Letter to the Chairman from Margareta
Wahlstrom, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator and Assistant Secretary-General,
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA)
In reference to the oral evidence taken before
the International Development Committee on 7 June 2007, I hereby
submit a number of considerations regarding the United Nations
(UN) humanitarian activities and efforts in Myanmar.
Mr. Charles Petrie, whom I know as a UN senior
official of the utmost integrity and competence, has worked ceaselessly
to call the UN system's attention to the deteriorating humanitarian
situation in Myanmar. As a result, the former UN Emergency Relief
Coordinator, Mr Jan Egeland, and the Inter Agency Standing Committee
(established by General Assembly resolution 46/182) decided to
appoint Mr. Petrie—the Resident Coordinator in Myanmar since
2003—as the United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator (HC)
with a view to strengthening the humanitarian coordination and
response mechanisms in that country. Following, Mr. Petrie established
the IASC Country Team in late 2006 which is comprised of UN agencies,
Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and International Red Cross
organizations. Currently, the IASC Country Team in Myanmar is
comprised of ten UN agencies and more than 15 international NGOs
and representatives of local NGO platforms.
The efforts of Mr. Petrie and the IASC Country
Team to engage and define the complex humanitarian situation in
Myanmar paved the way for my mission to that country in April
2007, the first such high-level UN humanitarian mission. Upon
my return to New York, I briefed Member States representatives,
including the UK, on the findings of my mission which I now share
with you in this letter.
The complex humanitarian landscape in Myanmar
warrants careful consideration and requires close consultations
among all key stakeholders in order to identify the most effective
opportunities for providing humanitarian support to vulnerable
populations. Over the past 4 years, Mr. Petrie, the UN and international
NGOs inside the country have been able to expand the extent and
scope of the humanitarian operations inside the country through
frank, challenging and often intense dialogue with national authorities
as well as with growing donor support.
Currently, there are 48 international NGOs in
Myanmar, which, together with the UN agencies, cover all of the
country's states and divisions and provide support to community-based
groups in ethnic and border areas. It is important to note that
in recent months, some international NGOs have started to gain
direct access to conflict areas, or so-called "black areas,"
which were previously only accessed by cross-border groups or
not at all. A key conclusion drawn from my recent mission—and
a line of thinking shared by NGOs, UN partners and resident donors
alike—is that real opportunities exist to further expand
in-country assistance. This, however, is contingent upon greater
availability of financial resources. A conservative UN estimate
notes that at least 800,000 vulnerable persons in the eastern
border areas are receiving assistance from organizations based
inside Myanmar.
Further, it is worth noting that the Ethnic
Nationalities Council—the umbrella group of non-ceasefire
groups, representing the ethnic organizations whose constituencies
include the areas with the highest numbers of internally displaced
persons—publicly endorse humanitarian operations undertaken
by the UN and NGOs based inside the country.
Better humanitarian information-sharing frameworks
and data collection methods on the situation in Myanmar are crucial.
To date, objective, all-encompassing and commonly-agreed upon
analyses on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar are scarce.
The Humanitarian Coordinator, UN agencies and NGOs have already
noted the need for a common analysis of the situation in Myanmar
and I have agreed to OCHA's provision of assistance through the
deployment of resources to the Office of the Resident/Humanitarian
Coordinator in Yangon.
In his capacity as a Humanitarian Coordinator,
Mr. Petrie has begun to reach out to relevant humanitarian actors
focusing on Myanmar. Thus, efforts are currently under way to
further strengthen dialogue, humanitarian coordination mechanisms
and information-sharing platforms between in-country actors and
NGOs and other humanitarian groups operating outside Myanmar.
This will be vital in order to agree upon a common, coherent picture
of the humanitarian situation based on the basic tenets of humanitarianism
and independent of political agendas. In this context, I have
welcomed efforts to develop and harmonize geographical areas coordination
mechanisms in order to better understand regional disparities;
provide a more coherent and effective response to local needs;
and engage with regional authorities in a more consistent and
informed fashion.
As noted above, many international actors in
Myanmar are of the opinion that it is possible to further expand
humanitarian assistance operations, but regrettably are constrained
by a lack of funding. Already the overall ODA envelope is dramatically
lower compared to similar situations. Therefore, it is critical
that current assessment and coordination efforts are given support;
not only so that donors are provided with a more coherent, accurate
and objective overview of Myanmar's humanitarian needs, but so
a more targeted, needs-based humanitarian response is assured.
In closing, if the international and national
humanitarian community is to reach the maximum number of vulnerable
people and ensure the widest possible coverage of needs, it is
essential that we engage in a dialogue with the Myanmar authorities
at the highest levels. We must build confidence in, and develop
a common understanding of, the objectives and principles of humanitarian
action. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that this process
is well underway.
20 June 2007
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