UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
OCHA Myanmar coordinates the response to widespread conflict-driven needs, supporting partners in navigating access constraints, large-scale displacement, rising food insecurity and other humanitarian efforts. The office leads on humanitarian planning, facilitates principled coordination with local responders, provides regular analysis to guide operational and strategic decisions, and drives systemic changes under the humanitarian reset.
Evidence-based response
In 2026, intensified efforts will be undertaken to streamline the diverse existing data collection tools to ensure complementarity and comparability between the collected datasets. A comprehensive analysis of multisectoral needs will be conducted again in 2026 to understand the shifting humanitarian landscape. Such a rigorous analysis is a critical step in ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported with the assistance they require most urgently. The humanitarian community will heavily rely on the annual multisectoral assessment of the needs of shock-affected people to shape the HNRP, prioritize the most at-risk groups and locations, adjust operations, and demonstrate the impact and urgency of the response to donors and decision-makers.
Accountability to affected persons
The AAP/CEWG work plan 2026 will focus on: 1) direct sub-grants to local and community-based organizations for community feedback and engagement systems, 2) technical capacity-building and guidance for humanitarian organizations and cluster focal points, 3) coordination and networking, 4) advocacy to link community perspectives with national humanitarian leadership and donors, and; 5) inter-agency CFM system establishment and operation. The AAP/CEWG will support training sessions, mentorship, inter-agency workshops, monthly coordination meetings, and localized outreach activities to ensure participation of diverse groups, including women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. Work on AAP/CE will enable humanitarian organizations to remain transparent, inclusive, and responsive to the evolving needs and priorities of affected communities in 2026.
Cash
With the rollout of MPC interventions in 2025, the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) has been prioritized to enhance the understanding of market dynamics across Myanmar and support the effectiveness of cash-based interventions. The JMMI is operational, covering over 30 commodities and services across the country. The JMMI is now a common data source for all market-related information and is linked with the World Bank’s Joint Price Inflation Monitoring tool, surveying a further 141 items. For effective data collection, the CMWG requires an IM focal point and a full-time local focal point in Mandalay.
Disability
A dedicated budget has been included to support the integration of disability inclusion across all sectors. Funding will ensure access to technical expertise to guide inclusive practices, strengthen capacity for mainstreaming efforts, and facilitate targeted initiatives led by the Technical Advisory Group on Disability Inclusion, including awareness-raising and capacity-building activities. These efforts aim to further enhance the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in the humanitarian response and ensure their needs are effectively incorporated into programme design and implementation.
Gender
Building on previous efforts, clusters and sectors have further institutionalized the collection and analysis of SADDD and the use of gender analysis to inform strategic and operational decision-making. For 2026, the focus remains on empowering local leadership and women's participation, strengthening coordination and systemic integration of gender, age, and diversity, and designing inclusive and gender-responsive humanitarian interventions. Priorities will include establishing gender-sensitive community feedback and communication mechanisms, linked to preparedness and adaptive early warning systems and embedding these mechanisms within community structures to ensure the protection of women, girls and vulnerable people before, during, and after crises. The Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group will continue to provide technical leadership and capacity support on gender-responsive programming (see GiHA Strategy for 2026).
Localization
A critical component of the 2026 HNRP response is aimed at strengthening local coordination capacity through targeted support for local organizations to take on greater leadership roles within subnational coordination structures. This initiative will enhance the overall effectiveness and inclusiveness of humanitarian coordination by fostering stronger linkages between local coordination networks and international mechanisms. The project will provide tailored training, mentorship, and operational support to empower local coordination focal points, enabling them to lead and facilitate coordination forums, contribute to joint planning processes, and sustain meaningful engagement across humanitarian stakeholders throughout 2026. A budget has also been included to support a team of seven interpreters and translators covering national and subnational coordination hubs. This dedicated language support will facilitate coordination forums, meetings, and workshops throughout 2026, benefiting both local and international partners, and is aimed at enhancing communication and collaboration across stakeholders.
Protection from sexual exploitation and abuse
To continue strengthening the PSEA programme in 2026, securing funding is critical to ensure the continuation of PSEA awareness in the communities, the implementation of SEA risk assessments with a subnational focus, and the capacity strengthening of network members, especially local organizations, including training on administrative investigations. Funding is also critical to establish and maintain a safe, accessible, gender- and child-sensitive inter-agency CFM connected to community-based CFMs and the provision of life-saving services and livelihoods support when needed. The continued engagement of the two PSEA Coordinators, along with the recruitment of a SEA victims’ rights officer, will be key to further strengthen and sustain a robust PSEA programme in the country.
Staff safety and security
In 2026, staff safety will remain a critical priority as humanitarian organizations navigate persistent insecurity and operational risks. The United Nations Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) will continue enabling humanitarian operations through evidence-based risk management, field missions to high-risk areas, and coordination under the Saving Lives Together framework. Security incidents will be monitored and analysed to inform adaptive measures, while regular advisories and assessments will support collective awareness and access planning across agencies.
Complementing this, the International NGO Safety Organisation (INSO) will enhance safety management for local and international NGOs, CSOs, and international organizations through risk analysis, tailored advisory support, and localized capacity strengthening in Myanmar and other languages. INSO’s Conflict & Humanitarian Data Centre (CHDC) will remain a key reference for incident data and analysis, while new digital security trainings will address rising cyber threats. With over 80 registered partners and expanding local outreach, INSO and UNDSS together will provide an integrated safety framework that strengthens local capacity, fosters information sharing, and ensures humanitarian organizations can operate safely and effectively across Myanmar in 2026.