UN GENEVA PRESS BRIEFING

1 April 2025

Myanmar Earthquake

Marcoluigi Corsi, UN Myanmar Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i., speaking from Yangon, said the scale and scope of the earthquake effects were vast, spanning multiple regions of the country. Initial reports indicated a huge number of people affected and significant structural damages, including to roads, bridges, hospitals and buildings. The human toll was devastating; one million people lived in areas affected by the earthquake and more than 1,600 people had died so far, with over 3,400 injured and more than 200 still missing. The immediate needs of affected communities included shelters, food, electricity, medicine and running water. United Nations agencies and humanitarian operators were present in the area and were actively delivering supplies, while conducting a rapid response assessment to determine the full scale of needs. Teams of search and rescue experts were working to find people trapped in the rubble, while the critical window for search narrowed. Prior to the earthquake, Myanmar was already facing an alarming humanitarian crisis, including conflict, cyclones, flooding and cholera outbreaks, with 19.9 million people in need of humanitarian assistance prior to the earthquake. It was time for the international community to step up and support Myanmar. Four months into the year, less than five percent of the required 2025 one-billion-dollar humanitarian response plan had been received. The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund had rapidly responded to the needs and released funds which would mostly be used for water, sanitation, shelter and protection.

Dr. Fernando Thushara, World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Myanmar, speaking from Yangon, said on Sunday he had been in Nay Pyi Taw on mission and had experienced firsthand the significant infrastructure damages. Hospitals were overwhelmed with patients and medical supplies were running dry, with shortages of running water and fuel kits. People had many different types of injuries, including physical as well as psychosocial. The hardships experienced today could lead to the spread of infectious diseases in the future, including cholera. Dr. Thushara expressed concern for patients who required ongoing care, including those with infectious disease, life threatening injuries, pregnant mothers and sick children as well as those who needed continuous treatment. WHO was currently in the process of taking stock of destroyed and damaged infrastructure, which included three hospitals destroyed and 22 hospitals damaged. WHO had delivered three loads of medical and surgical supplies to hospitals in Mandalay and Nay Pyi Tawon, with more expected in the coming days. Emergency kits were delivered which could provide services to 10,000 people for three months. The level of resilience of the people was striking. Healthcare workers were at the forefront continuing to serve those less fortunate.

Julia Rees, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Representative, speaking from Yangon, said she had just returned from some of the worst-affected locations, where she had seen entire communities flattened; children and families sleeping in the open, with no homes to return to; and children in shock after witnessing their homes collapse or the death of family members. Some had been separated from their parents and others were still unaccounted for. Entire communities were without water, food, shelter, medicines and money. The crisis was still unfolding, with continuing tremors and ongoing search and rescue operations. Bodies were still being pulled out of the rubble and children were waiting anxiously to be reunited with their parents. UNICEF and partners had begun delivering emergency water, sanitation and hygiene kits, medical kits and nutrition supplies, working in extremely challenging conditions, and were mobilizing an additional 80 metric tons of critical supplies from global hubs. But this was not enough. Even before the earthquake, over 6.5 million children in Myanmar were in need of humanitarian assistance and the earthquake had added another layer of crisis. UNICEF were calling on the international community to respond with urgency. So far, less than 10 per cent of UNICEF’s 2025 Humanitarian Action for Children appeal for Myanmar had been received.

Babar Baloch, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said as aftershocks continued to pound central Myanmar following the earthquake on 28 March, UNHCR had rushed emergency supplies from Yangon to some 25,000 earthquake survivors in the Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw areas. UNHCR were mobilizing relief items from existing stocks in Myanmar, including plastic sheets, sleeping mats, blankets, kitchen sets and mosquito nets. The agency had declared the situation as a top-level humanitarian crisis. The team was currently identifying critical needs in the worst-affected areas of Mandalay, Magway and Sagaing Regions as part of an inter-agency rapid needs assessment. The most urgent requirement was to deploy shelter and relief items to the affected areas. The quake-hit areas were home to 45 per cent of the 3.5 million internally displaced people across Myanmar. UNHCR continued to advocate for unimpeded humanitarian access to help these communities who needed urgent assistance.

