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World Bank to open an office in Myanmar  Agence France-Presse - 27 April 2012 The World Bank announced on 26 April that it will open an office in Myanmar in June, a quarter century after it shut its aid program down. Pamela Cox, Vice President for East Asia and the Pacific, said the bank would staff the office in Yangon with a new country manager and begin collecting the economic data needed to support a new aid program for the impoverished country. But another key priority will be to sort out how to handle Myanmar’s hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of unpaid debts to the World Bank and other development lenders. Aid access granted for Burma's North Kachin State Voice of America - 11 April 2012 The U.N. office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Myanmar says the government since late March has granted it unrestricted aid deliveries to most of north Kachin State, where tens of thousands have been displaced by a military offensive. Authorities had limited access by the U.N. and other aid agencies to mainly government-controlled areas, even though most of the displaced were in rebel territory. But after months of negotiations, Ashok Nigam, the U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Burma, said the agencies have been given permission that should allow sustained access to most of Kachin. “We have succeeded now in terms of being able to provide humanitarian assistance with the United Nations and its humanitarian partners, including international NGOs, who can now go to all areas in Kachin." Burma in the Balance: The Role of Foreign Assistance in Burma's Transition Project 2049 Institute - March 2012 A very well researched analysis by the Project 2049 Institute designed to provide the international donor community with important reference points relating to the future development of Myanmar in a fast-changing situation. The author, Kelley Currie, is close to the Republican Party and has tended in the past to be overcritical of events in Myanmar. As Senior Fellow with the Project 2049 Institute, she has however produced an invaluable assessment with commendable and well balanced recommendations, though some may find its conclusions unduly idealistic. Myanmar has time to make haste wisely  Financial Times - 19 March 2012 He concludes: "It is clear that Myanmar must develop so as not to be further isolated in a rapidly changing and growing Asia. This historic opportunity for its people and its desire for major reform must also receive rapid, well-targeted support from the international community. Myanmar is a latecomer in a hurry – which is understandable. However, it can take time to plan, manage, avoid the mistakes made by others and make haste wisely." "Misconceived ideas, flawed policies have been our undoing"  Mizzima - 2 March 2012 An advisory paper, delivered by Government Economic Adviser U Myint at a workshop this week organized by the the Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development and the Japan International Cooperation Agency, outlined challenges and goals for the Burmese government in the near term. U Myint said it is important to acknowledge that “for over half a century since we gained independence, it has not been lack of resources, but rather misconceived ideas and flawed policies that have been our undoing. For foreign assistance to help us, and for that matter, for us to help ourselves, we must be honest with ourselves. And the first thing that is required for greater honesty will be to make a frank and objective assessment of where we are at present.” Read more..... Helping Myanmar Financial Times Editorial - 27 February 2012 It is welcome that the international community is responding to political reform. It will bolster the position of pro-reformers - reducing the possibility of a backlash by hardliners - and sends a message to pariah states, including North Korea, that change can bring tangible benefits. Still, both the pace of re-engagement and the amount of aid flowing into the country need to be carefully monitored. The risk is that, with the dam wall of international opprobrium bursting, aid will pour into Myanmar faster than it can handle it. Read more....
