Building resilience in a polycrisis

24 June 2024

The effects of climate change are currently exacerbating vulnerabilities in a context of intensified conflict, especially for the poorest and most at-risk groups, including the over 3 million internally displaced persons, in Myanmar. They not only have to face the dangers of the ongoing conflict, but also extensive heat waves and the lack of water and electricity for longer periods as well as the looming threat of more frequent natural disasters.

Within this context, the 2nd Myanmar Climate Action Week (MCAW) kicks off today with focus on “Building resilience in a polycrisis”, aiming to accelerate implementation of climate adaptation and resilience-building efforts of different local communities across Myanmar. The week-long event from 24-29 June 2024 will feature panel discussions in Yangon as well as events in the field in different parts of the country.

MCAW is an annual event launched in 2023, uniting climate professionals, civil society, local communities, development partners, and the private sector. The key objectives of MCAW2024 are to foster dialogue and collaboration among diverse stakeholders, launch locally-led climate action tools such as the Climate Action Portal, kick off the Myanmar Climate Action Campaign, raise awareness and empower communities around climate change and showcase innovative solutions. MCAW 2024 will advocate for integrating climate change considerations across interconnected sectoral priorities, enhancing awareness, and promoting innovative solutions to accelerate local action.

The pre-event “Empowering youth for innovative and gender-responsive climate actions” and the launch of the World Clean Up Day campaign in Myanmar are on the agenda on Monday, 24 June 2024, before the 2nd Myanmar Climate Action Week is officially opened on Tuesday, 25 June 2024, by the European Union Delegation to Myanmar and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator a.i.. The side events in the field will focus on topics such as the role of gender and youth in combating climate change, nature-based solutions and community-led activities.

Registration for the hybrid events during this year’s Myanmar Climate Action Week is still open here.

You can also learn more about how you can pledge your support, speak up on climate change action or become a member of M-CAN, the Myanmar Climate Action Network.