WFP In Numbers Country Brief July 2018 4,260 mt of food distributed

US$594,500 cash-based transfers made

US$26 m six months (August 2018 - January 2019) net funding requirements

643,000 people assisted in July 2018 52% 48%

Operational Updates Operational Context • WFP successfully completed the July food Myanmar, the second largest country in Southeast Asia, is distributions in Rakhine State. In Maungdaw amidst an important political and socio-economic District, WFP assisted 95,000 conflict-affected transformation. Highly susceptible to natural disasters, people, including 3,300 pregnant and lactating Myanmar ranks third out of 187 countries in the global climate risk index. An estimated 37.5 percent of its 53 women and adolescent girls and 14,300 children million population live near or below the poverty line. Most under the age of five, from 145 Muslim, Buddhist in the country struggle with physical, social and economic and Hindu villages of Buthidaung and Maungdaw access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food with women, Townships. girls, elderly persons with disabilities and minorities affected most. • In Sittwe District, WFP reached 118,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other conflict-affected Nearly one in three children under the age of five suffers populations in townships of Kyaukpyu, Kyauktaw, from chronic malnutrition (stunting) while wasting prevails Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon, Pauktaw, Rathedaung at 7 percent nationally. Myanmar is one of the world's 20 high tuberculosis burden countries. It is also among 35 and Sittwe. countries accounting for 90 percent of new HIV infections • Since armed clashes between the Tatmadaw and globally. Kachin Independence Army picked up in early April, Ethnic conflicts and violence exacerbate an already fragile approximately 8,500 people have been displaced to situation with over 1 million people displaced from their existing IDP camps or to new locations. WFP places of origin since June 2011. With restrictions on continued to coordinate assistance to the newly movement and lack of access to livelihoods, many conflict- displaced populations in its role as the Chair of the affected populations rely on external assistance to survive. Kachin Food Security Sector. WFP also provided Attacks on border outposts in August 2017 and ensuing violence forced nearly 700,000 Muslims living in Rakhine food assistance to roughly 600 new IDPs in Namti in State to flee Myanmar and seek refuge in neighbouring Township, while the International Bangladesh, leading to a humanitarian crisis and activation Committee of the Red Cross complemented this of WFP’s corporate Level 3 response. This internal with cash for curry. In addition, WFP provided cash classification has since been downgraded to Level 2. assistance to 2,100 new IDPs in existing camps in WFP implemented its first operation in Myanmar in 1978 in , Waing Maw, and Townships Rakhine State and established its first office in 1994. through its cooperating partners. In total, WFP assisted 45,000 beneficiaries in Kachin. • In Shan State, armed clashes were reported in several areas in July. Between 9 and 19 July, more than 2,500 people fled their homes and were displaced to different locations in Hsipaw, Mongkaing and Namtu Townships. WFP’s cooperating partners from Kokang Self- Administered Zone (SAZ) had access for food distributions to the northern part of Kokang SAZ, where food is in short supply and security is unstable. WFP continued to provide relief assistance to around 15,000 beneficiaries in Shan State, including in Kokang SAZ. 2015 Human Development Index: 145 Population: 53.2 million out of 188 • The six-month net funding requirements through

Chronic malnutrition: 29% of children January 2019 stand at US$26 million. An additional Income Level: Lower middle under the age of five US$3 million will be required for WFP’s early recovery efforts in flood-affected rural Contact info: [email protected] communities. Country Director: Dom Scalpelli Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/myanmar

Challenges WFP Country Strategy • Rains and flooding due to the monsoon season continued to cause slight delays in food Country Strategic Plan (2017-2021) deliveries in affected areas.

Six Month Net Funding • WFP faces a pipeline break in late September if Total Requirement Allocated Requirements August (in US$) Contributions (in US$) 2018 – January 2019 (in no new funds are received. Due to the US$) procurement times, funds need to be confirmed 310.8 m 37 m 26 m at least several weeks before the foreseen pipeline break. Strategic Result 1: Everyone has access to food Flood Response Strategic Outcome 1: Crisis-affected people in food-insecure areas meet their food and nutrition needs all year round. • Heavy seasonal rains starting in mid-July caused severe flooding in eight states and regions across Activities: Myanmar— Mon and Kayin states; Tanintharyi, • Activity 1: Provide unconditional food transfers and/or cash- based transfers (CBTs) to populations affected by crisis. Bago, Sagaing, Ayeywaddy and Magway regions; and Pyi Htaung Su Region, Naypyitaw. Around

Strategic Outcome 2: Vulnerable people in states and regions with high 150,000 people were displaced. food insecurity and/or malnutrition have access to food all year round. • The Government requested assistance from WFP Activities: on 30 July. WFP immediately began preparations • Activity 2: Provide technical advice, policy support and training for the Government to improve delivery of national social to dispatch and deliver 36mt of high-energy protection and emergency preparedness programmes and food biscuits (HEB) to a targeted 53,000 affected systems. people in Shwe Kyin, Nyaung Lay Pin and Bago • Activity 3: Implement a comprehensive school feeding township in Bago Region. A WFP emergency programme in targeted schools in support of the national programme. response team facilitated distributions between • Activity 4: Provide conditional food or cash-based assistance in 31 July and 3 August, working together with support of the creation and rehabilitation of assets, combined cooperating partner World Vision and with nutrition messaging for targeted populations. • Activity 5: Provide unconditional food and/or cash-based coordinating closely with the Ministry of Social assistance combined with nutrition messaging and counselling Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and for people living with HIV and TB patients. Department of Disaster Management.

Strategic Result 2: End malnutrition

Strategic Outcome 3: Children under 5 in Myanmar have improved nutrition in line with national targets by 2022.

Activities: • Activity 6 – Provide implementation support, research-based advice and technical assistance on national policies and action plans for the Government and partners. • Activity 7 – Implement preventive nutrition interventions for

adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women and girls, and children under 2, and roll out community infant and young child feeding programmes, CBTs for mothers of young children, and social behaviour change communication (SBCC). • Activity 8 – Provide specialized nutritious foods for the treatment and management of acute malnutrition among pregnant and WFP HEB delivery in Shwe Nyaung Pin Chaung Village, lactating women and adolescent girls, and children under the Shwe Kyin Township, Bago Region. WFP/Zaw Zaw Tun age of five.

Monitoring Donors in 2018

• WFP staff in Myitkyina, , conducted a Australia, Canada, Denmark, the European Union, Germany, Japan, Japan Association for WFP, the Republic monitoring visit to Asian Harm Reduction Network’s of Korea, Luxembourg, Myanmar Humanitarian Fund, the warehouse in Myitkyina and clinic in Waing Maw Township Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Russian to monitor HIV/TB activities. WFP field staff provided Federation, Switzerland, the Republic of Turkey, United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, the United technical support on the food distribution programme States of America. and verified monitoring and evaluation records.

WFP Myanmar Country Brief July 2018