ADVISORY COMMISSION ON RAKHINE STATE HUMANITARIAN ACCESS Following the attack on the Border Guard Police on 9 October 2016, parts of Maungdaw Township were largely out-of-bounds to humanitarian actors. With a limited number of exceptions, international staff members of the UN and INGOs were prohibited from entering the areas affected by the conflict, and aid organizations were unable to provide their usual range of services and assistance. In its interim recommendations, the Commission encouraged the Government of Myanmar to allow full and unimpeded humanitarian access to the areas in question, and ensure – assisted by international partners – the provision of adequate assistance to all communities in need. Since then, humanitarian access in northern Rakhine State has improved considerably. However, aid organizations continue to face certain limitations which were introduced following the violence in October 2016. For instance, international staff are given access to the field on the formal condition that they are accompanied by officials (from line ministries or from the District Commissioner’s Office). Moreover, some programmatic activities have not been permitted to resume – such as cash-based interventions for shelter. The current arrangement, where all field access is dependent upon weekly travel authorization from the District Commissioner, is a time-consuming process, which adds an element of uncertainty in planning activities and visits. Recommendations: 27. The Government of Myanmar should ensure full and unimpeded humanitarian access – for both national and international staff – at all times and to all communities in Rakhine State. 28. The Government, assisted by international partners, should ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided in accordance with international protection principles, including do-no-harm, impartiality, non-discrimination, protection from physical and psychological harm, and recognition of rights and access to remedies. 29. Reconsider the requirement for government officials to accompany international staff to the field, and simplify and standardize the travel authorization process for aid organizations (for instance by issuing three-month multiple entry permits to humanitarian project sites). 30. International humanitarian actors should seek to work closely with the Government, and consult and inform the Government about on-going and planned activities in a timely manner. 38 Towards a Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Future for the People of Rakhine