Over 4 Million Displaced in Myanmar as Humanitarian Crisis Deepens, UN Envoy Says

More than four million people are now internally displaced in Myanmar, and over 16.2 million require urgent humanitarian assistance, Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, told a UN assembly.

Speaking on November 4 during an interactive dialogue between the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and UN Resident Coordinators at UN Headquarters in New York, Kyaw Moe Tun warned that the 2021 military coup has completely reversed all development gains achieved before it.

He attributed the deepening crisis to ongoing junta airstrikes, systematic atrocities against civilians, and widespread economic collapse, adding that regime-imposed blockades and travel restrictions routinely hinder the delivery of critical relief.

Kyaw Moe Tun urged UN agencies and international partners to ensure aid reaches all conflict-affected communities without discrimination. He stressed the need for closer coordination with the opposition National Unity Government (NUG), the Steering Council for the Emergence of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF), and allied democratic forces.

The ambassador also appealed to international donors to step up funding for the UN’s 2026 Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, which targets $890 million in aid.

Emphasizing that humanitarian assistance alone cannot solve the crisis, he called on the international community to support the Myanmar people's efforts to end the military dictatorship and establish a federal democratic union.