Myanmar and Crisis Response (MCR)

What is the problem?

Four years after the February 2021 military coup, Myanmar faces a worsening humanitarian catastrophe, human rights emergency and political crisis. The junta's indiscriminate violence, mass displacement, and systematic repression have dismantled democratic structures and deepened the suffering of millions.

Since then, widespread anti-coup demonstrations have swept the country led by multisectoral groups of women, youth and students, workers, farmers with an aim to restore peace and democracy, including reinstating the democratically-elected government officials.

Under the guise of the flawed 2008 Constitution, the junta's push for national elections is widely seen as an attempt to legitimize authoritarian rule. Meanwhile, it has unleashed a continuing campaign of terror marked by forced conscription, killings, torture, arbitrary arrests, disappearances, looting, and severe restrictions on information through media blackouts and internet shutdowns.

In the years since the 2021 coup, pro-democracy movements and resistance platforms have emerged. At the same time, a form of “federalism from below” is taking shape, as community and ethnic-led governance bodies begin implementing inclusive models of administration, health, and education. These efforts reflect aspirations for greater autonomy and federal representation but remain vulnerable in the absence of strong coordinated national frameworks.

At the same time, Myanmar's humanitarian crisis is worsening, with nearly 22 million people in need of assistance, over 3.5 million displaced, and access to aid severely restricted. Refugees along border areas face insecurity and heightened risks, while ASEAN's Five-Point Consensus has yet to deliver meaningful progress, raising concerns about the bloc's credibility as the crisis deepens.