Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2025 / Part 2: Humanitarian Response Plan

2.2 Response Boundary-Setting, Prioritization & Risk-Informed Action

Boundaries of the humanitarian response

In 2025, the HCT will reinforce its approach to prioritize life-saving activities based on severity of needs, taking into account the operational capacity of partners and the forecast on availability of funding. Each cluster defined quantifiable thresholds at township level and categories to inform its priorities – accounting for people's preferences – while ensuring that targeting remains realistic and feasible. New areas have been included to a limited extent, including Ayeyarwady, western Bago, Mandalay, and to a very limited extent Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon. Resilience, disaster risk reduction, most prevention and basic social services-type activities are not included in this response plan, and any potential overlap between planned activities and caseloads identified in the TCF has also been eliminated. As a result, and in spite of the increasing needs, the Myanmar HNRP restricted the target to include only 5.5 million of the most severely affected people, which constitutes a marginal target increase of 4 per cent compared to 2024.

Prioritization within the response

Prioritization has been conducted with severity of need as a primary driver, taking into account humanitarian access, operational capacity and funding outlook. The 2025 HNRP places an increased focus on IDPs, returnees/resettled/integrated IDPs, and non-displaced stateless people and less focus on the “other crisis-affected people” category. There is also increased focus on hard-to-reach rural areas and those with the most severe needs, while being realistic about potential reach given access, capacity and funding constraints.

For detailed information on priority areas and interventions please see section Annex 4.2 What If We Fail to Mobilize Sufficient Humanitarian Funds?

Risk-Informed Planning

Myanmar is extremely susceptible to disasters. It is ranked 11th globally in terms of exposure to climate-related hazards and capacity to prepare for and respond to hazard events and disasters. Armed conflict is the most critical scenario that is assessed as very likely in Myanmar, whereas other hazards such as cyclones and floods are also considered to be highly likely scenarios leading to the displacement of people and other humanitarian consequences. Annual monsoon flooding continues to be the main driver of displacement in the context of climate change and related disasters.

The humanitarian community in Myanmar annually updates the inter-agency Emergency Response Preparedness Plan to reinforce its readiness to respond flexibly to a range of potential hazards. The Plan seeks to improve effectiveness of a humanitarian response by reducing both time and effort and to enhance predictability by establishing predefined roles, responsibilities, and coordination mechanisms.

In early 2024, the Myanmar Anticipatory Action Technical Core Group was established, which will serve as a collaborative technical platform under the Inter-Cluster Coordination Group (ICCG) to bring together the key agencies implementing anticipatory action on the ground. The Anticipatory Action Technical Core Group’s mission is to reshape the humanitarian system by leading a shift from reacting to hazards to acting ahead of them. While interest and investments in anticipatory action have been rising to a limited extent, efforts now need to be made to scale up. In 2025, key actors will develop a country-wide anticipatory action framework to guide, standardize and seek funding for relevant activities ahead of future humanitarian crises.

For information on humanitarian-development collaboration, see section 4.3 What Are The Consequences For Humanitarian Needs If The Complementary UN TCF Strategic Priorities Are Not Financially Supported Or Fully Implemented?

References

  1. RISK Inform Index 2025
  2. ERPP Risk Analysis 2024