The Nation - 21 December 2012

The European Commission has provided new humanitarian aid worth 5.5 million euro for 200,000 of the most vulnerable people in Myanmar to help meet their ongoing emergency needs.

The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, announced Friday that the contribution would provide food assistance, basic household items, provisional shelter and protection to people displaced by violence in Rakhine and Kachin states and along the eastern border of the country.

"I saw change in Myanmar when I went in September 2011. Yet, despite change, there are still people suffering greatly from sectarian violence and internal conflict," Georgieva said.

"The EU has decided to increase its funding to humanitarian organisations in Myanmar that have the capacity to deliver aid in sensitive environments, applying the humanitarian principles of independence, impartiality and neutrality across communities. They need to have unhindered and secure access to identify and help those who most need it."

In Rakhine State, sectarian violence in June and October has forced more than 115,000 people from their homes. Most of them are now living in temporary camps. But even before the outburst of violence 61 per cent of households in Northern Rakhine State were highly food insecure and there was an average of just one doctor per 300,000 people. Access to those in need remains limited due to government restrictions, particularly outside the main towns.

In Kachin State the internal conflict has displaced thousands of people but access, particularly to the non-government controlled area, is severely restricted due to security concerns and lack of travel authorisations, including for UN convoys to bring in assistance. Both sides to the conflict have to allow aid to reach the affected civilian population without delay.

The aid will be channelled through international NGOs, the Red Cross movement or UN agencies, many of whom work in partnership with local organisations, The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response said.