Working with Opportunity and Risk: Insight to EU Operations in Myanmar

The government-initiated reforms in Myanmar over the past three years have provided great opportunity for increased development engagement, but the context continues to require sensitive assessments of opportunities and risks. In just under a year, the EU Delegation to Myanmar has grown so that 30 people manage an ambitious and far-reaching programme, which focuses its support mainly on rural development, education, governance and the peace process. Head of Cooperation Isabel Faria de Almeida explains.

“This is Burma and it is unlike any other country you will know,” said Rudyard Kipling famously in 1890.  Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is the largest country in mainland South East Asia and, under British colonial rule, was one of the wealthiest. It has a history as rich and diverse as its mineral deposits, forests, and fertile land.  “This country is unique - it’s a rich country but its people are poor,” said Isabel Faria de Almeida recently in her busy office in Yangon.  She arrived in the country in March to coordinate EU development cooperation.

“It is different from working in a country that is deprived of natural resources,” she continued. “Here you have everything: natural resources, a fantastic geographic situation with India in the west, China in the east and Thailand to the south, people who are very keen to learn and are a nice population. If the transition goes in the direction in which we are all aiming, this can develop very fast and can create a country that is great.”

Myanmar went into isolation from the rest of the world in 1962, under a strong dictatorship. After elections were held in November 2010, the military government itself proposed a transition and steps towards democracy and opening the economy. The EU has had a presence in the country since 1996, but mostly for humanitarian purposes pursued through the regional office in Thailand. In line with reforms, an office was opened in the former capital Yangon in 2012 by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, and this turned into a fully-fledged Delegation in September 2013 when Roland Kobia, the first EU Ambassador to Myanmar, arrived.

The development needs are enormous given the long period of time with minimal levels of investment. Infrastructure is poor, for instance; support to education will require a full package of schools, teachers, curriculum and equipment; areas of the country are in conflict or post-conflict status where providing development assistance is difficult or impossible; and democratic processes are at a very early stage.

EU support is in line with the Millennium Development Goals - supporting health, education and rural development. “We are also supporting governance, the elections process, public administration reform, and state capacity in producing statistics,” said Ms Faria de Almeida. To support the peace process, the EU has supported the establishment and operations of the Myanmar Peace Centre, providing a place for dialogue, including between ethnic groups. This complements the work that is being done in the social sector in ethnic areas, where there are significant challenges in terms of geography and access.

Ms Faria de Almeida is no stranger to challenging contexts; before arriving in Yangon she was Head of Operations for EU development cooperation with Somalia, where she played an important role in developing the EU-led New Deal for that country. She identifies stakeholder liaison to be at the root of EU success in Myanmar. “One of the biggest successes is the trust that we have been able to build - the EU is now a trusted partner of the government, but at the same time we are supporting civil society and working with non-state actors so we are able to have quite a balanced approach,” she explained.

Pa-Oh woman harvesting chillies (Myanmar 2013). Image: Paul Arps

She also cites cooperation and knowledge sharing between development partners as key to the success of the three multi-donor trust funds that exist in Myanmar to support government efforts in the health, education and rural development sectors. The EU was a founder of the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund and today, along with contributing Member States, it funds 80% of operations. Now in its fifth year of implementation, the Fund is delivering strong results and functions as an evidence-based knowledge platform to facilitate policy dialogue towards equitable and sustainable rural development. “It is a programme that has evolved with the context and we have been constantly able to increase our engagement with government,” added Ms Faria de Almeida.

The success comes despite challenges that will resonate with colleagues working in other Delegations. “The communications are a nightmare here,” she laughed, “We have constant problems with access to the systems of the Commission – CRIS, ARES, MIPS – but we have to continue, insist and be positive.”

Another thought to share with colleagues is the belief that the EU’s work can make a difference and has an important role to play in the country. “I think that motivation and having a positive constructive spirit is fundamental to be able to work in any country,” she said.

Looking forward, the EU is about to commit a substantial envelope of EUR 688 million – second highest in Asia after Afghanistan - to support the EU’s indicative programme over the period 2014-2020. Ms Faria de Almeida sees this as both “very exciting and challenging. With the team that we have and headquarters’ support we will be able to do something interesting,” she said.

In 2015, the country will hold important elections, which undoubtedly will have repercussions on the development agenda. In addition, there is increasing ethnic unrest, intolerance and violent outbreaks between religious factions.

“Today, in June 2014, everything can go very well, but also everything could go wrong - this is the big challenge for Myanmar,” she said in closing.

This collaborative piece was drafted with input from Jacquetta Hayes, Claudia Antonelli and Koen Duchateau with support from the capacity4dev.euCoordination Team. Teaser image courtesy of Christopher Michel. 

DISCLAIMER: This information is provided in the interests of knowledge sharing and capacity development and should not be interpreted as the official view of the European Commission, or any other organisation.