UN pledges to establish full country programme in Myanmar

By Augustine Anthuvan | Posted: 13 March 2012 2114 hrs  ... 


YANGON: The UN development chief Helen Clark said building government institutions and dealing with issues like corruption will be critical in Myanmar as it chases development.
There are signs in Myanmar that indicate a new phase is about to be ushered into the country which had been controlled by the military for almost five decades until an army-backed government took power early last year.

In Thongwa village, which is located on the outskirts of Yangon, Aung San Suu Kyi, who leads the National League for Democracy, will be campaigning there for a parliamentary seat at the upcoming April 1 by-elections.

And in Naypyidaw, President Thein Sein while addressing parliament, has pledged to continue reforms.

Ms Clark, who is the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said: "I think Myanmar will need support to build the organs that can service a modern state. It is going to want and chase development very hard now. The openings that it is making to the world and the signals that are coming (from the country) are encouraging."

However, observers pointed out that a clean government and good governance will be key in building the nation.

Ms Clark said: "UNDP would love to be able to have a full country programme in Myanmar and we're hoping that what's happening and the impact that's having with the international community will make that possible. I think we will be in a position to support Myanmar to develop its government institutions and deal with issues like corruption. That is critical for getting a good run at development and building the capacity and skills of officials at each level of government from the central down to the local to really make wise development decisions."

At a rally in the northernmost state of Kachin, there are strong appeals for unity among Myanmar's disparate ethnic groups and calls for an immediate end to conflict between government troops and Kachin rebels.

But not everyone in Myanmar shares the same vision. In the mountains of Kachin, dreams of full autonomy prevail and at the border with China's Yunnan province, refugees are still afraid to return.

Ms Clark said: "Conflict always hampers development. You can't develop in the midst of a war or a lot of violence. UNDP's mandate also extends to recovery from crisis, peace building and community reconciliation. There is a lot of that to do in Myanmar.

"To my understanding, Myanmar has the lowest development assistance per capita in the world and this can only improve. I think if the by-election process goes well, there will then be a much wider range of interest from development partners. That can then support the agencies like UNDP to work with Myanmar to put the building blocks for development in place."

Organic farming and eco tourism have since been identified as development possibilities.

And while the people of Myanmar have a lot to look forward to, what they need most now is the right assistance to help accelerate the changes they wish to make.

- CNA/fa
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