‘Almost invisible crisis’: UN urges world not to look away from Myanmar
Speaking to UN News during a visit to UN Headquarters in New York, Gwyn Lewis, the UN’s interim Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, said global attention has shifted elsewhere even as conditions inside the country continue to deteriorate.
“The crisis in Myanmar is almost invisible,” she said. “There’s really a sense in country that it’s been forgotten.”
Her comments come as the United Nations and humanitarian partners warn that Myanmar’s needs will continue to rise in 2026, with limited resources forcing painful choices about who can be helped.
A crisis years in the making
Since the military takeover in 2021, Myanmar has been gripped by expanding armed conflict, repeated natural disasters and economic collapse. Fighting and disasters have already displaced an estimated 3.6 million people, with the figure expected to climb to around four million next year.
Earlier this month, the UN published its 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, estimating that more than 16 million people – including five million children – will require life-saving assistance and protection in 2026.
Ms. Lewis said that many families have been forced from their homes not only by fighting, but also by a powerful earthquake earlier this year and severe monsoon flooding, leaving people in overcrowded and unsafe shelters with limited access to food, clean water and healthcare.
“The scale, the severity and the complexity of the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar is very, very high,” she said.
Children walk through a flooded IDP settlement near the town of Mandalay in north-central Myanmar after a heavy monsoon downpour (April 2025).
Hunger and hard choices
Food insecurity is one of the most urgent concerns. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than 12 million people in Myanmar will face acute hunger in 2026, with around one million expected to reach emergency levels requiring immediate assistance.
More than 400,000 young children and mothers are already suffering from acute malnutrition, surviving on nutrient-poor diets.
“Conflict and deprivation are converging to strip away people’s basic means of survival, yet the world isn’t paying attention,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Country Director.
Funding shortfalls
Funding shortages are compounding the crisis. In 2025, only about a quarter of the funds required under the humanitarian plan were received, leaving millions without aid. As a result, humanitarian partners plan to target 4.9 million of the most vulnerable people in 2026, down from 6.7 million targeted this year.
“We weren’t able to deliver food to everybody we wanted to,” Ms. Lewis said. “Families were pushed into impossible choices.”
Access blocked by conflict
Beyond funding, access remains a major challenge.
Ms. Lewis warned that Myanmar’s fragmented conflict – involving the military and numerous ethnic armed groups – often prevents aid workers from reaching communities in need.
Active fighting, checkpoints, road closures and administrative delays regularly slow or block humanitarian deliveries, particularly to remote and frontline areas. Political tensions and upcoming elections could further restrict access.
Earthquake affected families receive food aid at a WFP distribution site in Sagaing region.
A call not to look away
Despite shrinking resources and rising insecurity, humanitarian partners reached around five million people during the first nine months of 2025, though often with limited depth and frequency of assistance.
Ms. Lewis stressed that much more is needed to prevent further suffering.
“Behind every number is a person trying to survive a crisis they did not choose,” she said. “We simply cannot allow this to happen again next year.”
Calling on donors and governments to refocus attention on Myanmar, she urged the international community not to look away.
“The suffering is very deep…and the people of Myanmar deserve to be heard and seen.”
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