UK announces additional humanitarian funding for Myanmar
Source: gov.uk (2025-02-01)

Four years on from the military coup, additional UK humanitarian funding delivers healthcare to 1 million people in Myanmar.

- uplift in support announced 4 years on from the military coup, as humanitarian needs reach record levels
- despite the ongoing conflict, healthcare will be delivered to nearly one million people across Myanmar in the first half of 2025 including maternal care, nutrition support and disease treatment
- new climate resilience funding will help rural communities tackle extreme weather, improve water management and strengthen food security
Almost 1 million vulnerable people in Myanmar will receive essential medical care through UK aid support in the first 6 months of 2025, helping communities access vital healthcare services despite ongoing conflict.

The UK is announcing an uplift of £22.45 million in humanitarian support for 2024 to 2025 to deliver this support, 4 years on from the military coup.

On 1 February 2021, the Myanmar military overthrew the democratically elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, and installed a military regime. Since then, they have used violence and atrocities to maintain power and suppress opposition voices. The UK has consistently called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all those arbitrarily detained in Myanmar.

UK funding will provide maternal and child health services to around 107,000 women and children, while 86,000 people will be reached with crucial nutrition support. It is expected that a further 142,000 people will be able to access sexual and reproductive health services and treatment for diseases like tuberculosis and malaria.

The life-saving assistance comes as Myanmar faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with nearly 20 million people now requiring aid – a 20-fold increase since the military coup 4 years ago.

Minister for Development Anneliese Dodds said:

While global attention may shift, the UK will not forget the millions in Myanmar still living through a brutal conflict, creating a humanitarian crisis in a country already vulnerable to the impacts of the climate crisis.

Four years on from the military coup and amid ongoing violence, the UK is matching words with action - providing additional support to meet urgent health needs and tackle long-term climate challenges.

Over 3.5 million people are now displaced from their homes due to the fighting, 19.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, and Myanmar is now seeing a proliferation in serious and organised crime.

Typhoon Yagi caused devastation across South-East Asia in September 2024, severely affecting over 1 million people across Myanmar. Additional funding will help rural communities prepare for future climate-related disasters, through improved food systems and early warning mechanisms, including support for areas recovering from recent typhoons.

Agriculture is vital to Myanmar’s economy and without it, the country will find it difficult to rebuild and grow when the conflict finally ends. UK support is planting the seeds for Myanmar’s long-term recovery, restoring security and stability to make the world safer for all of us.

The UK continues to support ASEAN’s central role in addressing the crisis. The UK convened a UN Security Council meeting on 30 January, calling for full humanitarian access across Myanmar to help protect civilians and pressed for further action to secure a peaceful democratic future for the Myanmar people.

As penholder on Myanmar at the UNSC, the UK will continue to take action to bring stability to Myanmar and the wider region, maintaining our commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific in the interests of UK national security.

Background

UK bilateral overseas development assistance to Myanmar in the financial year 2024 to 2025 has increased to £66.45 million from an initial allocation of £44 million (excluding support from the UK’s Integrated Security Fund), following a decision to uplift funding due to increasing humanitarian need.

By comparison, support in the 2023 to 2024 financial year began at £30.1 million and concluded at £38.83 million.

Read the joint statement: Four years on from the military coup in Myanmar (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/four-years-on-from-the-military-coup-in-myanmar).

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