Japan 'to resume Myanmar loans' after 25 years  Agence France-Presse - 24 February 2012 Tokyo hopes to reach an agreement with Myanmar on a conditional resumption of development loans - to be used for infrastructure projects such as ports and railways - at a summit in late April, the Nikkei newspaper has reported. Japan has made no new official yen loans to Myanmar since a military coup and fierce crackdown at the end of the 1980s, which came amid mounting fears in Tokyo over huge unpaid arrears the Southeast Asian nation had already built up. Unlike major Western nations, Japan has maintained trade ties and dialogue with Myanmar, warning that a hard line on the ruling junta could push it closer to neighbouring China, its main political supporter and commercial partner. Myanmar's Asian allies, among them Thailand as well as China, already have a foot in the door and their firms are involved in hydropower, port and gas pipeline projects. Derek Tonkin writes: Outstanding debts to Japan are said to total US$6.39 billion out of a total overseas indebtedness of US$ 11.02 billion. Foreign exchange reserves are estimated at US$ 7 billion, and rising, while annual GDP is in the region of US$ 42 billion. The debt to GDP ratio is accordingly about 26%, which is tolerable for a developing country. Managing the donor invasion  Dr Adam McCarty: The Myanmar Times - 13-19 February 2012 Dr McCarty offers sound advice on managing the expected 'donor invasion' of Myanmar. He concludes: "Underpinning the above advice is an appreciation that the government has considerable leverage over donors that should be used. Donors want Myanmar more than Myanmar wants donors. Donors will complain if the government really 'took the driving seat' as recommended above, but that does not matter, as donors will still have far more they want to spend in Myanmar than can be absorbed in any useful manner. Driving the development aid vehicle, however, requires a clear and detailed statement of what the government wants donors to focus on, and clear and transparent aid systems established to manage donors to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their spending. Those are the key challenges for the government in 2012." EU Commissioner Andris Piebalgs visits Myanmar 
Myanmar agrees to hold UN donor conference Financial Times - 15 February 2012 Senior UN officials have agreed with Myanmar’s government to work jointly on holding the first large-scale international aid conference this year, in a further sign of the dramatic changes taking place in the country. The roundtable, to include the world’s biggest international aid organisations and government agencies, would focus on reducing poverty levels in Myanmar from 26 per cent to a government target of 16 per cent by 2015, said Ajay Chhibber, regional director of the UN Development Programme.
Local to Global Protection in Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, South Sudan and Zimbabwe Humanitarian Practice Network: Network Paper No. 72 - February 20123 This Network Paper presents the findings of five community-based studies on self- protection in Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, South Sudan and Zimbabwe. The studies demonstrate how vulnerable people take the lead in activities to protect themselves and their communities, and how local understandings of ‘protection’ vary from how the concept is used by international humanitarian agencies. While hugely important for everyday survival, local understandings and self-protection activities are rarely acknowledged or effectively supported by aid agencies. The case studies also illustrate that, while self-protection strategies may be crucial for survival, they are rarely fully adequate. Local agency cannot be regarded as a substitute for the protection responsibilities of national authorities or international actors. The paper suggests two distinct but complementary approaches to protection: strengthening local capacities for self-protection, and generating the political will to prevent or stop targeted attacks on civilians. Burma: An opportunity to expand humanitarian space Refugees International - 11 January 2012 Burma is embarking upon a landmark transition to civilian administration. The country has seen some promising political reforms. But the world’s longest civil war, coupled with natural disasters within the country, has created serious humanitarian needs which still persist. Recently, the Burmese government has demonstrated a willingness to cooperate with humanitarian agencies. The international community must seize this opportunity to ensure that the needs of the displaced are met, the military’s abuse of human rights are stemmed, and ethnic conflicts progress toward peaceful resolution.
Myanmar: donor aid begins to flow IRIN - 4 January 2012 “Myanmar has been called an aid orphan in the past because its per capita assistance is so low,” London-based Myanmar analyst Ashley South told IRIN. The country received close to US$5 per person in overseas development assistance in 2010, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - a 28 percent drop from 2009. While careful not to draw any link between donor decisions and nascent political change, donor consortiums and NGOs in Myanmar are finding that attaining funds has become easier. “More funding is available now,” said Andrew Kirkwood, funding director for the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT), a multi-donor association set up in 2009 to support food security in Shan, Kachin, Rakhine and Chin states. Social protection in Myanmar: Making the case for holistic reform IDS Working Paper No. 386 - December 2011 Yoshimi Nishino and Gabriele Koehler examine vulnerability and poverty dynamics in Myanmar and its evolving social protection framework. Building on pertinent regional examples, the paper makes the case for holistic social protection policy responses in the domains of social transfers for livelihood support and access to finance, education and health access, child protection, protection from exclusion, and as an emergency response. The outlook argues that comprehensive inclusive and ultimately transformative social protection needs to be introduced and could be within reach, as an integral part of deeper systemic reform in Myanmar. Myanmar leads rise in opium poppy cultivation UN News Centre - 15 December 2011 A United Nations survey launched today points to “significant” increases in opium poppy cultivation in Myanmar and Laos, and calls for greater investment to support alternative livelihoods. The 2011 South-East Asia Opium Survey, released today in Bangkok by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), says that cultivation in the region jumped from some 42,000 hectares to almost 48,000 - a 16 per cent increase over 2010.
