UN Women Transparency Portal

Region:Asia Pacific Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022

World Bank Income Classification:Low Income

Least Developed Country:Yes

Gender Inequality Index:0.575

Gender Development Index:0.723

Population:209,497,025 Male:19,976,265 (9.5%) Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)

Disclaimer

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MYM_D_1.1

By 2023, the enabling environment for the implementation of the WPS agenda and the integration of gender equality in humanitarian, peace and development frameworks, programming and policies is strengthened.

In 2022, UN Women Myanmar Country Office (MCO) made strong progress under outcome 1. Through providing timely gender-sensitive data and building capacities of stakeholders across the triple nexus, UN Women demonstrably strengthened the enabling environment to better implement Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE), Gender in Humanitarian Action (GIHA), and Women, peace and security (WPS) integration in programmes and policies of UN partners and CSOs. Some of the key results in this outcome include the integration of gender analysis and actions in four key programming and policy frameworks of the UN and other development partners, such as in the UNCT's Socio-Economic Resilience and Recovery Plan (one of the main joint frameworks guiding the work of the UNCT in the absence of a UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework); Human Rights Protection Framework the Humanitarian Needs Overview, and the Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan 2022. Moreover, a hundred per cent or 20 out of 20 organizations supported by the Myanmar Humanitarian Fund scored a “4” in the Gender and Age Marker. To ensure the gender responsiveness of the frameworks used to respond to the crises also outside UNCT, the UN Women MCO updated the Myanmar Gender profile in Humanitarian Action 2022 through a consultative process involving over a hundred stakeholders representing all clusters at national and sub-national levels and thematic areas – Accountability to Affected Population (AAP), Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), Mental Health, Persons with Disabilities (PWD), Cash Working Group, and LGBTQ+; across the country. Additionally, Gender Alerts (GAs) were produced during the reporting period, reaching over 150 readers. The usefulness of these Gender Alerts was confirmed through audience feedback mapping. Notably, all the respondents from various UN agencies, Myanmar women's rights organizations (WROs), and donor embassies interviewed found the GAs very useful. It was found that the initial alerts immediately after the coup were critically important in helping stakeholders better understand and assess the gendered implications of the situation. Subsequent GAs was deemed equally important because they were found to have a unique gender focus lacking from most other analyses. Moreover, it presented gendered data and analyses in a consolidated, concise, structured, up-to-date, fact-checked, and well-referenced manner (with useful hyperlinks). Respondents also appreciated that the information was from and covered a range of sources, actors, and issues. The respondents mentioned that they used GAs for annual reporting, planning future programming, making 'the business case' for particular programming, preparing for meetings between donors and women rights organizations, briefing third parties presenting/reporting on Myanmar, such as the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) or delegations at the UN Human Rights Council or UN Security Council. During the reporting period, data and feminist analysis on key gender issues produced by UN Women in collaboration with partners also provided critical gendered analysis to inform programming and policies. These included two joint studies with UNDP on urgent issues faced by women due to the pandemic and the military coup and on socio-economic situations and GBV issues in eight townships under Martial Law in Yangon. These surveys, along with the previous Household Vulnerability Survey, will also contribute data to the SDG Observatory set up by UNDP to measure and provide information on the progress made by Myanmar in advancing the SDGs and on the impact of the double crisis. Other research supported were: a trend analysis on the status of Women CSOs in Myanmar, an Access to Justice survey, a Gender Resilience Index report, a Civil Disobedient Movement study, an Accountability to Affected People (AAP) perception survey, and a Gender Responsive Conflict Analysis Report. UN Women's support of these surveys ensured that the voices of women, girls, and the most vulnerable groups, such as people with disabilities, were captured. This will ensure that future programming based on the research will be responsive to their particular needs. To highlight gender mainstreaming and women's needs and issues in local, regional, and global thinking about Myanmar's double crisis and its response, UN Women MCO notably increased the capacities of humanitarian, peace, and development actors to integrate GEWE, GIHA and WPR in their work. UN Women exceeded significantly two of the three indicators, producing six tools (against a target of two) and reaching 57 partner representatives, i.e., UNCT or UN staff/representatives, development partner, or embassy representatives (against a target of 10). Significant progress was also made in the number of humanitarian, peace, and development coordination bodies/workstreams with MCO's technical assistance. UN Women MCO has served as either co-chair or secretariat for four (out of the target of five) as Co-chair of the UNGTG UN Women led the annual UNCT-SWAP assessment, which included 8 out of 15 indicators. The report was presented and approved by UNCT in November 2022. All indicators were met or exceeded but for two, one on gender parity in UN personnel and one resource allocation and tracking. Action on both missing indicators will be taken in 2023. UN Women MCO, as the main source of gendered analysis and information on the crises across stakeholders, will continue its work on ensuring the gender sensitivity of the frameworks used to respond to the crises in the implementation of the second year of the Interim Strategy Plan 2022-2023.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MYM_D_1.2

