Policy Brief, Updated in March 2017
Key messages
• The criminalisation of male-to-male sex heightens HIV and other sexually transmissible infection (STI) risks and vulnerabilities, and hinders access to HIV and STI services including HCT.
• Men who have sex with men (MSM) and tran...sgender persons (TG) are not a homogeneous group. As such, a variety of HCT service models are needed to reach the various segments of these populations.
• Stigma and discrimination remain ongoing issues at a number of service points. Targeted training of service providers is therefore needed so that MSM and TG are not discouraged from seeking HCT and high-quality prevention, treatment and care services.
• Specific guidelines on HIV prevention, treatment and care services for MSM or TG help improve the delivery of services.
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The study analyses the current situation of children with disabilities in relation to realizing their rights and accessing basic services, as well as their life experiences in their communities. It also focuses on identifying the barriers created by society that prevent children with disabilities fr...om enjoying their human rights. This includes identifying negative attitudes; environmental and communication barriers; gaps in policies or their effective implementation.
The report reveals that children with disabilities in Myanmar are less likely to access services in health or education; rarely have their voices heard in society; and face daily discrimination as objects of pity. It also highlights how inadequate policies and legislation contribute to the challenges these children face.
The information available in this publication should be useful for policy makers, development partners and Disabled Persons Organisations to promote the realization of the rights of all children with disabilities.
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The Myanmar National Framework seeks to achieve people-centered, inclusive, and sustainable socioeconomic development in the face of disasters triggered by natural hazards and climate change. The framework articulates a common understanding, proposes a coherent approach, and identifies potential opp...ortunities for strengthening the resilience of communities in Myanmar.
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arrow country studies
Political developments in Myanmar/Burma prompted the Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) in 2013 to undertake a small-scale scoping study to re-evaluate and refine its advocacy strategies for sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), and to s...trengthen partnerships for advocacy with civil society organisations (CSO) working on SRHR in the country. The study aimed to identify the status of and the potential for SRHR advocacy by CSOs in Central Myanmar/Burma and in Eastern states along the Thai-Myanmar/Burma border, and increase the current knowledge base on SRHR issues, gaps, and challenges.
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An evaluation of WFP’s operation. Evaluation Report
The Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) main components include: relief assistance; food assistance for assets (FFA); nutrition support to women, children and HIV/TB patients; school feeding (SF) and capacity building. The evalua...tion scope covers the design phase and all activities up to this evaluation (January 2013-September 2016). Since the PRRO was extended through December 2017, the purpose is not as a final evaluation, but to provide results on achievements that can inform current and future operations
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Over the past few months, battles between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) have increased in Rakhine and Chin states. Initially during the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) administration, and now during the National League for Democracy (NLD) administration, ethnic armed or...ganizations (EAOs) that once had limited numbers and military capabilities have gained in strength by allying with more powerful EAOs, posing a challenge to the peace process. The continued insistence by the government and military that all EAOs sign the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) before engaging in further substantive dialogue has only exacerbated the many armed conflicts in the country.
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The plan aims to practice the preparedness measures and response functions which need to be coordinated among relevant departments and organizations to reduce the risk of earthquakes. The plan has two main parts: preparedness and response. The first part includes the preparedness measures which can ...be practically implemented in collaboration with relevant government departments and communities. The latter part includes the response functions by the National Disaster Management Committee and it’s Work Committees if a damaging earthquake were to occur.
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Virtually all (99.9 percent) of Southeast Asia’s 656.1 million people live in areas where particulate pollution exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 μg/m³. Despite the lockdowns of the pandemic, pollution continued to rise in much of Southeast Asia in 2020. This pollution c...uts short the life expectancy of the average Southeast Asian person by 1.5 years, relative to what it would be if the WHO guideline was met. That’s a total of 959.8 million person-years lost to pollution in the eleven countries that make up this region. Some countries in the region experience greater impacts from pollution.
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Myanmar has made significant progress in its disaster management policies, plans, and procedures since 2008, when Cyclone Nargis impacted the country leaving devastation in its aftermath. The Government of Myanmar (GoM) has modified the government structure and created new authorities and plans to i...mprove the effectiveness of disaster management at all levels. While this progress is encouraging and shows the determination of the government to make necessary adjustments, the resources to implement the policy changes have been slower to develop. Myanmar has made significant progress in its disaster management policies, plans, and procedures since 2008, when Cyclone Nargis impacted the country leaving devastation in its aftermath. The Government of Myanmar (GoM) has modified the government structure and created new authorities and plans to improve the effectiveness of disaster management at all levels. While this progress is encouraging and shows the determination of the government to make necessary adjustments, the resources to implement the policy changes have been slower to develop.
