GENEVA, April 5 (Bernama-WAM) -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is appealing for US$16 million to assist 1.2 million people who survived last week’s devastating earthquake in Myanmar, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
‘’UNHCR will use the funds to expand its emergency relief efforts, manage displacement sites and support vulnerable people in six affected regions until the end of the year,'' said UNHCR spokesperson Babar Baloch at Friday’s press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
In the week since the earthquake struck central Myanmar, UNHCR has deployed existing in-country stocks, including plastic sheets and kitchen sets, for some 25,000 survivors in Mandalay, Sagaing and Bago regions, as well as the capital, Nay Pyi Taw, and parts of Shan State (South).
As part of the inter-agency response to the earthquake, UNHCR is co-leading the response on shelter, emergency relief items, camp coordination and protection.
“The agency is mobilising supplies from its Myanmar warehouses for an additional 25,000 people but will need to replenish stocks urgently to meet the massive needs in areas suffering from the impact of the earthquake on top of four years of conflict and displacement.
“These relief items are critical for people who have lost everything, including the means to buy supplies as some local markets are not yet functioning,” Babar Baloch added.
“Additional funding will allow UNHCR to procure and distribute emergency shelter kits and relief items and provide assistance to survivors during the initial weeks and months of recovery. Where displacement sites are set up, UNHCR will coordinate work to improve service delivery and mitigate risks.”
Through the funding, UNHCR will also strengthen protection services, including legal assistance, psychosocial support and interventions for children, women and people with disabilities. Efforts will continue to advocate for and facilitate safe humanitarian access to affected areas through local partnerships, the UNHCR spokesperson concluded.
-- BERNAMA-WAM