By 2023, the participation and leadership of women in decision-making and political processes across the humanitarian, peace and development nexus is increased

During the reporting period, UN Women Myanmar Country Office (MCO) has made considerable progress under Outcome 2—contributing measurably to the enhanced leadership and participation of women-led and women's rights CSOs (W-CSOs). Through the Government of Finland and Norway-funded projects, UN Women provided critical support to the institutional capacity building of W-CSOs, while also working with UN and other development partners to meaningfully include W-CSOs in various human rights and humanitarian mechanisms. Most notably, at the end of 2022, UN Women MCO achieved the target for one of its Outcome indicators, wherein 100 per cent (or 27 out of 27) of the women-led and women's rights CSO supported by UN Women were still operational. Through its partners—Lutheran World Federation (LWF), Oxfam, and AIT—UN Women MCO supported 27 W-CSOs in Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine states, and Yangon region to strengthen their institutional capacities. The W-CSOs receiving small grants will provide protection, humanitarian, relief, and recovery services to 1,000 women. Another key achievement under this outcome is the demonstrable progress in increasing the capacity and skills of women-led and women's rights organizations to participate in, lead and influence formal and informal decision-making and political processes and claim accountability across the nexus—exceeding all the targets in this regard. This outcome was achieved through key results such as 48 W-CSOs being supported by UN Women to engage in advocacy on GEWE/GIHA/WPS, 220 have strengthened capacities to exercise their leadership role towards the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment in WPS and humanitarian processes, and 24 reported increased technical or organizational capacities to deliver services, resources, and goods for women in humanitarian and development settings as a result of UN Women support. To effectively implement its CSO capacity development work, UN Women rolled out a whole office CSO capacity development strategy developed, informed by a W-CSO needs assessment and mapping of existing training providers needed for the W-CSO capacity development. Through another partnership, 'Gender and Federalism' trainings (one national and nine sub-national level trainings) was conducted to 225 participants from 92 Women CSOs across Myanmar. Moreover, UN Women MCO initiated capacity strengthening for W-CSOs in Rakhine and Southeastern Myanmar, focusing on technical and organizational development. Additionally, a significant outcome of UN Women MCO's work is the inclusion of advocacy messages written by supported W-CSOs in the written report and speech of the UN Special Rapporteur at the UN Human Rights Council in New York in September. Further, through the advocacy of UN Women partners, Myanmar's Women, Peace, and Security issues were raised with representatives of the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Council on Human Rights, who promised to include Myanmar women's WPS concerns in their reports. These have come about as UN Women is supporting W-CSOs to lead and participate in international advocacy to raise the profile of the issues and challenges to women's rights in Myanmar. For example, the UN Women's partner liaised with Member States of United Nations in NYC to gain their support in hosting a side event at CSW 67 for Myanmar W-CSOs. The W-CSO also developed a draft concept note, finalized and circulated to Canada, Norway, Spain and Sweden in December 2022. Further, through this partnership, UN Women and the W-CSO have started drafting (in 2022) an NGO CEDAW report, which will be finalized in 2023. UN Women MCO has also been supporting humanitarian, peace, and development coordination bodies to engage women's CSOs for development planning, policies, and programming and involve them in decision-making. As a co-lead of the GIHA Community of Practice, UN Women MCO has successfully advocated for 2 WCOs to be included in the Humanitarian country team, 1 in the Inter Cluster Coordination Group, and 2 in the Myanmar Humanitarian Funds Advisory Board; further, 10 Women CSOs were members of the GIHA Community of Practice. However, for the related outcome indicator, the percentage of coordination bodies that have engaged W-CSOs, progress is yet to be known after the endline is conducted in February 2023. Further, UN Women MCO has contributed significantly to the capacities of W-CSO in leading and influencing formal and informal decision-making and political processes and claiming accountability across the humanitarian-peace-development nexus. This was done through 13 trainings on Gender in Humanitarian Action, Gender and Age Marker, WPS, Gender Mainstreaming in data management, cross-cutting thematic themes on Gender, AAP, GBV, and PSEA, as well as basic Gender training. Alongside the achievements under this outcome in 2022, it is also important to highlight that a key challenge to achieving continued progress in 2023 arose last October (28th) when the Myanmar de facto authorities issued a new Organization Registration law. The law requires all local and international NGOs to register, which has adverse implications for local civil society organizations because unregistered organizations will be subjected to administrative actions and criminal penalties. This new law will also have significant operational implications for UN efforts to enhance localization and partnerships and for the possibility of engaging more W-CSOs. Thus, this underlines the lesson learned for UN Women MCO that adaptive capacities, adaptive management, and timely risk management are critically important in a protracted crisis setting in Myanmar. UN Women MCO would need to adapt and explore new implementation modalities, effectively implement comprehensive and timely risk analysis and mitigation, and pivot to implement new strategies for us to continue to our main constituencies while being aligned with the UNCT common guidelines.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MYM_D_1.3

