Work
06.September 2005 - 00:00
Providing emergency humanitarian assistance in Burma
Given the fact that at least one million people are internally displaced in Burma, on the run, without access to adequate food, medicine and shelter, and given the continuing gross violations of human rights against ethnic minorities, including destruction of villages, crops, livestock, widespread, systematic use of rape, forced labour, forced relocation and human minesweepers, will the Commission consider ways of providing emergency humanitarian assistance to those trapped in the jungles and conflict zones of Burma?
Answer given by Mr Michel on behalf of the Commission
The Commission fully shares the Honourable Member’s concern about the situation of the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burma/Myanmar. Unfortunately, nobody really has an accurate estimation of the number and current situation of the IDPs inside the country. A recent research by the Thailand Burmese Border Consortium in October 2004 estimated that there were 526000 IDPs in the six border States and Divisions bordering Thailand, Laos and China.
The Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid DG (ECHO), has been providing continuous humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in Burma/Myanmar (notably in the border regions, where most of the IDPs are located) for the past decade. The amount allocated for humanitarian assistance in Burma/Myanmar has in fact increased by 400 % in the past 4 years (from EUR 2 million in 2001 to over EUR 8 million in 2004) and the humanitarian assistance to the Burmese crisis is even higher when the additional support given to the Burmese refugees on the Thai side of the border with Myanmar is considered (EUR 7.5 million in 2004). A similar allocation as in 2004 is envisaged for 2005.
The challenge of addressing the needs of IDPs inside Burma/Myanmar is however a difficult one, as the access for international humanitarian organisations to certain border areas is severely restricted, and only relatively few organisations are authorised to operate in those regions. The Commission nevertheless has a close and regular dialogue with all of them and is currently funding the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and five international non‑governmental organisations which are all active in the border areas and who provide essential and often life-saving assistance to the vulnerable populations (including IDPs) living there. This assistance is focused on protection as well as on health and water and sanitation activities and all the projects are regularly monitored by the Commission.
Moreover, the Commission has just received the authorisation from the Burma/Myanmar Government for ECHO to open a permanent office in Yangon. ECHO is therefore planning to open this office at the beginning of September 2005. The Commission believes that this will be of great assistance in enabling a closer assessment of the needs and will contribute to an even better targeting of the humanitarian aid it provides.
Given the fact that at least one million people are internally displaced in Burma, on the run, without access to adequate food, medicine and shelter, and given the continuing gross violations of human rights against ethnic minorities, including destruction of villages, crops, livestock, widespread, systematic use of rape, forced labour, forced relocation and human minesweepers, will the Commission consider ways of providing emergency humanitarian assistance to those trapped in the jungles and conflict zones of Burma?
Answer given by Mr Michel on behalf of the Commission
The Commission fully shares the Honourable Member’s concern about the situation of the internally displaced people (IDPs) in Burma/Myanmar. Unfortunately, nobody really has an accurate estimation of the number and current situation of the IDPs inside the country. A recent research by the Thailand Burmese Border Consortium in October 2004 estimated that there were 526000 IDPs in the six border States and Divisions bordering Thailand, Laos and China.
The Commission, through its Humanitarian Aid DG (ECHO), has been providing continuous humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in Burma/Myanmar (notably in the border regions, where most of the IDPs are located) for the past decade. The amount allocated for humanitarian assistance in Burma/Myanmar has in fact increased by 400 % in the past 4 years (from EUR 2 million in 2001 to over EUR 8 million in 2004) and the humanitarian assistance to the Burmese crisis is even higher when the additional support given to the Burmese refugees on the Thai side of the border with Myanmar is considered (EUR 7.5 million in 2004). A similar allocation as in 2004 is envisaged for 2005.
The challenge of addressing the needs of IDPs inside Burma/Myanmar is however a difficult one, as the access for international humanitarian organisations to certain border areas is severely restricted, and only relatively few organisations are authorised to operate in those regions. The Commission nevertheless has a close and regular dialogue with all of them and is currently funding the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and five international non‑governmental organisations which are all active in the border areas and who provide essential and often life-saving assistance to the vulnerable populations (including IDPs) living there. This assistance is focused on protection as well as on health and water and sanitation activities and all the projects are regularly monitored by the Commission.
Moreover, the Commission has just received the authorisation from the Burma/Myanmar Government for ECHO to open a permanent office in Yangon. ECHO is therefore planning to open this office at the beginning of September 2005. The Commission believes that this will be of great assistance in enabling a closer assessment of the needs and will contribute to an even better targeting of the humanitarian aid it provides.