Medair temporarily withdraws from Myanmar

Over the past six decades, the people of Myanmar have endured tremendous hardships, including internal conflict, violence and powerful natural disasters. Hundreds of thousands of families have been forced to flee their homes and their communities, many seeking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Medair arrived in Myanmar in 2015. Our teams focused on three main areas of relief in Rakhine State: flood assistance, disaster risk reduction and shelter projects. However since August 2017, despite repeated efforts, Medair has been unable to fulfill its mission due to severe limitations on humanitarian access:

“I am proud of the work our team has managed to achieve, under very challenging conditions”, said William Anderson, Medair’s International Director and Head of the Myanmar programme. “We had hoped to continue this life-saving work. However, without full humanitarian access fully aligned with the core humanitarian principles, we have decided to temporarily withdraw from the country, in accordance with our own value of accountability and the importance we place on good stewardship. We remain committed to providing relief to the people of Myanmar. Therefore, it is Medair’s intent to return as soon as possible.”

Until such time, Medair’s assistance to those affected by the Rohingya Crisis remains focused on a comprehensive emergency response programme based out of Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.

For details on this programme:
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