By 2023, women and girls’ safety, physical and mental health and security are increasingly assured and their human rights increasingly respected

During the reporting period, UN Women Myanmar Country Office (MCO) made significant contributions to enhancing the safety, health, and security of women and girls affected by the compounded crisis. Internally displaced people (IDP) and vulnerable communities had increased access to Violence Against Women (VAW)/Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention initiatives and response services through the UN Women's Safe and Fair (SAF) project and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) project implemented in Rakhine and Kachin States. In the first half of 2022, under the Safe and Fair project, UN Women MCO provided psychosocial support to returnees and current women migrant workers who have been affected by the political instability and the COVID-19 situation in Myanmar were facing challenges in obtaining employment and maintaining their livelihoods. A total of 53 migrant workers and one returnee survivor of violence were provided with psychosocial support. UN Women also updated essential services mapping for Tanintharyi Region through a workshop organized by UN Women. Under the CERF project, in 2022, UN Women MCO reached 24,405 women as direct beneficiaries in coordinated humanitarian responses. Moreover, included in this number are 680 GBV survivors and women and girls at risk who reported having access to GBV information, legal advice and assistance, psychosocial support, and referrals to GBV services as a result of the CERF project interventions such as awareness-raising, distribution of GBV information materials in the community and with women and girls. Under the CERF project, UN Women MCO made significant contributions to ensuring that women affected by crisis and vulnerable women have increased access to effective services and protection mechanisms—reaching hundreds of women in Rakhine and Kachin through a suite of interventions such as cash transfer, GBV referrals, and legal services. Instrumental in achieving this is the implementation of a Capacity Development Plan in the areas of protection, humanitarian coordination architecture, humanitarian funding, and access for 2021-23 that UN Women and UNFPA developed under its CERF grant, which consisted of conducting 15 capacity building trainings among members of the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Community of Practice with their women CSO partners across the country benefitting 500 people (322 women) across 334 organizations (UN, I/LNGOs, CSOs). The trainings received positive feedback from participants and have been featured and published in the Myanmar Humanitarian Response Plan 2023. Moreover, the implementation of this capacity development under the CERF project yielded important lessons for humanitarian programming: • Capacity building is a primary need and often the most overlooked when it comes to humanitarian response, especially in funding processes. These joint training activities provide technical support while building local Women CSOs' capacities and empowering meaningful participation in humanitarian action. Small frontline community organizations, Women CSOs, have benefitted most from this training. • The approach combines a range of training topics into a single package, using a gender lens to cover everything from the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC) to data management and the Gender and Age Marker to GBV in emergency settings, Accountability to Affected Population (AAP), Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA), and Women's Peace and Security (WPS). This consolidation avoids multiple training calls and has ensured accessibility using modalities adapted to limited