24 April 2026 By Ko Myo
NEW YORK, USA — Myanmar is on the verge of losing an entire generation as the country faces a catastrophic economic spiral and a breakdown in the rule of law, Myanmar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun, warned on Thursday.
Speaking at a UN headquarters session in New York, the Ambassador delivered a grim assessment of the nation’s trajectory since the 2021 military coup. He highlighted that nearly 50% of the population has fallen below the poverty line, while the country’s middle class—once the backbone of the economy—is rapidly vanishing.
Foreign Direct Investment has plummeted by 74%, and the microfinance sector is in freefall,” Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun stated. This macroeconomic disaster is being felt acutely by local business owners.
A Yangon-based electronics company owner told MPA that his workforce has shrunk from 70 employees to just 10. “We are barely operating. It’s not just me; many of my colleagues have seen their businesses vanish entirely. This tells the true story of our economy,” he said.
The Ambassador also raised the alarm regarding the surge in transnational crimes, including online fraud and human trafficking. He accused the military junta and its affiliates of providing a “protective umbrella” for criminal syndicates, turning the country into a safe haven for illicit financial flows and international fugitives.
The social fabric in urban centres like Yangon is also fraying. “In Yangon, if you try to live an honest, middle-class life, you can barely avoid starvation,” a local housewife told MPA. “To actually survive or thrive now, people feel forced into illegal gambling or drug trafficking. It’s a desperate situation.”
Ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun concluded that the military’s ongoing violence against civilians and its total disregard for the rule of law are the primary drivers of Myanmar’s instability and developmental reversal. He urged the international community to take decisive action to support the Myanmar people’s efforts to build a stable, democratic future.
“The reversal of development we are seeing is not just a temporary setback; it is a profound crisis that threatens the future of every child in Myanmar,” the Envoy added.
As the diplomatic standoff continues at the UN, the reality on the ground remains one of hyperinflation and dwindling hope. For the people of Myanmar, the Ambassador’s words echo a daily struggle for survival in a nation where the formal economy is being replaced by conflict and crime.
