UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for transforming the tragic moment into an opportunity to end the brutal civil conflict in Myanmar. While appealing for international help to the quake-ravaged country, he asked the international community to immediately step up vitally needed funding to match the scale of this crisis.
He told reporters at the UN that as the government and people of Myanmar unite in grief, it is also time to unite behind a political solution to end the brutal conflict.
Mr Guterres announced that he was rushing Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to Myanmar and his Special Envoy Julie Bishop will visit the country to reinforce UN commitment to peace and dialogue. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the quake has affected more than 17 million people. Myanmar has a population of nearly 55 million.
While appealing for international help to quake-ravaged Myanmar, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for transforming the “tragic moment” into an opportunity to end the brutal civil conflict.
He asked the international community to immediately step up vitally needed funding to match the scale of this crisis.
And to the government and people of Myanmar, he said, “as they unite in grief, it’s also time to unite behind a political solution to end the brutal conflict”.
“There must be an end to the violence and human rights violations across the country and a pathway for democracy to take root,” he said while speaking to reporters at the UN on Thursday.
Guterres announced that he was rushing Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to Myanmar and his Special Envoy Julie Bishop will visit the country “to reinforce our commitment to peace and dialogue”.
India had already launched “Operation Brahma” immediately after the earthquake, flying relief supplies and personnel to Myanmar, which was the epicentre of the March 28 earthquake.
Guterres said, “The death toll is now 3,000 and climbing – with thousands injured, and many trapped under the rubble. This disaster has laid bare the deeper vulnerabilities facing people throughout the country,” he said.
