Myanmar Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2025 / Part 4: Annexes

4.4 Myanmar 2025 HNRP Risk Management Guidelines

Risk management is a crucial component in the humanitarian response to crises, particularly in complex environments like Myanmar, where political instability, armed conflict, and climatic disasters significantly impact vulnerable populations. Effective risk management ensures that humanitarian efforts are resilient, resources are optimally utilized, and the safety of both aid workers and affected communities is prioritized.

The humanitarian community in Myanmar undertakes risk management across all parts of the operation. For risk-informed engagement and additional risk mitigation measures, the HCT has developed a range of guiding documents on risk mitigation, sharing, and accountability among stakeholders, including the Myanmar Joint Operating Standards, Myanmar HCT Localization Strategy, and Lessons Learned: Mitigating the Risks of Arrest and Detention of Aid Workers in Myanmar.

To navigate the increasingly difficult access and operational environment, humanitarian partners adhere to the framework for engagement under the Myanmar Joint Operating Standards. Partners will advocate for the affected people to have access to humanitarian services, especially for those most vulnerable and report any violations of any aspect of humanitarian action.

Framework for engagement

In accordance with the norms and principles which guide humanitarian action globally, humanitarian partners working in Myanmar will:

  1. Call for all parties to the conflict to respect and facilitate humanitarian action, ensure the protection of aid workers, and fulfil their obligations regarding protection of civilians.
  2. Engage with parties to the conflict and relevant actors for the purpose of securing humanitarian access and meeting the humanitarian needs of affected populations; this engagement must be principled and should never be considered political legitimization, recognition of - or support to - a party of conflict.
  3. Support local and national responders to effectively deliver aid and improve their capacity for risk mitigation to safely and effectively deliver aid through a strong risk-sharing approach in accordance with humanitarian principles.
  4. Commit to a unified and coordinated response to new or novel requests from parties to the conflict regarding administrative, information sharing, reporting and other procedures for obtaining access.
  5. Seek rapid and unimpeded access to all affected people and call on parties to the conflict to refrain from arbitrarily impeding provision of humanitarian aid, including through unpredictable and onerous administrative requirements.

In accordance with the norms and principles which guide humanitarian action globally, humanitarian partners working in Myanmar commit to:

  1. Select staff, partners, vendors or beneficiaries independently and transparently.
  2. Protect and promote the safety, security and freedom of humanitarian agencies, their personnel and assets/goods.
  3. Advocate that humanitarian personnel are not subjected to threat, violence, abduction, harassment or intimidation by parties of the conflict.
  4. Mitigate against negative impacts of humanitarian action on civilians' security.
  5. Advocate to conduct humanitarian assessments and identify beneficiaries for assistance based on established needs criteria that account for specific vulnerabilities, including gender, ethnicity and disability.
  6. Be transparent about intent, criteria and methodologies used to identify beneficiaries, including to parties to the conflict.
  7. Safeguard and protect beneficiary information in accordance with data protection guidelines.
  8. Conduct independent monitoring and evaluation activities to ensure that assistance reached the intended beneficiaries and create an environment for beneficiaries to safely provide feedback and participate in the design of humanitarian interventions.
  9. Advocate for the applicability of international humanitarian law in Myanmar.
  10. Where applicable, and as mandated under international humanitarian law, deliver medical assistance to all persons based on need; this may include parties to the conflict ‘hors de combat’.

In accordance with the norms and principles which guide humanitarian action globally, humanitarian partners working in Myanmar commit to refuse requests from parties to the conflict to:

  1. Take control of humanitarian facilities and assets - including warehouse, vehicles, commodities and any other humanitarian assets - or permit armed actors to enter or control access to humanitarian sites, facilities or vehicles.
  2. Accept military or armed escorts, except in special circumstances and when agreed in advance with clearly defined parameters based on the Inter-Agency Standing Committee guidelines on the use of armed escorts for humanitarian convoys.
  3. Enable coercive or other unsafe returns, relocations or resettlements of affected people.
  4. Deliver or hand over humanitarian assistance and/or funds to armed actors or parties to the conflict.
  5. Submit to programming demands from any party to the conflict based on violence, abduction or intimidation (physical or administrative).
  6. Limit their assistance based on demographic characteristics, including gender, age, disability and ethnicity.
  7. Provide personal information identifying beneficiaries of humanitarian assistance to any external actors in exchange for access, nor in instances where it would place the beneficiary at risk of exploitation or harm.
  8. Share sensitive personal information of staff members, partners and/or vendors. Any request for staff, partner or vendor details for humanitarian notification purposes will be handled in compliance with humanitarian principles and agreements at the HCT level and information will only be shared with the approval of the concerned individuals.

In accordance with the norms and principles which guide humanitarian action globally, humanitarian partners working in Myanmar commit to:

  1. Coordinate and complement their activities with other humanitarian partners operating in the same locations to share information, lessons learnt, ensure transparency and avoid duplication.
  2. Support other humanitarian partners in operating in line with the Joint Operating Standards and ensure transparent reporting on access challenges, including on lessons learnt.
  3. Sensitize donors to adopt a flexible and conflict sensitive approach to enable principled access for humanitarian programming in line with humanitarian principles.
  4. Select implementing partners (including local NGOs, community-based organizations, and vendors) and staff based on qualifications that humanitarian partners deem necessary to complete their tasks and promote local leadership/ownership.