Yury Fedotov, UNODC’s Executive Director, noted that the high prices for opium in Laos and Thailand, as well as steep price increases in Myanmar, are making production attractive to farmers. This requires the creation of alternative livelihoods to wean farmers off opium poppy cultivation, he added. Top UNHCR official optimistic after 'significant' visit to Myanmar Alert Net - 13 December 2011 Erika Feller, the UN refugee agency's most senior protection official, recently paid a significant visit to Myanmar, where UNHCR has operations in Rakhine state in the west, and in the south-east of the country, where displacement along the Mynamar-Thai border is an issue. UNHCR estimates that northern Rakhine state hosts some 750,000 Muslim residents without citizenship. Independent observers have noticed important openings for humanitarian operations in Myanmar since the forming of a new government late last year. For the Assistant High Commissioner, this was reflected in more open and productive meetings with ministers and other senior officials and the permission given her to meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. World Bank, IMF to enter Myanmar: US Democratic Voice of Burma - 2 December 2011 The US will “agree to and support” assessment missions to Burma by the World Bank and IMF as one of a number of rewards for recent reforms offered by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her meeting with President Thein Sein yesterday. The international lenders could now “begin studying the needs here”, she reportedly told the Burmese leader in Naypyidaw. US sanctions on Burma currently prohibit Washington’s support for lending and technical assistance to Burma by the likes of the World Bank and IMF. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) would most likely also be included among financial institutions able to re-enter Burma. Japan in talks to resume Myanmar aid Agence France-Presse - 24 November 2011 Japan and Myanmar will hold a meeting in Naypyidaw next week to discuss resuming Tokyo's official development aid, a foreign ministry official said Thursday. The move is the latest in a series of international overtures that appear to be designed to welcome the isolated nation in from the diplomatic cold. Tokyo has continued to provide humanitarian and emergency aid to the country, but halted regular economic assistance in 2003 following the arrest and subsequent detention of Aung San Suu Kyi. Civil society gaining ground Transnational Institute and the Burma Center Netherlands - November 2011 This 56-page report is based on 15 years of research on and working with civil society organisations in Burma and its borderlands.This includes many meetings with local organisations in the former capital Yangon, but also in other parts of the country, including various ethnic states. Apart from independent research, the author also carried out several studies for international organisations that want to establish relationships with civil society in Burma. Restrictive measures against Myanmar/Burma: Council Decision 2011/239 House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee - 19 October 2011 Note by Network Myanmar: The European Scrutiny Committee scrutinises draft EU legislation - in this case Council Decision 2011/239 of 12 April 2011 - on behalf of the House of Commons and assesses which proposals are of particular political or legal importance. It draws these proposals to the attention of the House through weekly Committee Reports and by recommending some draft legislation for debate. Extracts from the report on 'Documents considered': In his Explanatory Memorandum dated 11 April 2011, the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) said "that the Coalition Government's position was that there should be no easing of EU restrictive measures in the absence of tangible progress in Burma. Negotiations in the EU had been tough. A number of Member States were minded to see the political developments in Burma as progress and pressed for a relaxation of restrictive measures. But the Government had secured a technical rollover of the Council Decision for a further 12 months, with the existing framework of sanctions protected and maintained. .......The Government had remained in close contact with Aung San Suu Kyi, as well as with other democratic groups, during the EU negotiations and had agreed the steps above because they are in line with Aung San Suu Kyi's wishes to promote dialogue with the government and to encourage a move towards more democratic institutions." The Minister wrote on 4 August 2011 to update the Committee on changes to the annexes of Council Decision 2011/239. "He noted that agreement to the roll-over of sanctions on Burma in April included a technical review of the annexes in order to ensure they remained accurate and relevant; this review had now been completed by the EU Missions in Rangoon (in which the UK mission in Rangoon had played a