The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) Asia Pacific: Needs and Response for 2023 states that since the 2021 coup in Burma: “More than 4 million children — half of Myanmar’s school-aged children — have not accessed formal education for two full academic years.

While efforts are under way to support alternative education solutions, this is currently reaching only a fraction of children. This situation places children at much higher risk of negative coping mechanisms, such as child labour, trafficking and early marriage, and the longer it goes on, it increases the likelihood of permanent disengagement from education.”

The UNOCHA 2023 Global Humanitarian Overview laid out three response priorities for next year, including protection risks to be identified, suffering to be reduced, and the displaced to be allowed a safe and dignified return to their homes.