PARIS, May 2 (Reuters): The European Union is ready to offer its support to all parties to help restore democracy in Myanmar, the bloc's high representative have informed the Asean states.
Southeast Asian leaders said after an emergency Asean summit last week that they had reached consensus with Myanmar's junta on ending violence there.
"The European Union stands ready to support Asean ... in facilitating a constructive dialogue with all key stakeholders with a view to bringing Myanmar/Burma back to its democratic path," the high representative said in a statement published on Friday.
An activist monitoring group says more than 750 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since army generals unleashed lethal force in the face of sustained protests against their Feb. 1 coup.
The dual impacts of the pandemic and Myanmar's political crisis triggered by a military coup could result in nearly half the population, or as many as 25 million people, dropping into poverty by 2022, the United Nations Development Programme warns.
In a report released on Friday, UNDP said the effect of the crises could push millions more people into poverty.
"Covid-19 and the ongoing political crisis are compounding shocks which are pushing the most vulnerable back and more deeply into poverty," UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, told Reuters.
"The development gains made during a decade of democratic transition, however imperfect it may have been, is being erased in a matter of months," she said, adding the country's progress may be set back to 2005, when it was also under military rule and half of the population was poor.
The study showed that by the end of last year, on average, 83% of households had reported their incomes had been cut almost in half due to the pandemic.
The number of people living below the poverty line is estimated to have increased by 11 percentage points due to the socio-economic effects of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the report says a deteriorating security situation, as well as threats to human rights and development, in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup could drive the poverty rate up by a further 12 percentage points by early next year.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government of Aug San Suu Kyi, detained her and other civilian politicians, then cracked down with lethal force on anti-coup protesters.
Security forces have killed more than 750 civilians in the demonstrations, an activist group says. - Reuters
Southeast Asian leaders said after an emergency Asean summit last week that they had reached consensus with Myanmar's junta on ending violence there.
"The European Union stands ready to support Asean ... in facilitating a constructive dialogue with all key stakeholders with a view to bringing Myanmar/Burma back to its democratic path," the high representative said in a statement published on Friday.
An activist monitoring group says more than 750 people have been killed by security forces in Myanmar since army generals unleashed lethal force in the face of sustained protests against their Feb. 1 coup.
The dual impacts of the pandemic and Myanmar's political crisis triggered by a military coup could result in nearly half the population, or as many as 25 million people, dropping into poverty by 2022, the United Nations Development Programme warns.
In a report released on Friday, UNDP said the effect of the crises could push millions more people into poverty.
"Covid-19 and the ongoing political crisis are compounding shocks which are pushing the most vulnerable back and more deeply into poverty," UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, Kanni Wignaraja, told Reuters.
"The development gains made during a decade of democratic transition, however imperfect it may have been, is being erased in a matter of months," she said, adding the country's progress may be set back to 2005, when it was also under military rule and half of the population was poor.
The study showed that by the end of last year, on average, 83% of households had reported their incomes had been cut almost in half due to the pandemic.
The number of people living below the poverty line is estimated to have increased by 11 percentage points due to the socio-economic effects of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the report says a deteriorating security situation, as well as threats to human rights and development, in Myanmar since the Feb. 1 coup could drive the poverty rate up by a further 12 percentage points by early next year.
Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military overthrew the elected government of Aug San Suu Kyi, detained her and other civilian politicians, then cracked down with lethal force on anti-coup protesters.
Security forces have killed more than 750 civilians in the demonstrations, an activist group says. - Reuters
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