the cyclone.

The widespread conflict has further deteriorated in 2023. Increased fighting has been occurring nationwide, with notable intensification mainly in the southeast, northwest, and Kachin states. More than 1.8 million people were internally displaced, including 1.5 million newly displaced after February 2021.12 Of these, over 1.2 million internally displaced people were living in the areas impacted by Cyclone Mocha. Communities in Sagaing Region, hardest hit by the conflict with nearly 763,100 people displaced, suffered additional trauma.

Cyclone Mocha has further imperiled nearly 220,000 people living in protracted displacement in Rakhine and the extremely vulnerable non-displaced populations, especially 417,000 stateless Rohingyas and communities affected by conflict, insecurity and rising poverty.

Grave child rights violations, mainly due to the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons, airstrikes, and explosive ordnance, continue to be largely reported. Attacks on schools and hospitals have continued at alarming levels, while all armed actors' recruitment and use of children remain a grave concern. As a result, women and children are at increased risk of violence, exploitation and abuse. Millions of children and adolescents are deprived of the right to education because their safe access to education has been disrupted.

Camp closures, forced return, and relocation remain key protection concerns for displaced people. The security and protection of humanitarian and front-line workers is also a serious concern, as they are increasingly targeted by parties to the conflict and subject to arbitrary arrests and detentions. There has been a notable shrinking of humanitarian space, with access to cyclone and conflict-affected populations constrained by new restrictions on nongovernmental and civil society organizations. In addition, analysis shows that 60 per cent of landmine incidents reported in the first quarter of 2023 were in areas affected by Cyclone Mocha, highlighting the high risks of landmines/unexploded ordinance contamination in cyclone-affected areas - creating an additional potential threat to populations and humanitarian assistance efforts. 

UNICEF Myanmar's humanitarian strategy is aligned with both the 2023 Humanitarian Response Plan and the interagency Cyclone Mocha Flash Appeal. It also takes into account the early recovery needs of affected communities.

UNICEF maintains its nationwide focus, capitalizing on its countrywide presence through seven field offices that cover all cyclone- and conflict-affected states and regions. In its response, UNICEF will prioritize displaced children and their families and non-displaced cyclone- and conflict-affected children and communities.

UNICEF will support the expansion of humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people through its leadership roles in five clusters and areas of responsibility at national and subnational levels.

A key priority is to ensure that clean water and hygiene kits are delivered to vulnerable households to address immediate needs. In addition, UNICEF will support the restoration of essential water, sanitation and hygiene services damaged by the cyclone.

UNICEF will support children’s access to mental health and psychosocial support, quality legal aid, and case management; contribute to mitigating the risks posed by landmines and other explosive ordnance remnants of war; support gender-based violence prevention, mitigation, and response services; and facilitate monitoring and reporting of grave violations of children's rights. UNICEF will support family tracing and reunification, and provide parenting support to help caregivers better protect and care for their children.

UNICEF will protect children from extreme poverty by providing unconditional cash grants, using the country's Multidimensional Disadvantage Index as a targeting model for children under age 2, including those with disabilities, in selected townships affected by crises.

UNICEF will support the continued access of crisis-affected children to safe learning environments. This includes those affected by Cyclone Mocha and the ongoing conflict and displacement. UNICEF will provide complementary learning opportunities tailored to school-age children, and those who were out of the formal system even before the current crises, access to safe temporary learning spaces, critical education supplies, quality teaching and learning materials, and support for children’s educators.

UNICEF will provide life-saving emergency medical supplies and services to pregnant women, new mothers and children, and carry out routine immunizations at the community level.

UNICEF will screen and treat children with severe wasting, provide life-saving micronutrient supplements, and strengthen infant and young child feeding practices to prevent severe wasting and mortality among children.

UNICEF will use evidence-based social and behavior change strategies to reach communities with critical information and knowledge through multiple platforms and community engagement. Importantly, UNICEF will integrate initiatives to ensure protection from sexual exploitation and abuse by aid workers into its programmes and partnerships.

It will also build robust feedback mechanisms and periodic consultations to ensure functional accountability to affected populations.