prominent role) and the recommendations agreed in the EU. Mr Lidington added in an Explanatory Memorandum dated 7 October 2011: "Our Ambassador to Rangoon remains in close contact with Aung San Suu Kyi and most recently met her on 27 September. She hopes to have a clearer view within the next month of whether the Burmese authorities will follow through on their pledges to announce and implement substantive reform. The Government will continue to engage closely with Aung San Suu Kyi and will be ready to issue a coordinated response to either progress or the breakdown of talks." Derek Tonkin writes: The extent to which UK and by extension EU policy on Myanmar/Burma has been made dependent on the views and wishes of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should cause unease. There are other Opposition voices in Myanmar, among both political parties and local NGOs, which are critical of what is seen as her negative approach to development aid, her ambivalent attitude on even Technical Assistance from International Financial Institutions and her lack of support for labour-intensive industries in the non-crony private sector, like garments, textiles and seafood which have been seriously affected by sanctions. [See also Documents considered by the European Scrutiny Committee on 27 April 2011] Displacement and poverty in South Eastern Myanmar Thai-Burma Border Consortium - October 2011 The survey estimates that at least 112,000 people have been forced to leave their homes this year. While some fled into Thailand and others returned to former villages or resettled elsewhere, over 450,000 people currently remain internbally displaced in the south eastern region. UK pushes for aid to Kachin refugees Democratic Voice of Burma - 4 November 2011 Working Through Ambiguity - INGOs in Myanmar The Hauser Centre, Harvard University - September 2011 Myanmar faces significant humanitarian, development and political challenges. Years of international sanctions have constrained levels of foreign aid. Still, some 65 international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) work in Myanmar in a variety of sectors, including health, agriculture and disaster response. Advocacy with the Government of Myanmar is possible and, in some cases, effective. The approach endorsed by some INGOs and donors is “non-confrontational,” aiming to inform and promote dialogue with the government, not to assess blame. Report of the Sixth Visit to the Yadana Pipeline Project Corporate Engagement Project 28 March - 8 April 2011 During the sixth visit, the CEP team has found that the company has heeded many of the options presented in previous reports regarding a) achieving more sustainable programming, and b) developing strategies for dealing with and influencing stakeholders and partners such as the government and other international companies.
From Myanmar with hope European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva visits Myanmar
Europa website - 10 September 2011  European Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva (from Bulgaria) met with the Minister of Border Affairs, the Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. She highlighted the need to improve humanitarian access to the communities affected by conflict, particularly in border areas. She also met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Note by Network Myanmar: Commissioner Georgieva's visit took place against the background of the recent initiative of the EU to pursue high-level political dialogue with the new government in Myanmar, as well as with the opposition and civil society.
Myanmar: Displacement continues in context of armed conflicts
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre - 19 July 2011 This agency established by the Norwegian Refugee Council at UN request in 1998 notes that displacement is not systematically monitored by any independent organisation inside Myanmar. Most available information on displacement comes from organisations based on the Thai side of the Thailand-Myanmar border. Limited access to affected areas and lack of independent monitoring make it virtually impossible to verify their reports of the numbers and situations of internally displaced people (IDPs). Although the conflicts in other areas of Myanmar have probably also led to displacement, the only region for which estimates have been available was the southeast, where more than 400,000 people were believed to be living in internal displacement in 2010. More than 70,000 among them were estimated to be newly displaced. Note by Network Myanmar: The report notes that in surveyed townships, of some 446,000 internally displaced persons some 206,00 lived in areas administered by Non-State Armed Groups and that there are concerns that assistance given to populations in NSAG areas "may contribute to war economies". See also the collection of Thai Burma Border Consortium reports at this link Report on US aid in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in 2008 US Government Accountability Office - 26 July 2011 UN and U.S. agencies provided about $335 million for emergency response and recovery activities after Cyclone Nargis. This GAO report assesses the US effort and makes recommendations. Myanmar: The Changing Scene International Crisis Group - 15 July 2011
