Philippine Foreign Secretary Theresa Lazaro has arrived in Myanmar for a two-day humanitarian visit as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ special envoy, placing Manila at the centre of renewed regional efforts to assist communities affected by conflict.
According to the Associated Press, the mission includes monitoring the distribution of rice, hygiene supplies and other essential goods in Kayin State and northern and southern Shan State. Assistance is intended to reach more than 11,000 households through November.
The visit comes amid continuing diplomatic disagreements over Myanmar’s political situation. ASEAN has restricted participation by the country’s military leadership in high-level meetings because of insufficient progress on the bloc’s 2021 peace framework, which calls for an end to violence, dialogue and humanitarian access.
Lazaro’s mission carries additional significance as the Philippines prepares to host an ASEAN summit in Manila in November. The humanitarian operation does not, however, establish that Myanmar’s political crisis has been resolved or that ASEAN has changed its position on the country’s military-backed leadership.
