[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1134, 206], "category": "Text", "text": "of Myanmar controversies, to support civil society-led bottom-up peace building efforts and to build foundations for future opportunities, including response to forced displacement."}, {"bbox": [97, 211, 1134, 344], "category": "Text", "text": "In the spirit of 22 February 2021 Foreign Council Conclusions, the EU with this action - while avoiding any legitimisation of the military regime – further strengthens its engagement in the country to i) support Myanmar people (including IDPs), now more than ever in need of direct assistance and protection; ii), promote EU fundamental values, clearly disregarded by the Myanmar Army, 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": [97, 350, 1134, 537], "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 and 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. The Nexus Response Mechanism (NRM), which is being further scaled up with this action, 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."}, {"bbox": [85, 557, 340, 588], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [97, 603, 1134, 760], "category": "Text", "text": "Since the February 2021 coup, the official peace process came to a halt and the country is plunged in a political, socio-economic development and humanitarian crisis. Immediate results were the arrival of violence to areas which had not seen violence in decades, 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. The conflict is of medium/high intensity in some parts of the country and its direct impact on the population is of great concern."}, {"bbox": [97, 769, 1134, 1114], "category": "Text", "text": "As a dire and complex situation unfolds - characterised not only in humanitarian terms but also as a deep crisis in development, democratisation, 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 stateless Rohingya ethnic group (of which about 1.2 million are refugees, over three quarters in Bangladesh)⁸, but also for the ethnic minorities recognised by the State as well as civilians opposing to the coup, many of them from the Bamar majority as well. Ten years after their 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 and heavy fighting has resurged. New displacements are occurring all over the country, but especially in Magway, Sagaing and the south east, in the borderlands confining with Thailand: 695,000 new internally displaced (IDPs) are accounted for since the coup, increasing the total number of displaced persons in country from 346,600 in 2020 to 1,040,900 as of 23 May 2022. Further 40,200 persons fled the country to seek refuge in Thailand and India⁹ since February 2021 military coup."}, {"bbox": [97, 1118, 1134, 1333], "category": "Text", "text": "The World Bank predicts an annual economic contraction of up to 18 percent¹⁰ while, according to data released by UNDP in November 2021¹¹, the compounded negative shocks of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing coup d'état if unchecked, could push about 46 percent of the population in the country (as much as 25 million people), to live below the national poverty line by early 2022. This would represent a level of impoverishment not seen in the country since 2005, with a poverty headcount rates increased by 20 percentage points (relative to the 2017 levels – the last time welfare in Myanmar was assessed). In particular, the poor and the near poor are likely to be more affected. Furthermore, urban poverty headcount could increase threefold, coupled with additional increases in rural poverty."}, {"bbox": [97, 1338, 1134, 1497], "category": "Text", "text": "This is exacerbated by gender inequalities; 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 diet¹², 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. Given the pre-existent vulnerabilities female headed households are those most at risk. A study by the World Bank on the Gender impact"}, {"bbox": [85, 1524, 498, 1549], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁸ UNHCR, Global Trends report 2021, June 2022"}, {"bbox": [85, 1549, 737, 1574], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁹ UNHCR, Myanmar emergency overview map and statistics, 25th April 2022."}, {"bbox": [85, 1573, 590, 1598], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁰ World Bank - January 2022: Myanmar Economic Monitor"}, {"bbox": [85, 1598, 719, 1623], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹¹ 211130 UNDP Myanmar - Impact of Twin Crises on Human Welfare_EN"}, {"bbox": [85, 1622, 201, 1644], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹² FAO, 2020"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 6 of 20"}]