Jim Della-Giacoma, Crisis Group’s South East Asia Project Director, discusses changes in Myanmar and the steps international organizations and governments should take to encourage development. Podcast
A deeper level of understanding: Myanmar and the UN Equally as frustrating as the lack of funding, he said, are donor restrictions that inhibit implementation. One example is the UN Development Program’s Human Development Initiative, which reaches almost three million people. “UNDP is not able to do what it does in many other countries to make this program sustainable” because it cannot work with the government in terms of policy and training, said Mr Parajuli, who was also the UNDP resident representative. “The government very much wishes us to be engaged in Myanmar like in any other country and UNDP is looking into this.” Three million beat poverty UK DFID Operational Plan 2011-2015 for Burma Top priorities
DFID will spend an average of £46 million per year in Myanmar until 2015. This support is delivered through the United Nations and reputable international and local NGOs. Myanmar: Three years later, still no shelter Burma woos aid groups, but wariness remains
Agence France-Presse - 30 April 2011 There are signs that the new, nominally civilian government, which took power earlier this year after controversial November elections that excluded democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, is striving to show a changed attitude. President Thein Sein, a retired general who was prime minister during Nargis, has pledged to work more closely with humanitarian groups and responses to recent disasters suggest the approach has changed. "They are more ready to give timely public information on details of these events, and to give access to international agencies," said Burma analyst Richard Horsey. But privately, many remain cautious. Energy firms channel some profits back to communities
Myanmar Times - 25 April - 1 May 2011 An account of social welfare and community projects along the Yadana gas pipeline. Britain commits to tackling malaria resistance in Burma A five year containment programme has also been launched in the country after the presence of artemisinin-resistant malaria parasites was detected. International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said: "This is a worrying situation. We must act now to combat drug-resistant malaria in Burma, to save lives and prevent the spread of the disease. In Burma our approach will enormously increase people's access to accurate diagnosis and effective treatment - and help to prevent malaria in the first place, particularly amongst migrant workers. It is simply not acceptable that across the world almost 780,000 people - mainly pregnant women and children - die every year through a disease that is not only curable but preventable." UN identifies strategic priorities in Myanmar
UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator - 15 March 2011 The UN Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar has explained that consultations had been held with focal points from all relevant government ministries, the latest in February. Based on these consultations it had been agreed that UN engagement would focus on four Strategic Priorities, namely: 1. Encourage inclusive growth (both rural and urban), including agricultural development and enhancement of employment opportunities
2. Increase equitable access to quality social services
3. Reduce vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change
4. Promote good governance and strengthen democratic institutions and rights.
Under the Strategic Framework, UN agencies, funds and programmes in Myanmar, as well as non-resident agencies, regional commissions and other UN entities, will work with common goals and objectives and in partnership with development partners to meet the socioeconomic and humanitarian needs of the people of Myanmar. A joint UN Action Plan will follow the UN Strategic Framework document.
Extracts from replies to Questions in the Norwegian Parliament - 9 March 2011
"I think that very long experience shows - from Indonesia, and now from Egypt, Tunisia and elsewhere - that it helps to create a broad middle class in a country, to have economic relations and foreign investments, to have economic and social progress, even under conditions that are very oppressive, as this in the long run creates the classes and the social movements that undermine regimes. So that isolating Burma and having no economic contact with them will have the opposite effect which the Member [Peter Skovholt Gitmark] and I desire.
