Myanmar launches national strategic plan for women

Myanmar launches national strategic plan for women

Published on Friday, 04 October 2013 18:39

Myanmar launched a strategic plan to advance women's rights in Nay Pyi Taw on October 3, with the aim of empowering women with the support of the government.

The National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women 2013-2022 (NSPAW) was applauded by the U.S. Government on Friday for the unprecedented cooperation between civil society groups and the Myanmar government.

"The United States is dedicated to ensuring that women and girls are able to participate fully in social, political, and economic life in their country…We highly commend this model of government-civil society cooperation. Continued collaboration between the government and civil society will be needed for the plan's successful implementation," said the U.S. Embassy said a press release.

NSPAW was initiated in 2010 by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement with support from the Gender Equality Network (formerly the Women's Protection Technical Working Group) and the Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs (MNCWA).

During the three-year development period, there have been a number of consultations with relevant ministries, government departments and over 50 groups comprising of NGOs, civil society organisations, UN agencies and technical experts from the Gender Equality Network.

The plan has been modified several times after feedback received during the consultations.

"The main objective of the plan is that all women in Myanmar are empowered and able to fully enjoy their rights with the support of the government. Enabling systems, structures and practices are created for the advancement of women, gender equality, and the realisation of women's rights," May Sabei Phyu, Senior Coordinator of the Gender Equality Network, told Eleven Media on Friday.

There are 12 priority areas in the plan: livelihood, education and training, health, violence against women, emergencies, the economy, decision-making, institutional  mechanisms for the advancement of women, human rights, the media, the environment, and children.

In order to effectively implement each priority area, four main tasks - research and surveys, awareness raising, implementation, budget and policy making - have been outlined in each area.

The management committee for the NSPAW will be established under the guidance of the Myanmar National Committee on Women's Affairs (MNCWA). It will develop a 5 year Operational Plan to coordinate the implementation of strategic policies.

The Operational Plan will be reviewed and revised on a regular basis, in accordance with respective government national plans.

"We will working together with all the ministries of the government under the different priority areas. We believe the plan will play a crucial role in gender equality in Myanmar," said Kaythi Myint Thein, Assistant Coordinator of the Gender Equality Network.

Experts have long expressed the importance of empowering women as an important step to economic development and growth. Despite decades of male-dominated military rule, Myanmar has traditions that value women's rights. 

"Gender equality has never been a big issue in Myanmar mainly due to the fact that Myanmar women traditionally enjoy high degree of equal rights with men. Their rights are being protected by tradition and the existing laws," Kyaw Thu Nyein, advisor to the Myanmar delegation, said in a statement at the 67th session of the UN General Assembly held in New York in October 2012.

After acceding to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women on 22 July 1997, Myanmar today is implementing the rights and liberties of women more than ever before.

Myanmar National Committee for Women Affairs (MNCWA) is a national mechanism under the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement. It was established on 3 July 1996 in line with Beijing Platform for Action with the intention of carrying out women protection and development tasks.

Established in December 2003, Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation has been carrying out awareness raising to protect women from violence and people trafficking, opening counselling centres, receiving complaint letters and taking action to disseminate the laws to protect women.

Myanmar is an active member in ASEAN Commission on Women and Children's rights and ASEAN Committee on women. Myanmar has also been actively participating in women protection and development activities at national, regional and international level, according to a UN report.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2013/10/04/myanmar-launches-national-strategic-plan-for-women/