Humanitarian assistance to Myanmar

TodayI announce that the Australian Government is providing further assistance toaddress the needs of people affected by humanitarian crises in Myanmar,including in Rakhine and Kachin States.

TheUN estimates that over 830,000 people in Myanmar need humanitarian assistance,including approximately 500,000 Rohingya in Rakhine State. The Rohingyacommunity continues to depend on humanitarian assistance to survive as severerestrictions obstruct their access to income andessential services.

TheAustralian Government is also concerned about intensified fighting in KachinState, which has forced more than 5,000 people to flee theirhomes since early April. The conflict is driving serious concerns for thesafety and wellbeing of more than 100,000 people already displaced in Kachinand Shan States.

The Australian Government calls on all parties to end thefighting, protect civilian populations, and allow humanitarian assistance to bedelivered to affected communities.

Australiawill provide $13 million through trusted humanitarian agencies including the UNRefugee Agency (UNHCR) and Save the Children Australia, to help meet urgentneeds across Myanmar. In Rakhine State, our support will provide access tobasic health care for 50,000 people, help 18,000 children to attend school,improve shelter for 17,600 people in advance of the monsoon and cyclone season,and help to reunite separated and unaccompanied children with their families.In Kachin and Shan, our support will provide assistance and protection to familiesfleeing ongoing violence.

Thisadditional funding is on top of the $15 million announced on 28 April inresponse to humanitarian needs in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar district. It bringsAustralia's total humanitarian response to the Rohingya crisis to $51.5 millionsince September 2017.