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The main goal of the National Health Plan (NHP) 2017-2021 is to extend access to a basic Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS) to the entire population while increasing financial protection. In order to extend service delivery to all communities, the NHP calls for all health workers (whether c...ommunity-based, outreach-based or facility-based) involved in the delivery of health promotion, prevention and treatment services to be fully recognised and institutionalized within the health system to ensure efficient use of resources, necessary oversight and quality service provision (regardless of whether the health workers are voluntary or salaried). The first year Annual Operational Plan (AOP) of the NHP 2017-2021 calls for a comprehensive literature review of the situation of all Village Based Health Workers (VBHWs) in the country to inform the development of a comprehensive, institutionalized approach to community health for the country.
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ABOUT THE REPORT
Based on more than seventy interviews, surveys of both mainstream and social media in Myanmar, and a desk review of available election-related materials, this report evaluates the environment in which the current electoral cycle, Rakhine conflicts, and the 21st Century Panglong pea...ce process intersect and identifies opportunities for mitigating conflict risks in the lead-up to the 2020 Myanmar election.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mary Callahan is an associate professor in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington. Myo Zaw Oo is an independent researcher focusing on conflict and elections.
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Census Report Volume 4-C
The 2014 Myanmar Census provided the opportunity to measure maternal mortality. The questions on deaths in households during the twelve months prior to the Census were included in the questionnaire, as well as questions necessary to estimate maternal mortality indicator...s.
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Report on Main Findings
The review encompasses three complementary components: 1) a review of published literature 2000-2015 on NCDs and their risk factors; 2) qualitative interviews with key actors engaged in NCD research in Myanmar; and 3) additional reviews of Myanmar ethical committee inqui...ries and postgraduate research on NCDs in Myanmar. This report outlines the key findings from the three components including a synthesis of the key outcomes from the literature review and qualitative interviews, and an assessment of the gaps in the evidence against a framework of evidence needs.
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Myanmar’s transition to a market‐based economy is accompanied by rapid development of the private manufacturing sector, which has large potential for improving economic growth. The overall success of the sector, however, should not be taken for granted. Future advances will greatly depend on th...e policy and business environment in which manufacturing activities take place. It is, therefore, important to better understand the business environment and help inform policies conducive to sustainable economic growth.
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The Republic of the Union of Myanmar’s National Strategic Plan on HIV/AIDS 2016–2020 is the strategic guide for the country’s response to HIV at national, state/regional and local levels. The framework describes the current dynamics of the HIV epidemic and articulates a strategy to optimize in...vestments through a fast track approach with the vision of ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. Myanmar’s third National Strategic Plan (HIV NSP III) issues a call to all partners to front-load investments to close the testing gap and reach the 90–90–90 prevention and treatment targets to protect health for all.
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Journal of the International AIDS Society 2017, vol. 20:e25026
In Myanmar, men who have sex with men (MSM) experience high risk of HIV infection. However, access to HIV testing and prevention services remains a challenge among this marginalized population. The objective of this study was to est...imate population prevalence and correlates of prior HIV testing among young MSM (YMSM) and informs the development of HIV testing and intervention programmes that respond to the specific needs of this population.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jia2.25026
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Census Report Volume 4-B
In the 2014 Census, early-age mortality was measured from the responses to two simple retrospective questions on childbearing addressed to ever-married women aged 15 and over. These questions referred to how many live children they had ever given birth to, and how many ...had died (or survived). Adult mortality was measured by using a question on the number of household members who had died during the 12 months preceding the Census.
According to the 2014 Census, infant and child mortality, which comprises under-five mortality, was high compared to other countries in the region. Previous estimates indicated a rapid decline during the 1960s and 1970s, with a substantial deceleration starting in the early 1980s. The decline has accelerated again during recent years.
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Census Report Volume 4-A
This thematic report presents findings on fertility and nuptiality in Myanmar. The analysis hows that the total fertility rate is 2.5 children per woman at the Union level, 1.9 children per woman for urban areas, and 2.8 children per woman for rural areas. Total fertili...ty for States and Regions varies from a high of 5.0 children per woman for Chin State to a low of 1.8 children per woman for Yangon Region. Total fertility appears to have declined at a rate of at least one child per woman per decade between 1970 and 2000. This relatively rapid decline apparently ceased sometime during the 1990s or 2000s. Estimates from the 2001 and 2007 surveys suggest that the level of fertility may have fluctuated between 2000 and 2014, but with no overall trend up or down. The marital status data shows an exceptionally high proportion of women remaining never married at age 50.
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Census Report Volume 4-K
The results of the 2014 Census collected only relates to four of the six types of disability domains recommended by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics, namely: seeing, hearing, walking, and remembering or concentrating.
Out of a total of 50.3 million pe...rsons enumerated in the 2014 Census, there were 2.3 million persons (4.6 per cent of the total population) who reported some degree of difficulty with either one or more of the four functional domains. Of this number, over half a million (representing over 1 per cent of the population as a whole) reported having a lot of difficulty or could not do one or more of the four activities at all (referred to as severe disability). Among those with the severest degree of disability, 55 thousand were blind, 43 thousand were deaf, 99 thousand could not walk at all and 90 thousand did not have the capability to remember or concentrate.
The Census shows that disability is predominantly an old age phenomenon with its prevalence remaining low up to a certain age, after which rates increase substantially.
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