British Minister calls on international community to work together to tackle Burma's ‘forgotten crises’

Alan Duncan visits IDP Camps in Myaybon Township accompanied by Rakhine State Chief Minister U Hla Maung Tin

20 June 2013

Minister Alan Duncan recently met with government, ethnic and civil society representatives to discuss UK's role in promoting peace and combating poverty in Burma.
Alan Duncan visits IDP Camps in Myaybon Township accompanied by Rakhine State Chief Minister U Hla Maung Tin
Alan Duncan visits IDP Camps in Myaybon Township accompanied by Rakhine State Chief Minister U Hla Maung Tin

Greater efforts must be made to help vulnerable people at risk from flooding and disease in Burma’s Rakhine and Kachin States and support peace talks to resolve Burma’s inter-communal conflicts, Development Minister Alan Duncan has said on a visit to Burma.

During a four day visit, the Minister from Department for International Development (DFID) – the UK Department responsible for leading the UK government’s fight against world poverty – met senior government ministers, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic leaders and civil society representatives. The focus of these discussions was on how the UK can help to support peace talks to resolve Burma’s conflicts and help with the country’s continued development.

During a visit to Rakhine, one year on from the start of violence that has seen 140,000 mostly Rohinga Muslims displaced from their homes, the Minister saw how British support has already helped to combat the effects of monsoon rains by providing urgently-needed clean water, sanitation facilities and nutritional feeding for infants for more than 80,000 people.

Alan Duncan said: The situation I have seen in Rakhine today is getting desperate. The monsoon rains have started with some families still living in tents, exposed to the elements and at serious risk of flooding and disease.

The plight of those in Kachin is equally worrying. Humanitarian agencies in both Kachin and in Rakhine are doing what they can under difficult circumstances, but it is simply not enough. Sustained access to all people is critical.

UK humanitarian support is already making a difference and we are actively looking at what more we can do, but now the international community must wake up to these forgotten crises and come together to find lifesaving support and a lasting solution.

The communities too must also work together towards a peaceful resolution so that people can return to their homes. In particular, the Rohinga people must be allowed to enjoy their universal rights to health, education, and livelihoods - they are currently restricted from doing so, and this hugely affects their prospects.

The Minister also raised the plight of the 80,000 people in Kachin who still cannot return home as a result of violent conflict. The UK is currently the largest bilateral humanitarian donor to Kachin State.