By Sushetha Gopallawa
More than 100,000 people are now living in displacement camps in northern Myanmar, driven from their homes by conflict between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). While about a third of these individuals are living in government-controlled areas, the vast majority are located in zones controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), the KIA’s political wing.
The government of Myanmar is denying international humanitarian agencies regular access to internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in these non-government controlled areas. In fact, during the last year, only one UN humanitarian aid convoy has reached IDPs in rebel-held areas. Meanwhile, the government itself has failed to provide any aid.
These neglected IDPs lack access to adequate food, water and sanitation, shelter, health care, education, and livelihoods. The lack of employment opportunities and humanitarian assistance in their region is forcing some IDPs to take desperate measures, including trafficking women and girls to China.
The Myanmar government’s failure to respond, and its blocking of international aid, is perpetuating the suffering of tens of thousands of people. Such a massive gap in humanitarian assistance is not acceptable. Indeed, Kachin State would be a humanitarian disaster right now if not for the lifesaving work of local, community-based organizations (CBOs).
Kachin CBOs face many challenges in obtaining international funding for their humanitarian work. Part of the problem is the limited international presence in Kachin, which leaves bilateral donors without sufficient information to assuage concerns about CBO capacity and politicization. Fortunately, pooled humanitarian funds provide a solution. These funds collect money from a wide range of donor countries, under the management of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is responsible for identification and assessment of potential grantees.
Myanmar’s Emergency Relief Fund (ERF) is one good example of how the UN and donors - including Britain's DFID, Sweden's SIDA, and Australia's AusAID - can improve conditions in Kachin rebel-held areas despite the ongoing access restrictions. The conversion of the former Humanitarian Multi-Stakeholder Fund (HMSF) into an ERF provides better mechanisms to identify local strategic priorities and high-impact projects. In 2012, the ERF provided $744,122 to support CBOs working in Kachin State. With this funding, CBOs were able to provide water and sanitation and non-food items to displaced people living in forests, remote camps within rebel-held areas, and other conflict-affected regions.
This money has made a real difference, and yet CBOs say it does not match the level of need. So far this year, only one project has been funded in Kachin State, and just $525,000 remains in the ERF for the whole of the country – a paltry sum compared with the level of need. OCHA has expressed confidence in the capacity of its Kachin CBO partners, but it cannot fund them due to limited resources.
In Myanmar, where humanitarian access is limited and few donors have offices, pooled funds can effectively deliver money to organizations working on the front line. Thus, it is time for the international donor community to generously support Myanmar’s Emergency Response Fund, as this is one of the best ways to deliver lifesaving aid to over 65,000 people displaced behind rebel lines.
OCHA will soon officially launch the Myanmar ERF, which will make it even more effective. Those donors who prefer not to participate in pooled funds (most notably the United States) should support the work of Kachin CBOs through international aid groups who partner with them. Whichever approach donors choose to pursue, they must act quickly and respond generously.
September 17, 2013 |
Tagged as: Myanmar, Humanitarian Response, Asia
- See more at:http://www.refugeesinternational.org/blog/myanmar-chance-deliver-aid-behind-rebel-lines
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/blog/myanmar-chance-deliver-aid-behind-rebel-lines#sthash.lwhX460A.dpuf
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