UN humanitarian chief visits Myanmar cyclone-affected areas

(Yangon, 22 July): Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes, arrived in Myanmar today for a three-day mission to assess the situation of cyclone survivors as well as progress in relief and early recovery operations since his visit at the end of May.

Accompanied by the Deputy Foreign Minister of Myanmar, U Kyaw Thu, and representatives of UN agencies, Mr. Holmes visited several affected communities in the Ayeyarwady Delta this morning and was able to see how agricultural and other activities were picking up during an extensive helicopter tour.

'Significant progress has been made since I was last here. The remarkable resilience of people so severely affected by Cyclone Nargis is evident in the way communities are rebuilding their homes and livelihoods,' noted Mr. Holmes. 'However, it is also clear that there are many relief needs still to address. We must focus now on reaching the most vulnerable communities in remote areas, especially along the southern coast of the delta.'

Relief and early recovery activities are continuing to scale up, with numerous aid agencies now present in six hubs across the delta. In the town of Bogale for example, international and national UN and NGO representatives explained how they are distributing food, tarpaulins and kitchen sets by boat and helicopter. These partners, including national counterparts such as the Myanmar Red Cross, are working through the clusters at local level to identify and fill gaps in the relief effort. Private sector donors are also making key contributions, particularly in house construction.

The Emergency Relief Coordinator will meet the humanitarian community and donors in Yangon on Wednesday, and is set to travel to Nay Pyi Taw for consultations with the Government on Thursday 24 July.

For further information, please contact:

Yangon: Laksmita Noviera, Tel. +95 1 544266 ext 811, +95-9-5163898, noviera@un.org

New York: Dawn Blalock, Tel. +1-917-367-5126, blalock@un.org