August 08, 2020
U Thaung Tun, Union Minister for Investment and Foreign Economic Relations and Development Assistance Coordination Unit Vice-Chair yesterday met with the UN Country Team to discuss the new UN Framework for the Immediate Socio-Economic Response to COVID-19 in Myanmar (UN-SERF).
In his welcoming remarks at the meeting held via video conference, Union Minister, U Thaung Tun stated, “…we greatly appreciate the time, effort, and expertise invested into this comprehensive and strategic document” while noting “…the Framework aligns closely with our COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan”.
Ms June Kunugi, UN Resident Coordinator ad interim and UNICEF Representative introduced the UN-SERF in greater detail, highlighting how the Framework was developed in coordination with the UN Country Team and major international financial institutions present in Myanmar, and how Framework is firmly aligned both with Myanmar’s country context and the UN’s broader COVID-19 Global Response Framework.
Ms Dawn Del Rio, Officer-In-Charge, and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative provided a comprehensive briefing on the UN-SERF’s various pillars and thematic areas, funding status, monitoring, and evaluation arrangements, and actions covered within the Framework’s detailed Action Plan Matrix.
U Sett Aung, Deputy Minister of Planning, Finance, and Industry noted the need to ensure continued alignment and complementarity between action plans included within the Myanmar COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP), the Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (MSDP), and the UN-SERF.
U Min Ye Paing Hein, Deputy Minister of Planning, Finance, and Industry drew attention to the government’s progress-to-date concerning maternal cash transfers and lending to agricultural workers and highlighted the need to further mainstream gender equality into COVID-19 related efforts to ensure a truly representative whole-of-nation response.
Union Minister U Thaung Tun concluded the meeting stating that the UN-SERF offers a timely example of effective multilateral cooperation, needed now more than ever, and that, if fully funded and well implemented, would no doubt save lives, control transmission, and ease economic fallout.
The meeting was also attended by U Bharat Singh, Deputy Minister of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations and Dr Mya Lay Sein, Deputy Minister of Health and Sports.— MNA
