By Peter Batcherlor*
Myanmar Times-Oct 24
UNDP Myanmar has a new country program, approved earlier this year. Within its framework, the United Nations Development Program will work during the next five years with government, development partners, civil society groups, the private sector and all communities to help Myanmar achieve sustainable development.
UNDP Myanmar was proud to organize the first meeting of our Country Program Board at the new UN office in Nay Pyi Taw recently. It brought together representatives of the Myanmar government, parliament, state and regional governments, donors and others to discuss how UNDP can better contribute to implementation of the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan, which is based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. With more than 200 staff working in nine offices across the country, the UNDP can travel the last mile to reach those furthest behind. Our goal, as expressed in the 2030 Agenda, is ‘to leave no one behind’.
Myanmar is very important to us. Indeed, the UNDP is – to some extent – a Myanmar creation. U Thant, the longest-serving UN secretary general, made the 1960s the Decade of Development. The UNDP was set up in 1966, and U Thant chaired the first meeting of its governing council. Those who visit U Thant’s house in Yangon can see a picture of this historic moment.
The UNDP has been present in Myanmar for more than 50 years. In the years since it was established, many things have changed – including in Myanmar. We need to respond to these changes, so our new country program for 2018-2022 has two key focus areas: peace and governance and planet and prosperity, which are fully aligned with national priorities.
It builds on the achievements of its country program for 2013-2017, which mobilized US$120 million for the benefit of all communities in Myanmar. As a result, 59,000 people benefitted from the construction and renovation of schools, rural health centers and roads through participatory planning. More than 240,000 people, 85 percent of them women, gained access to financial services through microfinance institutions. Myanmar’s 101 female ward and village tract administrators, the elected local representatives, have been trained and empowered. The UNDP has given technical and financial support to the Technical Secretariat of the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee for implementation of the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. Also, more than 50,000 landless and marginalized farmer households have been helped to adapt to the effects of climate change. These are just some examples of our work.
Under the new program, we are adopting a new approach to tackling the many complex issues facing Myanmar. A good example is Rakhine State, where, thanks to a generous contribution from Japan, the UNDP is working in all areas and for all communities in the state. Through its integrated area-based approach, we are tackling a range of development issues in local governance, rule of law, participation in the democratic process, women’s economic empowerment, livelihoods and social cohesion. We are working with all partners, at all levels of government, with UN agencies, development partners and civil society groups. By putting all these elements together, the UNDP is confident that we will be able to leverage impact and generate more sustainable results.
We are revamping our strategic planning and communication tools by investing in enhanced monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, including the use of big data and sophisticated data analysis tools. We are also establishing new partnerships with the private sector and social entrepreneurs. As Myanmar transitions to a market-based economy that is growing more connected regionally and globally, partnerships with the private sector will become more important to helping to promote a more inclusive and vibrant economy for all its people.
Another important element of our work is to support the country’s effort to localize and implement the Sustainable Development Goals. In this regard, we have worked closely with the Central Statistics Organization to assess Myanmar’s data readiness for the SDG and helped produce the first SDG Baseline Indicator Report. We have also worked with the World Bank to help finalize the 2017 Myanmar Living Conditions Survey to better understand the development needs of the country and its communities, with state/regional disaggregated data on a range of indicators.
The new country program will be instrumental in shaping Myanmar’s future, including the general election in 2020. Building on U Thant’s legacy and his decade of development in the 1960s, together we can make this year the beginning of a decade of sustainable development in Myanmar.
*Peter Batchelor is the United Nations Development Programme’s country director in Myanmar.
‘https://www.mmtimes.com/news/new-plan-sustainable-development.html
