YANGON — United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator Renata Dessalien has praised the national response to the floood emergency, describing the Myanmar people as being among the most generous in the world.
Ms Dessalien, the top UN official in Myanmar, made the observation after returning to Yangon from western Sagaing Region, one of the areas worst-affected by the oods.
Ms Dessalien had been “humbled by the incredible, spontaneous public outpouring of solidarity and assistance to flood-affected communities,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a news release on August 12.
It quoted Ms Dessalien as praising the caring and generosity, dedication and courage of the masses of volunteers, staff of local organisations, authorities, private companies, non-government organisations, celebrities and ordinary people who had responded to the emergency.
They were “showing the true spirit of Myanmar,” she said.
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The UN and its partners, in support of the government and in partnership with local groups, were continuing to scale up the humanitarian response to the disaster, UNOCHA said.
It said more than 213,000 people had been reached with food aid and 10,000 emergency shelters were planned initially for the worst-affected areas.
UNOCHA said that as water levels recede in some areas, the need for a rapid transition to early recovery and rehabilitation efforts was critical.
