On 2 May 2008, this cyclone left a trail of utter devastation through the country's southern coastal region. Locally based humanitarian organizations fear that it has already claimed 100,000 lives and, according to the UN, the fate of 1.5 million people depends on rapid international assistance, with drinking water, food, medicines and emergency accommodation materials being the most pressing needs.

Tomorrow (Wednesday), the SDC in cooperation with the Swiss Red Cross (SRC) will be air-lifting sleeping mats, blankets, emergency cooking equipment and water containers to Yangon (Myanmar), and further consignments of materials are being looked into. A first instalment of 500,000 Swiss francs has been made available to the World Food Programme (WFP) for Myanmar, and two long-standing SDC partners on the spot - the Swiss arm of Doctors without Borders, Médecins Sans Frontières Schweiz (MSF-CH), and the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) - are each being given an initial 100,000 Swiss francs towards their aid work. There are also plans to second support staff to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The UN has allocated 20 million Swiss francs from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), to which Switzerland contributes 7.5 million francs annually, for Myanmar.

Two SDC representatives in Myanmar are setting assistance measures in motion and coordinating with local partner organizations, while another team of experts is in Thailand awaiting an opportunity to enter Myanmar.

Swiss assistance to Myanmar