U.N. special envoy: Myanmar conflict has deepened since earthquake as humanitarian appeals remain underfunded

Julie Bishop, the U.N. secretary-general's special envoy on Myanmar, told delegates at a U.N. briefing that fighting in Myanmar has continued and escalated since the military takeover in February 2021 and that a recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake has compounded an already severe humanitarian emergency.

"There has been no end to the violence," Bishop said, noting that thousands have been killed or injured and that civilians — including in schools, hospitals and places of worship — have been directly affected. She said towns, villages, markets and infrastructure have been bombed and that the health system is collapsing while foreign direct investment is evaporating and the economy is floundering.

Bishop said the scale of humanitarian need is vast: more than 20,000,000 people face humanitarian needs, and the U.N. Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan was, she said, less than 8% funded midway into 2025. For a Flash Addendum covering earthquake-affected areas she said only 22% of requested funds had been received. Bishop warned that without urgent funding recovery efforts risk stalling as monsoon rains and floods heighten disease risk and vaccine coverage falls.

She…