UN official calls for swift action as earthquake deepens Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis

Remarks at the Noon Briefing by Marcoluigi Corsi, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i. for Myanmar

Yangon, Myanmar, 1 May 2025

As delivered

One month has passed since the two devastating earthquakes struck Myanmar, which left millions of people struggling to cope with the aftermath. The powerful earthquakes – which measured 7.7 and 6.2 in magnitude, so pretty powerful – hit on 28 March, reducing homes, hospitals, schools and essential infrastructure to rubble.

In the wake of this destruction that we had, countless people are still seeking shelter outside as their homes have been destroyed or are no longer safe to return to. Over 55,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. This is forcing families to live in makeshift shelters and tents. Now we have early rains that have arrived and temperatures rising, so those people that have been displaced are facing increasingly very difficult conditions and protection risks.

The earthquakes have exacerbated the suffering of people who have been facing immense humanitarian needs since 2021. Even before the earthquakes, an estimated 19.9 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance. Now, we estimate an additional 2 million people have been pushed into urgent need, and the needs of millions more have increased dramatically.

So in a nutshell, I would say that humanitarian efforts are underway, but assistance urgently needs to be scaled up. The UN and NGOs are working very closely in partnership with the local partners and have mobilized rapidly to respond. Since the earthquakes, at least 600,000 people have been reached with water, sanitation and hygiene support, nearly half a million people have received food assistance, and more than 100,000 people have received emergency shelter and essential household items. Mobile medical teams have been rapidly deployed, and at least 100 tons of medical supplies have been delivered. Also, child protection actors are reuniting separated children with their families, providing much-needed psychological support, and creating safe spaces for displaced children. Technical expertise was also very quickly mobilized to support shelter and settlement assessments, to ensure safe refuge for those in need.

Humanitarian and development teams are working in synergy to support people in need. While immediate humanitarian assistance ensures survival, early recovery efforts are also critical to rebuilding lives, revitalizing economic activities, and strengthening the resilience of affected communities. The work needed is indeed staggering – you might have heard about the UNDP estimates that there are 125,000 truckloads of rubble that need to be removed from destroyed buildings across the country.

In addition to funding, safe and sustained humanitarian access to affected communities is central to this response. As part of the efforts to assist those most in need, the UN and partners reached previously inaccessible areas in Sagaing and Mandalay, where I also led an operation a few weeks ago, and this was the result of, indeed, intensive engagement following the visit of Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. Coordination efforts have obviously scaled up, and a UN presence is being put in place in Sagaing. We also heard unilateral announcement of temporary ceasefires, but which have not always been observed. Aerial attacks, including in earthquake-affected areas, are disrupting relief operations and putting aid workers – and civilians – at greater risk. I would say that aid must reach all people in need, wherever they are, based on their needs. We urge all actors to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law and enable the delivery of life-saving support.

While we have made significant progress over the past month, more resources and sustained access are critical to this phase where we are really scaling up the response to reach as many people as possible which are in need.

The humanitarian response in Myanmar has been, as you know, chronically underfunded for years.* Four months into 2025, the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which covers the entire country, is less than 8 per cent funded. The Flash Addendum to the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which covers basically the areas affected by the earthquakes, requested US$275 million, but only $34 million, or 12 per cent, has so far been disbursed. I cannot overstate the urgency of disbursing pledged funds quickly.

Timely action is essential to prevent Myanmar’s already severe humanitarian crisis from getting even worse. Lives depend on our collective commitment to delivering the support that is desperately needed.

I would like just to conclude with this message: The time to act is now. The suffering is immense, and the stakes are very high. Every delay means more lives at risk, and more communities in Myanmar struggling to rebuild. We must translate those pledges – and we really thank the donors for their support – but we must translate pledges for funding into tangible support – swiftly, decisively and at scale. We need the attacks to stop, and for access to be fully unimpeded, so people can focus on recovering from this terrible event. One month on, the people of Myanmar cannot afford to wait.