"Why did they [Tunisisan and Egyptian generals] take such a decision [not to fire on the crowds]? It has even probably had a positive impact that some of them had been trained at American military colleges........The fact is that you create a middle class through investment and economic progress, helping to create the prerequisite for social change that has now broken with dictatorship
"I've probably yet to meet any European leader in a private conversation who said that he believes that sanctions against Burma work, meaning that they are actually helping to lead the country in a more democratic direction." Note by Network Myanmar. Erik Solheim is a member of the Socialist Left Party (SV) UK to become top aid donor to Myanmar
Democratic Voice of Burma - 2 March 2011 Britain’s aid to Burma is set to rise dramatically in the wake of a major shake up of the government’s overseas spending, and looks set to position the UK as Burma’s top international donor. The US$ 75 million due to be spent each year until 2015 will focus on the country’s woefully undernourished healthcare, education and livelihoods sectors, a statement released by UK development secretary Andrew Mitchell said. The four-year total of US$ 300 million eclipses the US$ 121 million spent between 2006/07 and 2009/10, although that figure doesn’t include the additional US$ 73 million for cyclone Nargis in 2008. Burma has long been the region’s lowest recipient of overseas aid, despite it having Southeast Asia’s lowest GDP per capita and ranking 132 out of 169 global countries in the UN’s Human Development Index. Myanmar - Call to build up local NGOs IRIN (Yangon) - 1 March 2011
Most donors continue to prefer to route their funding through international rather than localNGOs, which have mushroomed in number after Cyclone Nargis in 2008, but lack experience and capacity for development work. But local NGOs have good relationships with local government. INGOs like Oxfam, Care and Save the Children feel that shortcomings in local accounting and management ought not to weight too heavily on funding decisions. There are some 300 local NGOs in Myanmar, of which only about 10% have been formally registered though many more have applied for registration. Global Fund back with new hope IPS News - 26 February 2011 Marwaan Makar-Marwaan reports that The Global Fund that left Myanmar in protest more than five years ago is returning this year to Myanmar. The move follows three agreements inked last November to finance two-year grants of up to US$ 112.8 million against the three killer diseases. It marks an increase from the US$ 98.4 million dollars that the Geneva-based humanitarian body had pledged during its first foray. The group pulled out in August 2005 citing political interference in its programmes. Support for HIV/AIDS initiatives is billed to get the largest share, US$ 46 million, with malaria receiving US$ 36.8 million and tuberculosis (TB) US$ 30 million, according to the Global Fund. "Burma re-applied for Global Fund grants in 2009 and due to the technical merit of the proposals the board decided to approve them," Marcela Rojo, spokesperson for the Global Fund confirmed in an IPS interview. "Aid has always been a political issue in Burma and it will be that way now that the Global Fund is back," said a Rangoon-based doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity. "We need this assistance, because it is a lifeline for the patients." Burma benefits as UK targets aid money on fight for democracy The Independent - 14 February 2011 Andrew Mitchell, International Development Secretary, says that Britain will increase aid to Myanmar to £185 million over the next four years."The poorest in Burma must have a voice. We will build up civil society, local charities, village groups, and their representatives to push for change." Myanmar Times - Britain shows commitment with massive aid pledge. Humanitarian situation in Myanmar Hansard (House of Commons) - 31 January 2011 Alan Duncan, Minister of State for International Development, noted that: "It is estimated that more than one third of all households have insufficient money to meet their basic needs, and 10% of the population do not have enough to eat. One in five children die before they reach the age of five, and one in three is malnourished. 380 of every 100,000 women die unnecessarily in pregnancy or childbirth. 70% of people are at risk from malaria, with 4 million cases and 9,000 deaths each year. Over 95% of health costs are met by people themselves, with government expenditure and international assistance for health care amounting to less than US$ 1 per person per year. Education is also severely underfunded. It is likely that poverty is particularly severe in areas of eastern Burma affected by armed conflict, in Chin and Rakhine States, and in parts of the central dry zone. Around 500,000 people have been displaced by conflict in eastern Burma, of which about 100,000 are living in areas of continuing fighting. Around 150,000 Burmese people live as refugees in camps in Thailand." Note by Network Myanmar: In such a situation, a drop of only 10 cents per day income as a result of Western sanctions could have a totally disproportionate effect on the rural population which do not live with a subsistence economy, but need money for education, healthcare and their very survival. Concern over gap in funding for Cyclone Giri response Relief Web - 27 January 2011 Additional assistance is needed to support early recovery efforts in areas affected by Cyclone Giri, which struck