[{"bbox": [83, 104, 1147, 160], "category": "Text", "text": "MS and other donors will rely mainly on civil society to support the Myanmar population, therefore a coordinated approach will be key."}, {"bbox": [82, 163, 1147, 538], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU has been a witness to the 2015 National Ceasefire Agreement and has been an important donor to the Joint Peace Fund. As such, the EU has positioned itself at the centre of the peace process and remains a key player in this area. Even though the formal peace process has stalled, peace and peace negotiations are more needed than ever. The EU shall therefore commit to supporting peace more broadly where this can be done in a conflict sensitive way and in particular avoiding the ‘do nothing at all’ trap. This includes building up negotiation and mediation capacities from the grassroots level up, in complement to other higher political-level peace-making actions. The EU-funded Joint Peace Fund (JPF), which is led at Ambassadorial-level, gathers 10 donors (including Finland, Germany and Italy) and is being reoriented towards pure peace making and conflict analysis. The programme will be extended at least up to the end of 2022 which opens up for synergies with the current action and harmoniously fit with it. This action reflects the role of the EU as a global actor and illustrates the EU Global Strategy priority of taking an integrated approach to conflicts and crises as a mean to support peace and prosperity. Importance will be given to enabling peace actors, including local communities and women, to demand and participate in the peace process. The engagement allows the EU to consolidate its standing with important players of the peace process and to continue to build foundations for future opportunities."}, {"bbox": [82, 541, 1147, 651], "category": "Text", "text": "EU engagement in the country is essential to i) promote EU fundamental values, clearly disregarded by the current ruling of the Myanmar Army; ii) support Myanmar people, now more than ever in need of direct assistance and protection, and iii) look for opportunities to support positive developments of the current crisis in particular with a view to engage on a return on the democratic path."}, {"bbox": [82, 653, 1147, 816], "category": "Text", "text": "The EU is also best placed to strengthen the links between peace, humanitarian and development work, which is at the core of the current needs. The ongoing Nexus Response Mechanism (NRM) is particularly suited to respond to the need for a greater focus on localisation of humanitarian, development and peace initiatives, for human rights, conflict sensitivity and gender equity, and can be a key instrument to address the complex crisis situation in Myanmar. Myanmar/Burma has been chosen by the Council of the European Union as one of the six pilot countries for testing the operationalisation of the humanitarian-development-peace nexus."}, {"bbox": [82, 819, 1147, 875], "category": "Text", "text": "Finally, under the guidance of the EU CSO Roadmap, the EU is in a unique position to offer a coordinated European CSO support to the population."}, {"bbox": [108, 930, 380, 959], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2. PROBLEM ANALYSIS"}, {"bbox": [82, 972, 1147, 1136], "category": "Text", "text": "Since the February 2021 coup, the official peace process came to a halt and the country is plunged in a socio-economic and humanitarian crisis. Immediate results were the escalation of longstanding conflicts in ethnic areas, a civil disobedience movement, internal displacement of civilians and the emergence of armed resistance all over the country. Moreover, the coup d'état has halted almost entirely the COVID-19 response and with a large proportion of the medical staff involved in the civil disobedience movement the health care system has as good has imploded. The state is on the verge of civil war with a very concerning and direct impact on the population."}, {"bbox": [82, 1139, 1147, 1381], "category": "Text", "text": "As a dire and complex situation unfolds - characterized not only in humanitarian terms but also as a deep crisis in development, democratization, peace and human rights - and circumstances worsen, international support will play an important role in safeguarding the well-being of the Myanmar population. The suffering of civilians affected by human rights violations and abuses is ongoing not only for the non-recognised Rohingya ethnic group, but also for the ethnic minorities recognised by the State as well as civilians opposing to the coup. While approaching ten years of displacement and despite ongoing and often increasing needs, IDPs in northern Myanmar/Burma face decreasing aid and protection services. This is also the case in the south east of the country where peace dividends have never been truly achieved. Furthermore, following the military coup, new displacements are occurring all over the country, but especially in the south east in the borderlands confining with Thailand."}, {"bbox": [82, 1384, 1147, 1625], "category": "Text", "text": "According to data released in a recently published report by UNDP the compounded negative shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing coup d'état if unchecked, could push up to 12 million people into poverty. That could result in as much as 25 million people - nearly half of Myanmar's population - living below the national poverty line by early 2022, a level of impoverishment not seen in the country since 2005. In particular, the poor and the near poor are likely to be more affected. This is exacerbated by the gender gap; disparities faced by minorities, displaced and stateless populations; and the digital divide. UNDP's report highlights that women and children are expected to bear the heaviest brunt of the combined impact of COVID-19 and the political crisis. Even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and the coup, 61% of the population were unable to afford a healthy diet (FAO, 2020), almost half of all women of reproductive age were anaemic and close to one third of all children under five years of age were stunted."}, {"bbox": [1050, 1650, 1158, 1676], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 23"}]