{"id":47507,"date":"2024-11-07T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/looming-famine-in-rakhine-signals-wider-crisis-in-myanmar\/"},"modified":"2024-11-07T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-11-07T12:00:00","slug":"looming-famine-in-rakhine-signals-wider-crisis-in-myanmar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=47507","title":{"rendered":"Looming famine in Rakhine signals wider crisis in Myanmar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In a report released on Thursday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) described the situation in the poverty-struck province as an \u201cunprecedented disaster\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>A perfect storm is brewing<\/strong>,\u201d it said, citing a combination of interlinked issues \u2013 restrictions on domestic and international flow of goods, hyperinflation, loss of livelihoods, dwindling agricultural production and lack of essential services.<\/p>\n<p>Without urgent action nearly the entire population (about 95 per cent) \u201cwill regress into survival mode\u201d, UNDP warned.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>They will be left to fend for themselves amid a drastic reduction in domestic production, skyrocketing prices, widespread unemployment and heightened insecurity.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"align-right context-un_news_large_uncropped_credit_caption type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-un-news-large-uncropped-credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-thumbnail field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-authors field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items\">\n<p>Source: WFP price monitoring<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Skyrocketing pries of essential goods and services in Rakhine (rice, cooking and transport).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Rakhine is home to the mostly-Muslim Rohingya community who fled a brutal military crackdown in 2017 in their hundreds and thousands, in what the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra\u2019ad Al Hussein called ethnic cleansing.<\/p>\n<p>Today, nearly one million Rohingya refugees remain in neighbouring Bangladesh, where UN aid teams have had to cut food rations amid major funding shortages.<\/p>\n<h2>Collective punishment<\/h2>\n<p>Data collected across Rakhine in 2023 and 2024, also pointed to a virtual halt in the state\u2019s economy, with critical sectors such as trade, agriculture and construction nearly at a standstill.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople\u2019s incomes are collapsing because <strong>export-oriented, agrarian livelihoods in Rakhine are disappearing as the domestic and international markets are no longer accessible<\/strong> due to blockades,\u201d UNDP said.<\/p>\n<p>It added that the restrictions put in place by the military\u2019s State Administration Council were \u201cclearly aimed at isolating Rakhine from the rest of the country and exacting \u2018collective punishment\u2019 on an already vulnerable population\u201d.<\/p>\n<h2>Repercussions beyond borders<\/h2>\n<p>UNDP further warned that the recent escalation in manipulating ethnic identity along with an imminent economic catastrophe, will deepen marginalization, disenfranchisement and put intercommunal relationships at even greater risk than ever before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<strong>As the crisis worsens, the lack of resources and opportunities will continue to fuel tensions and trigger a greater exodus of youth and families<\/strong>\u2026this would have repercussions both within Myanmar and beyond its borders,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWithout safe avenues for escape, we anticipate an increase in human trafficking, particularly among the vulnerable Rohingya population.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"context-un_news_large_credit type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-un-news-large-credit\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-thumbnail field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/07-11-2024-UNICEF-Myanmar.jpg\/image770x420cropped.jpg\" alt=\"A displaced child prepares to dig a hole to set up a tent at an IDP site in Rakhine. (file)\" title=\"A displaced child prepares to dig a hole to set up a tent at an IDP site in Rakhine. (file)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"770\" height=\"420\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Knock-on effects<\/h2>\n<p>The knock-on effects of the situation Rakhine are contributing to a pattern of internal migration across Myanmar.<\/p>\n<p>As the economic situation worsens, many families see relocation as their only option for survival, a separate UNDP report on migration patterns revealed. Many young adults are leaving their communities for urban centres in search of work and stability.<\/p>\n<p>However, what they find is often far from what they had hoped \u2013 jobs are scarce and those who migrate for safety rather than economic opportunity frequently encounter severe mental health challenges.<\/p>\n<p>Women face an additional burden: lower wages, higher rates of discrimination and greater obstacles in the job market.<\/p>\n<h2>Brain drains<\/h2>\n<p>The migration crisis extends beyond Myanmar\u2019s borders, with comparisons revealing stark differences between internal migrants and those who flee to neighbouring countries, such as Thailand.<\/p>\n<p>Those who moved abroad often earned better wages, experiencing improved living conditions. This could potentially lead to labour shortages and hinder any future recovery, UNDP said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith nearly 25 per cent of the population already living abroad, addressing these migration trends is essential to retaining a productive workforce within the country,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n<div class=\"context-un_news_full_width_credit_caption type-entermedia_image media media--type-entermedia-image media--view-mode-un-news-full-width-credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"field field--name-thumbnail field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/global.unitednations.entermediadb.net\/assets\/mediadb\/services\/module\/asset\/downloads\/preset\/Libraries\/Production%20Library\/07-11-2024-UNDP-Myanmar.jpg\/image1170x530cropped.jpg\" alt=\"A girl scavenges for recyclable materials at a garbage dump in Mandalay, Myanmar\u2019s second-largest city, where impoverished families are often forced to search for items to sell for minimal income. (file)\" title=\"A girl scavenges for recyclable materials at a garbage dump in Mandalay, Myanmar\u2019s second-largest city, where impoverished families are often forced to search for items to sell for minimal income. (file)\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1170\" height=\"530\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<p>A girl scavenges for recyclable materials at a garbage dump in Mandalay, Myanmar\u2019s second-largest city, where impoverished families are often forced to search for items to sell for minimal income. (file)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Dwindling human capital<\/h2>\n<p>Compounding this, the conflict and economic strife are accelerating the degradation of Myanmar\u2019s human capital and prospects look equally bleak.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Essential services like healthcare, education, and access to clean water and sanitation are becoming luxuries out of reach for many<\/strong>, according to data released by UNDP in September, with nearly 25 per cent of children no longer attending school.<\/p>\n<p>The dropout rates are climbing in regions hardest hit by violence and economic hardship, such as Rakhine and neighbouring Chin state.<\/p>\n<p>The healthcare systems are strained to the breaking point and basic medical needs remain unmet, UNDP said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA mass exodus of skilled workers is depleting the nation\u2019s productive capacity, exacerbating the long-term effects of this crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.un.org\/feed\/view\/en\/story\/2024\/11\/1156676\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a report released on Thursday, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) described the situation in the&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47510,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v21.0 (Yoast SEO v28.5) - 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