Nadia Khoury, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Head of Delegation for Myanmar, speaking from Yangon, said the humanitarian needs on the ground were immense and devastating. Myanmar Red Cross volunteers had responded immediately, providing emergency first aid, dispatching the injured to hospitals and providing ambulance services, as well as distributing essential relief items. The Myanmar teams had dispatched teams with mobile clinics with water treatment plants, ambulances, trauma kits and essential relief items. To date, relief items that could reach 15,000 people were on the way, including tarpaulins, hygiene items, mats, mosquito nets, essential drinking water and food. The Myanmar Red Cross were also providing pre-hospital care to those injured and their families. Damage assessment was being carried out, but it was anticipated most people had basic needs including, food, water and access to health care. The global network of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had released emergency funding of two million Swiss francs from a disaster response emergency fund and had issued an emergency appeal for 100 million Swiss francs. A few weeks ago, Ms. Khoury had visited several areas which were now facing additional needs due to the earthquake.

Responding to questions from the media, Marcoluigi Corsi, UN Myanmar Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i., said the rapid assessment was still ongoing. The full assessment would need to be carried out before full numbers could be provided. The United Nations engaged with all channels to assist those who were suffering, and they had not yet experienced any blockage in providing aid. Coordination was required between all parties

Responding to further questions, Nadia Khoury, International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) Head of Delegation for Myanmar, said the IFCRC had launched an appeal to reach 100,000 people. It was not enough to reach a family just once; a lot of these communities would require constant support for a long time. It was difficult to track the exact number of people receiving each individual service. Connection was challenging and the local teams on the ground were exhausted, with many going through trauma and shock. It was challenging for them to report promptly, and the additional teams being sent to the ground would be able to assist. Babar Baloch, for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said it was a double tragedy for the people of Myanmar; before the tragedy hit all affected areas were hosting 1.6 million people who were displaced, an appalling 45 percent of those who had been uprooted and displaced by the conflict.

Responding to questions on access and on which countries had supplied search and rescue teams, Mr. Corsi said along with other countries, the United States had been lining up to send search and rescue teams, albeit currently there were enough teams for these activities, especially from neighboring countries. Mr. Corsi also said communities in Saigaing had been reached with preliminary support. Overall coordination took place in Nay Pyi Taw at the disaster management center. The airstrikes were concerning and made it difficult to reach people in need. Ms. Khoury said there were local Red Cross teams on the ground in the affected townships, and there were teams travelling with a mobile health clinic. They foresaw challenges in reaching these people because of the lacking infrastructure.

Julia Rees, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Deputy Representative, said UNICEF had local teams and partners on the ground, and had been distributing supplies through communities. Communication was quite challenging. Dr. Fernando Thushara, World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in Myanmar, said there were several emergency teams on the ground, including teams from China, Russia, India, Thailand Bangladesh. Russian specialists were providing surgical care in Mandalay. WHO had offered services of 20 organizations and was awaiting the acceptance of the defacto Ministry of Health.

Responding to further questions on immediate needs, Mr. Corsi said that so far, the United Nations had been able to mobilize human resources when distributing supplies to address the immediate needs of people affected. All staff and their family members were accounted for, however several staff had their homes impacted. Currently there had been some funding allocated to address the immediate needs of water, shelter and cash, and children and their families. However additional funds were much needed. Ms. Rees said water was the most immediate and important need due to the heat, as well as sanitation and hygiene, the distribution of medicine and nutrition and psychosocial support for children. Mr. Baloch said UNHCR had previously asked for 88 million dollars, an appeal which was only 16 percent funded. Dr. Thushara said WHO was concentrating on emergency care and surgical care, as well as essential health services, including vaccination, psychosocial health, and regional and global health security.

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), read a statement by Julie Bishop, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Myanmar, who stated that continuing military operation in disaster-affected areas risked further loss of life and undermined the shared imperative to respond.

Responding to further questions, Mr. Corsi said there were more than 3.5 million internally displaced persons in Myanmar. The United Nations had trusted partners who could support the distribution of aid and a strong monitoring system in place. There were still a number of people missing.

Responding to additional questions, Ms. Khoury said to date, there had been no reports received regarding deceased Red Cross volunteers. There were more than 7,000 volunteers across the country.

Deaths of Aid Workers in Gaza

Responding to questions from the media about the eight Palestinian medics, six civil defence first responders and a UN staff member killed by Israel in an attack in southern Gaza, Jens Laerke, for the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), said it had been a difficult weekend. These people had been shot. Under-Secretary General Fletcher had tweeted out demanding justice and answers, but these had not been received until now. OCHA were engaging with the Israeli authorities daily on critical matters, including trying to facilitate the opening of border crossings for aid supplies.

James Elder, for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said three weeks of a complete blockade on aid was unbearable. People in Gaza were running on sheer will to survive. This could not fall from the world’s attention; in the last ten days, 100 children had been killed or maimed every day.

