Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business

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News from Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business

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Mining Sector Wide Impact Assessment (SWIA)

Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) held two multistakeholder consultation meetings in Yangon to gather feedback on the draft assessment and also met the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation in Naypyidaw. The SWIA, which focusses project and sector level impacts of the mining sector, particularly limestone, tin and gold, including artisanal gold mining, is now being finalised with recommendations on policy, legislation and practice, and will be published shortly.

Safety and Labour in the Telecoms Sector

MCRB with support from Telenor and Ooredoo and the participation of the Factories and General Labour Laws Inspection Department (FGLLID) facilitated a peer-to-peer workshop on 7 October 2016 for around 45 participants from mobile operators, tower construction companies and sub-contractors, as well as the ILO. Companies shared challenges and solutions relating to community engagement and health and safety issues. This was the first such opportunity for many of the companies. The meeting drew on MCRB’s ICT Sector Wide Impact Assessment (SWIA)’s findings and recommendations.

Telecoms Universal Access

As part of its follow-up to the ICT Sector Wide Impact Assessment, MCRB is working with the Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI) as well as the World Bank’s consultants on developing a Universal Access Strategy for Myanmar. If you are a civil society organisation or other stakeholder who wants to contribute to the development of this strategy, please contact waiphyo.myint@myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org or join the A4AI coalition here.

New Myanmar Investment Law

A new Myanmar Investment Law was enacted on 18 October. Based on experience of the previous investment laws, and their interaction with other Myanmar legal processes such as the EIA Procedure, and to strengthen responsible business conduct, MCRB has submitted various suggestions on the Law during 2015 and 2016 including a proposed requirement for companies in receipt of a Myanmar Investment Commission permit to establish an effective operational grievance mechanism and publish an annual sustainability business report on their responsible business conduct. MCRB will work with civil society and business stakeholders to pursue these and other suggestions as the Rules and Notifications for the Law are prepared.

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Disability Rights and Business

MCRB has compiled a draft 2016-2018 strategy for promoting disability-confident and inclusive business in Myanmar. This is available in English and Burmese and includes details of relevant activities which MCRB has undertaken since 2014. We welcome comments from interested stakeholders to hninwut.yee@myanmar-responsiblebusiness.org. MCRB’s future work will draw on the Centre’s strategic partnership with Business Disability International (bdi) and MCRB’s work with ILO.

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EIA Disclosure

MCRB has published an update its Disclosure Survey from April Survey of Update which finds that more oil and gas companies have disclosed their Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Initial Environmental Examinations (IEE) since in April 2016: The Survey Update finds that, of the 20 oil and gas offshore blocks awarded since 2013, 14 (70%) of them have now disclosed their IEE/EIA. This is up from 58% in March. For onshore blocks, the figure is 47% (7 out of 15), up from 26% in March.
Although the oil and gas sector in Myanmar is the leader in the level of disclosures, more progress is needed. More details and the link to the updated survey which also reviews recent developments in the legal framework for EIA and investment permitting in Myanmar can be found here.

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