Project Summary

Myanmar is one of the most vulnerable country to climate extremes globally, and is at a moment of unprecedented institutional, economic and social change. The project will contribute to this transition, from household to national policy level, building the resilience of 356,074individuals across three at-risk climatic zones. Through a unique model of policy, action and media outreach, a diverse collaboration amongst local and international partners through BRACED Alliance Myanmar will combine DRR, CCA, environmental, community-development, policy, gender, and livelihoods expertise, to improve community and institutional understanding of climate risk, drive increased responsiveness, and promote scale-up and replication of resilient practices in the face of climate extremes.

Goal of Project

To build the resilience of 356,074 people across Burma to climate extremes: saving lives, protecting livelihoods, improving institutional coordination, and influencing national policy.

Project Outcome: ‘Vulnerable communities, driven by women and children, and supported by effective institutions are more resilient to identified climate shocks and stresses’.

Objectives

• Knowledge and Resources: Communities, especially women and children, are equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to mitigate the risks of and recover from climate shocks and stresses
• Governance: Institutions are coordinated, responsive, accountable and inclusive in their management of climate risks
• Learning and advocacy: The Evidence Base is strengthened and learning on managing climate extremes is disseminated to inform and influence the resilience related policy strategies and agenda international national and sub national levels.

Project Background

Over the past six decades, Myanmar has experienced an increase in the occurrence and severity of extreme weather events. The NAPA predicts greater climate vulnerability from 2001-2100 due to “increase in the occurrence and intensity of extreme weather events, including cyclones/strong winds, flood/storm surge, intense rains, extreme high temperatures and drought.” The need for resilience action is made further acute due to increasing populations and economic activity in Myanmar’s s NAPA classified high-risk climatic zones.

The project therefore responds to the challenges that Myanmar uniquely faces within Asia and at global level, being ranked the second most vulnerable country in the world to climate extremes. Over 141,000 lives were lost between 2008-2013 due to the impact of 8 climate-extreme events. Discounting the Asia Tsunami, Cyclone Nargis in 2008 accounted for half of all deaths from natural disasters in South-East Asia in the past 25 years. The work of the BRACED Alliance aligns directly with the DFID BRACED objective of preparing populations to cope with and respond to climate change impacts that will continue to evolve and intensify in the near and longer term future. Activities at all levels will contribute to the DFID BRACED global impact aim of improving the well-being of poor people, especially women and children, despite exposure to climate related shocks and stresses.

The project will embed a sustainable range of processes and empower key stakeholders for longer-term resilience and enhancing people’s well-being. The project’s approach for building community resilience promotes a participatory process that responds to diverse climatic local contexts, and is directly coordinated with institutional strengthening for resilience planning and action.

Long-term changes towards reducing future loss of lives due to climate extremes will be delivered through DRM activities that take place across all administrative levels, supported by media outreach and climate forecasting that impact beyond traditional village and township disaster management planning. This aims to directly address the country’s low capacity to manage risks, limited access to and understanding of climate information, and lack of resources and mechanisms to design and apply resilience informed policy— in a way that no other project in Burma has done.

The provision of CCA knowledge, tools and resources to most vulnerable households will help them better protect their livelihoods from climate extremes. Introducing microfinance, savings-groups, CRSA and resilience activities that respond to community priorities will contribute to mitigating households’ negative coping mechanisms as a result of climate extremes and disasters. Empowering women as leaders will further enhance the adaptive capacity of the most vulnerable households, including strategies for post-disaster bounce back. In addition to contributing to DFID BRACED global indicators – such as improved food security, increasing household income, and reducing variability in agricultural production that will reduce malnutrition –the project contributes to securing the realisation of children’s rights in a changing climate. This includes preventing school drop-out, increased child labour and protection risks, and displacement and separation of families due to economic migration.

BRACED themes of intervention

BRACED supports change in five key inter-related themes of intervention that are expected to contribute to changes in the short, medium and long term in the number of developing countries that receive BRACED support.

• Integration of resilience into community development planning processes
• Tackling root causes of vulnerability through empowering women, children and the most vulnerable.
• Promoting Adaptation through resilient livelihoods/assets and ecosystem management: greater access to financial services, DRR and CCA services for resilience-building
• Generating better access and management of climate data, EWS and communications channels
• Knowledge development, sharing and dissemination to inform policy and replication

UN-Habitat’s Scope of Project

• Climate Information and applications
• Training and Capacity Building
• Research and Policy Dialogue

Project Area

• Rakhine  State – KyaukPhyu and Taungup Township
• Kayin State – Hpa-An Township
• Mon State – Mawlamyine Township
• Shan State – Kengtung Township
• Yangon Region – Dagon Seikkan Township
• Ayeryawaddy Region – Labutta Township
• Mandalay Region – Meiktila Township

UN-Habitat’s Activities

National Level Activities

• Training of trainers on climate forecast translation and application
• Hazard Ready Community Training
• Training of Trainers- National Level On Settlement Planning
• Policy Dialogue on Resilience
• Knowledge sharing and lessons learned workshop

States/ Regional Level Activities ( 7 states and regions)

• Detailed Climate Profile
• Sub-National Monsoon Forums (Phased approach- Total 26 Forums)
• Training on climate forecast translation and application
• Policy Dialogue on Resilience
• Knowledge sharing and lessons learned workshop

Township Level Activities

• Township level training on settlement planning
• Disaster Management Course Training for Township Officials
• Township Disaster Management Plan
• National Level Training
• Township Level Training
• Audits and Certification

Applied Research

• Human Settlements requirements for Building Resilience
• Resource Allocation and financing mechanisms for Resilience in Myanmar
• Assessing Role of Private Sector in Resilience Building in Myanmar
• Climate Information Needs for Decision Making in Myanmar

Development Partners/Partners

Implementing Partners: UN-Habitat

Government Departments:

1. Relief and Resettlement Department, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement
2. Department of Human Settlement and Housing Development, Ministry of Construction
3. Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, Ministry of Transport

Technical Partners

1. Disaster Risk Reduction Working Groups ( DRRWG)
2. Regional Integrated Model for Early Warning System ( RIMES)
3. Myanmar Engineering Society ( MES)
4. National Skills Standard Authority ( NSSA)
5. Myanmar Climate Change Alliance ( MCCA)
6. Myanmar Consortium for Capacity Development on Disaster Management

Partners leading on community resilience Implementation

7. Plan Myanmar ( Consortium Lead)
8. Action Aid
9. World Vision

Partners leading on research, knowledge development, communications and policy:

3. Myanmar Environmental Institute
4. BBC Media Action
5. UN-Habitat ( Myanmar)

BRACED Implementation Period: Jan 2015 – Dec 2018