UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for transforming the tragic moment into an opportunity to end the brutal civil conflict in Myanmar. While appealing for international help to the quake-ravaged country, he asked the international community to immediately step up vitally needed funding to match the scale of this crisis. He told reporters at the UN that as the government and people of Myanmar unite in grief, it is also time to unite behind a political solution to end the brutal conflict.
Mr Guterres announced that he was rushing Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher to Myanmar and his Special Envoy Julie Bishop will visit the country to reinforce UN commitment to peace and dialogue. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that the quake has affected more than 17 million people. Myanmar has a population of nearly 55 million.
