Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Myanmar |

The planned Kyaukphyu SEZ – a core aspect of China’s Belt and Road Initiative in Myanmar –generates hopes for development and jobs, but also fears about loss of lands and livelihoods. Kyaukphyu needs transparency and local participation in project planning and implementation.

By Felix Sternagel

To measure air quality in Yangon, the Heinrich Böll Foundation has installed a measurement system which now provides real-time data from outside our office in Yangon. With this system, we are the first and only real-time air quality measurement station in all of Myanmar. While Yangon’s need for development is undisputed, air quality measurements will serve as an indicator in what direction this development will go.

Environmental Governance

Whenever a plan to build a large coal power plant is announced in Myanmar, people take to the streets. While these protests have been rather successful on a local level, this has not discouraged investors from simply announcing a similar plant in another location.

By Felix Sternagel

On paper, almost every government in the world is committed to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and keeping global temperatures limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. But too many governments, parroting the oil and gas industry's misleading claims, are actually supporting the expansion of fossil fuel production.

By Lili Fuhr, Hannah McKinnon

Renewable energy has become a technically and financially feasible alternative to coal and other fossil fuels or large hydro. And in contrast to these traditional sources of energy, renewable energy sources are neither harming the environment nor people's livelihoods in Myanmar.

Approximately 7,100 lives could be saved every year if Myanmar cancels its massive plan to build coal-fired power plants, and instead invest on renewable energy to meet the country’s electricity demand.

More articles on Environmental Governance

Political Culture

Informal humanitarian operations continue to provide important services for many communities along the Thai-Burma/Myanmar border. However, since the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, these essential service providers are increasingly sidelined, both politically and financially.

By Yung Au (Nicole)

For decades, Myanmar was among the most isolated countries in the world. Although the process of democratization and the internet have changed things, people still cannot express themselves freely.

By Nay Phone Latt

In 1967 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded. This dossier sheds light on the institutional framework of ASEAN and analyses with contributions by civil society and academia, where social and ecological justice has, or should have, its place in Southeast Asia.

Myanmar’s transition to democracy has earned the country a lot of appraisal on the international stage. But over the last year, the boundaries between what is permitted and what will get people in trouble slid back and blurred again.

Publications

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The issue of this 7th Perspectives Asia aims to draw a fine line between different forms of nationalism. The articles from various Asian countries focus on strategies and political styles adopted by populist leaders and explain how nationalistic and religious ideas are distorted by politics.

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Over the last years, Asia has undergone an impressive digital transformation. Large parts of the continent have turned from the world’s factory into a creative industry.The different contributions across the continent highlight both the opportunities and risks of digitalization in Asia.

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The Contribution of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Advancing Women’s Political Participation and Effectiveness:
Following decades of military dictatorship which denied Myanmar the benefits of an inclusive democracy, the new government continues to fall short: Women remain underrepresented. This paper focusses on the contribution of a growing CSO-led women’s movement to political participation and effectiveness, and highlights opportunities to maximize such efforts.

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Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

On the Road to Kyaukphyu: Issues and Debates around a Myanmar Special Economic Zone