mobility, internet access, and power outages. Source: https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-humanitarian-response-plan-2023-january-2023 During the reporting period, UN Women also made demonstrable contributions to supporting women affected by crisis and vulnerable women with increased access to effective protection services and mechanisms (cash transfer, GBV referrals, and legal services). UN Women under the Safe and Fair project provided one-off cash assistance (150,000 MMK; approximately 80 USD) as a prevention measure against the risk of gender-based violence for returnees and potential women migrant workers in Tanintharyi Region and conflict-affected areas in Kachin State. A total of 75 vulnerable women benefitted from the cash assistance program, which allows women to invest in income activities, thereby reducing their vulnerability to traffickers or unscrupulous recruiters. Follow-up discussions with the beneficiaries revealed that most of the women utilized the cash for their livelihood activities, businesses, or self-development activities such as language courses, which can help them prepare for a possible migration process in the future. Through CERF, UN Women's implementing partner, FCA, was able to provide cash transfers to 928 survivors of violence and women and girls at risk of protection. Beneficiaries were able to start small livelihood activities that support their family at the same time, able to access protection services. Equally important are the positive results of changed attitudes among women, men, girls, and boys reached through the CERF project to ensure that women's and girls' human rights are respected. On this, UN Women MCO exceeded its target, and during the reporting period, found that 64 per cent (exceeding the target of 60 per cent) of respondents surveyed by FRC reported that they disagree or strongly disagree with locally relevant harmful social norms (e.g., victim-blaming attitudes, discriminatory attitudes towards survivors). This was up from a baseline of 8 per cent in 2021. This was achieved largely through CERF implementing partners FRC, FCA, and others who implemented community awareness-raising sessions on GBV prevention and positive gender norms, reaching a total of 2,306 community members (1,701 women, 366 men, 90 boys, and 149 girls) during the reporting period. Additionally, during the reporting period UN Women MCO, through its partner, supported three women leaders to increase their ability to respond to their safety and security needs. Further, UN Women MCO initiated support to W-CSOs on human rights monitoring and reporting. A new partnership has been developed with ActionAid Myanmar (AAM) to support W-CSOs' human rights monitoring and reporting. Most of the activities under this output will be rolled out in 2023, as there have been delays related to the challenges posed by the Organization registration law. Nonetheless, amidst the difficult operational setting currently in Myanmar, UN Women MCO have identified key learning and good practices, such as: • Finding adaptive, timely, and context-responsive solutions to operational challenges. • To continue building the capacities of WCSOs, it was critical to develop multiple partnerships with different INGOs who are best placed to provide direct capacity-building support to CSOs in Myanmar. And since each has different strengths, having multiple partners is necessary to address the high demand/need of WCSOs.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MYM_D_1.4

By 2023, more women and girls, including the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, access, contribute to and benefit from relief and recovery efforts and have increased economic security and capacity to withstand the negative socio-economic impact of the crisis.

