Myanmar Roadmap for engagement with civil society launched with workshops for stakeholders

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A launch event of the EU Roadmap for engagement with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Myanmar was held last week at the initiative of the European Union (EU) in Yangon. The event followed up on a series of consultations organised in October and November 2014 in Yangon, Mandalay and Mawlamyaing. There the first steps for the development of the Roadmap for engagement with civil society were made. The festive launch of the Roadmap aimed to present the Roadmap and to start a dialogue between the EU, Member States and CSOs around the implementation of the four priorities identified in the Roadmap.

The meeting in Yangon gathered in total 85 participants from a broad range of local CSOs involved in different domains of action, from human rights to education, healthcare, gender, peace, governance, and environment, amongst others. In addition to representatives from the EU Delegation and EU Member States, other Development Partners were also present and actively involved in the discussions.

Mrs Isabel Faria de Almeida, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in Myanmar, opened the meeting. In her welcoming speech she recalled the historical and crucial role played by CSOs in Myanmar. This was particularly the case in the field of providing basic services across the entire country, and especially in conflict areas where CSOs have been providing social services, such as education and healthcare for decades. More recent times have also seen greater opportunities for CSO involvement in the public debate on more political issues in Myanmar.

“The paramount, and increasing, role played by CSOs in EU development cooperation is now particularly addressed by the Roadmap for engagement with CSOs in Myanmar” Mrs Faria de Almeida told the meeting.  “Being the result of a thorough process of consultations, the Roadmap is as a valuable tool and framework for working together of the EUD, Member States and CSOs. The Roadmap will prove pivotal to assist CSOs in Myanmar creating an environment where they are able to fully play their legitimate role in society, as service providers, but also as advocates and watchdogs” Mrs Faria de Almeida continued.

Following the official launch, the four guiding priorities of the Roadmap together with the tentative list of actions were presented by Mr George Dura, Deputy Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation.

The four priorities of the Myanmar Roadmap are:

• Increase the space for CSOs to operate
• Enhance the relationship between CSOs and public institutions
• Increase CSOs’ capacities for research, advocacy and policy dialogue with government
• Enhance the organisational structures and internal management of CSOs and CSO networks

Participants formed four groups to exchange on each of the priorities on how best to operationalize the accompanying proposed actions. The working groups tried to identify the most suitable actors and required means and timelines, based on a common understanding of the priority, continuous cooperation and a clear division of labour. Mechanisms to ensure collective ownership and adequate follow up of the Roadmap were also addressed.

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The workshops were concluded by a plenary discussion following the four presentations of the working groups. A number of questions were addressed to the EU delegation, on gender issues, the EU focal sectors of cooperation, the targeted CSOs under EU funding schemes and the coordination with other similar exercises. Mrs Isabel Faria de Almeida closed the day by concluding that this meeting was a first and important step in the implementation of the Roadmap in Myanmar. The EU Delegation intends to facilitate yearly meetings bringing together all reference groups to take stock of progress.

A Summary of the Myanmar Roadmap for engagement with civil society can be found here.