Tommaso Della Longa, for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), said one Palestinian Red Crescent colleague was still missing, and they were enquiring on what had happened. Hospitals were overwhelmed and running out of medical equipment. The Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances were assisting Palestinians, and more than half were not working. If this continued there would be no more ambulance services for Palestinians.

New report on the rise of gender-based violence in the shadow of the war in Ukraine

Florence Bauer, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Regional Director for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, said in the shadow of the war in Ukraine, often behind closed doors, another crisis was brewing: one of intensifying gender-based violence. A new report, entitled Voices from Ukraine, being launched by UNFPA today, found that years of war had made home much less safe for women and girls, for a variety of reasons. This included heightened levels of stress and aggression in families and growing substance abuse, fueling intimate partner’s and other forms of domestic violence. Additionally, men returning from war as veterans struggled with trauma and other mental health challenges affecting their behaviors. An estimated 2.4 million people in Ukraine, mostly women and girls, were experiencing, or were at risk, of gender-based violence.

There needed to be more support for women-led organizations, and women’s participation and economic empowerment, as well as stronger mental health support, including for men. UNFPA supported the Government of Ukraine with critical social services, including case management, psychosocial support, legal aid, and referrals. But with the recent funding cuts by the United States, part of the services being provided were now at risk, including those of around 50 percent of the mobile psychosocial teams providing critical support for women and girls in remote areas and near the frontlines that may need to stop. The support from the United States would have been critical in reaching over 600,000 individuals across the country. UNFPA called on the international community for support.

The full report is available here.

Responding to questions, Ms. Bauer said the report was being launched today but had been available online earlier. UNFPA did not have the number of rapes but were providing support in centres caring for women survivors of rape.

Two reports on lack of diagnostics and treatment for fungal infections

Dr. Valeria Gigante, Scientist and Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) Research and Development Lead, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said around 100 to 200 of fungi were known to cause disease in humans and it was estimated that 2.5 million deaths were directly linked to invasive fungal infections every year. Fungal diseases ranged from common, localized and superficial infections, to life threatening conditions with high mortality. Invasive fungal disease was a serious infection caused by fungi that invaded and spread within the body, often affecting internal organs such as the brain, lungs, spinal cords and the central nervous systems. It could cause outbreaks in hospitals and plastic and medical equipment was often resistant to antifungal products. Fungal diseases could be difficult or impossible to treat. There were nine antifungal medications, of which three were in the final development stage, meaning that a new treatment was expected in the next ten years. Innovation was critical in this regard, to find new ways to kill the bacteria. There were also commercial diagnostic systems to identify fungal priority pathogens. However, these often relied on well-equipped laboratories with well-trained staff, making access unevenly distributed, particularly in lower income countries. Potential overuse of antimicrobials would lead to drug resistance. Increased efforts in research and development were needed for both medicine and diagnostics, alongside investing in diagnostic services and developing a skilled workforce.

Responding to questions, Dr. Gigante said fungal pathogens attacked people who were already vulnerable, including those with underlying medical conditions, and those who used medical devices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been the spread of black fungus, with some infections being fatal. Among the communities most at risk were also those suffering from the health impacts of climate change.

Margaret Harris, for the World Health Organization (WHO), said the embargo on the report and the press release were now lifted.

Special Envoy for Syria

Responding to questions from the media, Jenifer Fenton, for the Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, said the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen welcomed the unveiling of a new and expanded cabinet, and reaffirmed the importance of an inclusive political transition for the Syrian people. The Special Envoy planned to be in Damascus soon to continue his engagements with the interim authorities, as well as a broad spectrum of Syrians and other key stakeholders.

Responding to additional questions, Ms. Fenton said the new and expanded cabinet was more inclusive than the one established soon after the 8th of December. The Special Envoy would be closely following how the Syrian people viewed the composition of this and other bodies. It was important that all transitional bodies reflected the diverse sources of competency and constituency in Syria, including both women and men.

Announcements

Alessandra Vellucci, for the United Nations Information Service (UNIS), said on April 3, there would be a press conference with Rebecca Grynspan, Secretary General of the United Nations Trade and Development, and Angel Gonzalez Sanz, Head of Technology and Innovation, who would present the Technology and Innovation Report 2025 at 10 am. The report was embargoed until 2:30pm Geneva time.

Ms. Vellucci also said the 28th International Meeting of Mine Action National Directors and United Nations Advisers would take place in Geneva from 9 to 11 April 2025. A press conference with Ilene Cohn, Director of the United Nations Mine Action Service, and Ambassador Tobias Privitell, Director of Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining was going to take place on 7 April 2025 at 2 p.m.

***