UN Women Myanmar Country Office (MCO) has significantly contributed to ensuring that more women and girls, especially the most vulnerable and marginalized groups, access, contribute to, and benefit from relief and recovery efforts. Under the WPS project, MCO provided grants to six WROs and WLOs, reaching 86,372 beneficiaries (65 per cent female). Grants were used for relief and recovery projects by partners in IDP camps and host communities in GBV prevention and response and the distribution of COVID-19 health kits. Under the WPHF, the MCO provided institutional support to two organizations and gave grants to 13 WLOs and WROs. Moreover, regular capacity building was provided to WPHF grantees. Grants were used for relief and recovery projects in IDP camps and host communities in GBV prevention and response, cash for food, skills and business development, and distribution of COVID-19 health kits. Additionally, the Women Peace facilitator handbook was launched in March 2022. Under the Government of Canada-funded programme in Rakhine in partnership with FCA, at least 1,406 women have been economically empowered through livelihoods, entrepreneurship training, and market access support. Under the CERF project, 200 women have received cash assistance for their livelihoods, while another 161 women have received vocational, professional, and life skills training. FRC and FCA have completed rapid and mini-market assessments that have guided them in developing their livelihood approaches. In total, 192 women have been trained in vocational skills or received cash for work, and 572 are supported with micro livelihood opportunities. FRC has established a vocational skills training centre and completed the development of its 21st-century life skills package (210 women have been trained by far on life skills). Further, 420 vulnerable women have been supported with unconditional cash. During the reporting period, UN Women MCO also significantly contributed to UN Joint Programming on women and men who have been affected by the compounded crises of the past two years that have threatened the incomes, livelihoods, and stability of the most vulnerable populations in Myanmar. Under the Joint Programme "Accelerating COVID-19 Socio-Economic Recovery in Myanmar through Resilient and Gender Transformative Enterprises" with UNDP and UNCDF, 50 women-led MSMEs improved their business acumen and capacity through their participation in a business accelerator programme. The programme comprises 12 training modules, ten mentoring sessions, and eight networking and expert sessions). Following a needs assessment, six business accelerators enhanced their capacities on gender-smart representation, outreach, and network building, as well as removing gender bias in access to resources. They implemented gender action plans focused on training staff on sexual harassment and gender bias and evaluating existing resources and processes. One business accelerator fully engendered its acceleration programme, integrating gender-smart needs assessment, outreach, and communication; a gender-sensitive M&E framework; and gender-transformative module design, delivery, and coaching. The lessons from this gender-responsive business accelerator programme were summarized in a publication. The publication outlines how business accelerators can enhance their effectiveness by removing a gender bias in access to resources and promoting women's empowerment in their proceedings. See the document UNCDF, 2022. Insights On Lending Opportunities To Women-Led Businesses Myanmar. https://www.uncdf.org/article/7721/lending-to-women-businesses-myanmar Under the same programme and given the deteriorating investment climate, small grants were provided to 14 MSMEs of the 50 participants in the business accelerator between May 2022 and August 2022 (A total of 130,000 USD). Additionally, UN Women MCO has increased the economic security and capacity of over a hundred women to withstand the negative socio-economic impact of the crisis. Through the Pilot "Rapid Relief for Women Entrepreneurs" with ONOW, 161 women entrepreneurs learned foundational skills development, 63 completed the Business and Livelihoods training, and have developed a business growth or launch plan and/or a loan profile. In addition, the programme facilitated peer-to-peer learning and networking and piloted digital referrals to Onward Support Services in nutrition, health, and psychosocial support. The pilot paved a path to effectively reach many women quickly and find digitally facilitated means of interconnecting varying support services available to women (basic services and business skills). The Joint Programming also contributed to an important outcome of learning acquired by the Participating UN Organisations (PUNO) and their partners during the programme. It is critical to hold frequent needs assessments and internal end-of-programme assessments amongst service providers and PUNOs to help the programme remain relevant in the changing context. These needs assessments provided valuable information on the realities and needs of women-led enterprises and filled existing evidence gaps. Future programme designs facing similar challenges should note that there is a severe need for short-term operational financing as many businesses have been substantially impacted in their operations and earnings due to COVID-19 and the military takeover. Business support and acceleration require a holistic approach beyond access to knowledge and business skills, such as business handholding, and addressing the issue of mental support and social cohesion through mentoring and network groups. This is needed in challenging situations such as a pandemic, armed conflicts, and political unrest. There is still more room to support local accelerators and other ecosystem players to serve MSMEs better, but also for gender transformative capacity-building initiatives. For example, there was high demand for accelerator services by women entrepreneurs, with an oversubscription (210 applicants for 50 spaces). This indicates potential for future projects and collaboration. Also, the programme didn't reach the missing middle, as it focused on micro and small enterprises.

outcome XM-DAC-41146-MYM_O_1

Assuring an accountable organization through principled performance

not applicable

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