April 5, 2018
Yangon, Myanmar
LDC Watch and Myittar Resource Foundation jointly organized a National Consultation here on “Implementation of Istanbul Programme of Action (IPoA) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Sustainable Graduation.” The objective of the Consultation was to raise awareness among civil societies, parliamentarians, LDC governments, and development partners on Myanmar’s graduation process from the LDC category and implementation of the IPoA and the SDGs.
The consultation was chaired by the Executive Director of Myittar Resource Foundation Chit Ko Ko Oo. Among the main speakers present at the program was Honourable Member of Parliament U Thein Myint, who is also the chairperson of the Bill Committee of the Parliament. Gauri Pradhan, the Global Coordinator of LDC Watch, made a presentation on “Synergy and Coherence between IPoA and SDGs in reference to Myanmar.” He said, “The Consultation aims to bring awareness among the civil society organizations (CSOs) and also foster better relationships among CSOs, Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government and the private sector.” He also requested the government to provide a bigger space for the CSOs so that the programs of action formulated by the government could be implemented by civil societies at the grassroots level. He further emphasized that CSOs have a stronger role to play in the effective implementation of the IPoA and the SDGs.
Chit Ko Ko Oo, chairing the Session, said, “Today, we are discussing the LDCs and the efforts to be made by these countries for their graduation into developing countries. We also want to raise awareness among the stakeholders, including CSOs and government bodies, to uplift the country out of the LDC category. Our country should focus on the areas of raising its Gross Domestic Production (GDP), having sustained economic growth, and increasing its exports. CSOs can be partners with the government in the implementation of its programs.
The Consultation took place amidst the context when Myanmar met graduation criteria for the first time in the 2018 Triennial Review conducted by the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (CDP). The Programme had active engagements from CSOs, media, government, and interfaith leaders.
