The Philippines has highlighted the pressing need for humanitarian assistance in Myanmar as Feb. 1, 2026 marked five years since the military coup that ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.
Philippines Foreign Affairs Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro, who was appointed the Special Envoy of the 2026 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair on Myanmar, briefed the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) in New York on March 6.
“I highlighted ASEAN efforts to advance the Five-Point Consensus, stressed the urgency of delivering humanitarian assistance, and called for renewed cooperation in supporting a Myanmar-led and Myanmar-owned pathway to peace,” Lazaro shared on social media on March 7.
The 2021 military coup in Myanmar has triggered widespread displacement with over 3.7 million people having fled their homes due to conflict and insecurity and now living as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), according to the U.N.
The World Health Organization (WHO), in its February situation report, said access to humanitarian aid had been “increasingly blocked,” mainly due to a dramatic rise in armed activities nationwide in Myanmar.
Chin State, Rakhine State, and Sagaing Region were cited as the most affected, while intensified conflict continues to impede health service delivery, as patients and health workers are unable to visit health facilities.
The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) has documented a total of 30,448 anti-coup activists and civilians have been arrested in Myanmar since the coup on Feb. 1, 2021.
Of this number, 22,797 are still detained, while 129 are facing the death penalty. The AAPP said at least 7,777 of the total arrested were confirmed killed, while an additional 4,500 deaths are awaiting verification.
PNA
