Planning assumptions
While advocacy continues in the effort to end the conflict and violence, for planning purposes, the 2025 HNRP assumes a continuation of the prevailing situation throughout the next year, with the population remaining exposed to political instability, armed conflict, explosive ordnance including explosive remnants of war, landmines and improvised explosive devices, repeated displacement and disasters, in addition to weak economic conditions, poor access to markets and services, and limited livelihoods or income-generating opportunities.
Key planning assumptions include:
- The operational environment will remain dynamic and changeable, negatively impacting humanitarian needs, access, displacement and returns, and requiring flexible humanitarian response approaches with a heavy emphasis on local partners.
- Internal displacement (short- and long-term, as well as repeated displacement) will continue to increase, further exacerbating the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.
- Access will remain restricted in many parts of Myanmar, with challenges compounded by multiple bureaucratic requirements in different areas of control, as well as high intensity conflict.
- Protection risks will remain pervasive, including exposure to explosive ordnance, airstrikes, shelling, invasive searches and arbitrary detention, forced recruitment and labour, extortion, human trafficking, grave violations against children and continued increase of child protection concerns, gender-based violence (GBV) and other human rights violations, especially in hard-to-reach conflict areas. Vulnerable groups, including stateless Rohingya people and persons with disabilities, face elevated threats. Fear of persecution and attacks by parties to the conflict will remain pervasive and a key driver of ongoing displacement.
- People will have increasingly reduced coping capacity due to the multiple shocks and cumulative impacts of current and past crises. The economic situation, including soaring poverty, will continue to impact people’s ability to meet their survival needs, including for food, safe drinking water, sanitation, and basic health needs. In addition, the weak health system will be challenged to deal with the devastating impact of disease outbreaks. In such contexts, the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse rises significantly, as vulnerable populations may find themselves in precarious situations where they are more susceptible to exploitation and abuse by those in positions of power or authority. Addressing these risks through effective PSEA measures is crucial to ensure that humanitarian responses do not inadvertently contribute to further harm.
- Greater effort will be needed to sustain international attention and draw adequate financial support to the protracted crisis in Myanmar, as new conflicts and crises continue to emerge around the world.
Operational capacity
Humanitarian actors in Myanmar continue to face a range of challenges to their operational capacity across all clusters, primarily pertaining to access, logistics, resources, and security. To stay and deliver in the difficult operating environment in 2025, the humanitarian community is employing a suite of response modalities to sustain an effective presence, prioritize critical programming, enhance advocacy, and expand partnerships particularly with local actors.
While the deteriorating security situation does have an impact on presence, humanitarian partners do have the steadfast ability to deliver if funding is available using more remote modalities, including cash response. The humanitarian response in remote and conflict-affected areas continues to rely heavily on local responders. Networks of key local interlocutors are further boosting operational capacity in areas with limited access, such as community- and camp-based staff, focal points in displacement sites, as well as faith-based and other community networks.
More partners participated in cluster coordination efforts over the course of 2024 than ever before (286 organizations in 2024 compared to 242 in 2023).
Operational logistics will continue to be challenged by limited infrastructure and equipment, and pipeline arrangements, frequently resulting in shortages and stock-outs at the sub-national level. Administrative obstacles imposed on the import of adequate standard humanitarian supplies (such as for health and nutrition) from outside the country are affecting many clusters. For those supplies that can be imported or are being procured locally, challenges include physical roadblocks, confiscation of aid supplies, damage to key infrastructure by all parties to the conflict, and disasters. Frequent power cuts pose a threat to the shelf life and quality of medical supplies requiring uninterrupted cold-chain management, potentially harming patients instead of curing. This will be compounded by ongoing economic instability, which has raised the risk of contracts being invalidated due to dramatic inflation and associated currency devaluation during the course of agreements.
Operational presence
Access
“Every day, people are dying from airstrikes, artillery, and landmines, and I have to do everything I can to protect my family.”
– Humanitarian worker trapped in northern Rakhine.
