Additional humanitarian assistance to Myanmar

Myanmar continues to face humanitarian challenges with more than one million people requiring humanitarian assistance this year. I discussed Myanmar's humanitarian needs with my counterpart, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Today I announce that the Australian Government will provide an additional $12 million to help address the legacy of decades of civil conflict and vulnerability to natural disaster.

Australian assistance will support education and livelihood programs for displaced communities in Myanmar and along the border with Thailand. The programs will prepare students in Thai-Myanmar border camps for a possible return to Myanmar and provide training in financial literacy and small business development.

It will also support services to enhance the safety and dignity of vulnerable people, particularly women and girls. This includes access to legal assistance for victims of gender-based violence and rehabilitation centres for civilians injured by land mines.

This additional assistance brings Australia's humanitarian response to crises in Myanmar to $65 million since 2012.

Australia will continue to work closely with the Government of Myanmar and humanitarian partners to meet humanitarian needs and work towards permanent solutions to Myanmar's protracted humanitarian crises.