UNITED NATIONS, NEW YORK — Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, told the UN Security Council that escalating food insecurity across the country is a direct weapon of war wielded by the ruling military junta.

Speaking during a high-level open debate on August 25 and 26 titled “Food Under Fire: The Security Council’s Role in Mitigating Global and Local Food Crises,” Kyaw Moe Tun detailed how military operations have systematically dismantled agricultural production. He accused the regime of intentionally destroying civilian livelihoods by burning farmlands, crops, and livestock assets, alongside launching airstrikes on public markets and forcing mass displacements.

Citing data from the FAO and WFP, the ambassador warned that roughly 12.4 million people in Myanmar face acute food insecurity at IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) levels or above, with nearly one million slipping into IPC Phase 4 (Emergency) conditions. Furthermore, an estimated 360,000 children are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition by September.

Kyaw Moe Tun urged the Security Council to enforce Resolution 2417 (2018) and Resolution 2669 (2022), demanding that the junta be compelled to respect international humanitarian law and halt the obstruction of aid. He also called on UN member states to choke off the regime's military supply chains by halting the flow of weapons, aviation fuel, and dual-use technologies.

"Short-term humanitarian assistance cannot substitute for a long-term political solution, and merely treating the symptoms of the conflict will not resolve its root causes," Kyaw Moe Tun told the council.

Highlighting democratic alternatives, the ambassador noted that the National Unity Government (NUG) and allied democratic forces are actively coordinating relief and governance through the Steering Committee for the Establishment of a Federal Democratic Union (SCEF), urging robust international backing to end military dictatorship.