Myanmar's Rakhine State on 22 October. Three months on, key challenges facing the affected communities include inadequate shelter, damaged crop and embankments, food insecurity and indebtedness due to loss of income opportunities, according to recent assessments carried out jointly by UN agencies and non-governmental organizations operating in the areas. Despite generous contributions by many donors and ongoing Government support to the emergency relief in the aftermath of the cyclone, a significant gap in funding threatens to hamper early and medium term recovery activities in the affected areas. Total needs for post-Cyclone Giri relief and early recovery has been estimated to be at least US$ 57 million. So far, a total of US$ 22 million have been provided by donors. The slowing-down of support provided after Giri echoes that of the response after Cyclone Nargis, which left some 140,000 dead and affected the lives of an estimated 2.4 million people in May 2008. Only one-third of the approximately US$ 690 million needed for the Post-Nargis Recovery and Preparedness Plan, covering up to the end of 2011, has been forthcoming, and funding for recovery activities in the Ayeyarwady Delta has nearly come to a halt. According to recent estimates, Official Development Aid (ODA) to Myanmar has also fallen since 2008, despite a worldwide ODA increase. Myanmar continues to be the lowest recipient of ODA with an estimated US$ 5 per capita in 2010, far below neighbouring countries such as Laos and Cambodia. Cyclone Giri tests government-aid agency relations Government Relief for Cyclone Giri: New Light of Myanmar - 26 October 2010 Straits Times - 6 September 2010
Bangkok Post - 31 August 2010
Noeleen Heyzer, the Executive Secretary of ESCAP, observes that the government of Myanmar has announced it will hold a general election on 7 November, the first to be held since 1990. This may provide an opportunity for Myanmar's military-led government to improve the country's political governance. She notes that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged the government to honour its publicly stated commitments to hold inclusive, free and fair elections, noting that any transition to democracy should also include the release of all political prisoners without delay. In addition to a possible move toward a civilian-led government, it is also likely that improvements in political governance will present significant opportunities for economic and social advancement for the country, for an emerging middle class, and especially for the estimated one-third of Burma's 50 million people currently living in poverty.
IPS News - 31 August 2010
Marwaan Mackan-Makar reports on the controversy connected with the ADB supported Asia Highway which needs to cross Myanmar. Interview with Erik Solheim, Norwegian Minister of International Development
OCHA Report 23-28 June 2010 on the Floods in Northern Rakhine State UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs - 28 June 2010
Situation overview during the last five days with an account of remedial action taken and a visit by the Prime Minister to the affected region.
Democratic Voice of Burma - 6 July 2010
The Minister discusses his recent visit to Myanmar and explains his support for a process of dialogue.
Al Jazeera - 19 June 2010
Noeleen Heyzer, UN Undersecretary-General, interviewed by video on the economic effects of Myanmar's isolation.
UNIC Yangon - 2 June 2010
Norwegian Minister for Development Erik Solheim visits villages in the Ayeyarwady Delta.....
The Irrawaddy - 22 May 2010
Actor and philanthropist Kyaw Thu discusses the water supply problem in Myanmar during the present hot season and how his "Free Funeral Services Society" has been able to help.
OneWorld South Asia - 3 May 2010
Long term recovery efforts in the cyclone hit areas of Myanmar are threatened by a severe shortage of aid. Only one-third of the required aid for a three-year recovery plan, about US$180 million out of US$ 690 needed, has been received. Two years after Cyclone Nargis devastated large areas of Myanmar, a critical shortfall of aid is threatening long-term recovery and placing more than two million people at risk.
Note by Network Myanmar: The principal reason for this shortfall is not donor fatigue, but political inhibition. Aid should be provided on purely humanitarian grounds. A failure to do so because of political reservations might well be judged as a crime against humanity, especially against a background of reports that "Nargis victims are forced into the sex trade".
Responsibility to Protect (R2P) - Basic Documents
We recommend "The Responsibility to Protect" by Gareth Evans, President and CEO of the International Crisis Group since 2000 and former Foreign Minister of Australia. ISBN 978-0-8157-2504-6 published by Brookings Intsitution Press.
R2P - Recent Articles
Richard Falk - Libya after Gaddafi: A dangerous precedent? Al Jazeera 22 October 2011 Ashley McLachlan-Bent and John Langmore - A Crime against Humanity? Implications and Prospects of R2P in the Wake of Cyclone Nargis, 2011 Matthew Continetti - Whatever happened to R2P? Washington, 23 February 2011 Miscellaneous
This directory includes information about all local and international NGOs, UN agencies and Red Cross organisations working in Myanmar. You need to register on-line to access full details.
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Special Themes
• International Crisis Group• Google Map of Yangon
• Myanmar CSO Statistics
• ILO in Myanmar
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