UN representative says Yangon's poverty rate has quadrupled since coup

The urban development process in Myanmar has stalled due to the 2021 military coup, leading to a more than fourfold increase in poverty in Yangon and forcing over 3.7 million people nationwide to flee their homes, according to U Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. U Kyaw Moe Tun made these remarks during his speech at the High-Level Meeting of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on the review of the New Urban Agenda, held in New York on July 28. He stated that the military junta in Myanmar has halted the National Urban Policy that was being drafted by the elected civilian government before the 2021 military coup. U Kyaw Moe Tun has continued to serve at the UN representing Myanmar under the National Unity Government (NUG) since 2021 and maintains his stance of not recognizing the legitimacy of the Myanmar military junta. According to his statement, the urban poverty rate in Yangon increased from 10 percent in 2017 to 43 percent in 2023. Furthermore, he said that over 120,000 homes have been destroyed or burned down since the military coup. According to data from the UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the increase in displaced persons has led to more people living in areas with inadequate basic services. Additionally, a study by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) indicates that in the areas surrounding Yangon, local residents' mobility and employment opportunities have been restricted due to crimes and extortion linked to the Myanmar military junta, U Kyaw Moe Tun pointed out. He stated that although Myanmar's urban population is projected to reach 32 percent of the total population by 2025, this growth is not due to planned development but rather a shift caused by conflicts. U Kyaw Moe Tun also said that due to airstrikes, the use of food as a weapon, and the destruction of residential areas, the people of Myanmar are in a situation where they are "choosing survival over development." He further urged the international community to support the end of the military dictatorship in Myanmar, stating that the National Unity Government (NUG) and allied organizations under the Steering Committee for Federal Democracy Union (SCEF) are cooperating to build a Federal Democratic Union.