In 2024, Myanmar faced severe humanitarian access challenges due to ongoing armed conflicts, bureaucratic obstacles, and targeted violence against humanitarian personnel and infrastructure. Access severity monitoring in September 2024 revealed that out of 251 assessed townships, 93 (approximately 37 per cent) experienced extreme access difficulties (level 3), underscoring widespread access issues throughout Myanmar. The Southeast, Sagaing (in the Northwest), Rakhine, and Kachin (in the Northeast) constituted nearly 95 per cent of these severely restricted areas. Sagaing had the highest number of affected townships at 25, followed by Kachin with 12.
From 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024, humanitarian organizations reported over 1,475 access-related incidents—a 15 per cent increase from the previous year. Movement restrictions at checkpoints, along with harassment, intimidation, and extortion, significantly delayed or blocked humanitarian operations. Active conflicts in the Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Rakhine State not only hindered humanitarian efforts but also prevented civilians from safely accessing necessary aid. Rakhine recorded the highest rate of incidents at 19 per cent, followed by Sagaing at 15 per cent, northern Shan at 12 per cent, and both Kayin and Mon at 8 per cent.
The majority of incidents (63 per cent of cases) were caused by military operations and active fighting between the MAF, ethnic armed organizations, and People's Defence Forces (PDFs), which frequently delayed aid deliveries due to the use of heavy weaponry, airstrikes, and unexpected roadblocks. Due to the armed conflict in Chin, Magway, Mon, Rakhine, and northern Shan, many humanitarian partners in these areas had to relocate personnel or suspend/reprogramme operations, severely affecting essential services, including healthcare and food distribution. Additionally, bureaucratic and administrative barriers such as complex travel authorizations, registration processes, and visa issues accounted for 20 per cent of access incidents, significantly complicating humanitarian work.
In Rakhine State, which had the highest number of reported access incidents, humanitarian and early recovery activities were severely affected by travel authorization denials, ongoing hostilities and safety and security risks. Since November 2023, Sittwe is the only township accessible with a travel authorization from the State de facto authorities, while access to the townships controlled by the Arakan Army is limited. Phone and internet connections have been severed since January 2024, further impeding access to crucial safety and assistance information, complicating coordination efforts. The restriction on cargo transport from Yangon to Sittwe and blockage of roads and waterways from Sittwe to the other townships has resulted in food shortages and supply difficulties across the state.
Humanitarian access severity overview
Response trends
Humanitarians are working to deliver a complementary, life-saving humanitarian operation via a range of modalities, addressing needs through diverse and flexible access approaches in partnership with local actors. Humanitarians are trying all viable avenues to deliver assistance and alleviate the suffering of affected people, recognizing that there are some areas of need that are easier for certain actors to reach than others – especially at-scale. Those who are in-country are working to keep an internal window of access to affected people open – often by supporting local partners working heroically in the deep field – while simultaneously working closely with those who are delivering assistance through remote modalities. Heavy access constraints, significant underfunding, bureaucratic obstacles, and attacks on aid workers and assets continue to undermine these efforts and, as a result, the response is not as deep or as sustained in conflict areas as intended. Funding shortfalls have left enormous gaps in the response. Despite worsening needs, as of 6 December 2024 Myanmar has received significantly less funding in 2024 ($341 million) than throughout the entire year of 2023 ($407 million). Politicization of humanitarian assistance by all sides is making field operations much harder and is risking the safety of aid workers assisting people in need. Humanitarian workers in Myanmar must be allowed to do their jobs free from restrictions and harassment, in line with all the protections afforded to them under international humanitarian law. In line with global practice, the humanitarian community continues to talk with all conflict parties to facilitate access for the delivery of assistance to vulnerable people in need and to advocate for their protection.
People in need vs people targeted
Financial requirements (US$)
Funding status
Coordination structure
In 2023 a revision of the humanitarian coordination architecture was carried out to adapt to the evolving operating context. Within four geographical zones (see map), a decentralized coordination structure was implemented with more inclusive and aligned Area HCTs and Area ICCGs. As part of the localization effort, national NGOs were nominated as co-chairs of all five Area HCTs. One year on in this revision, gradual progress has been made to decentralize the response. Increased emphasis on the regional hubs has supported localization efforts. At the time of publication, all clusters (except Logistics) remain activated countrywide.

