THE Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State held their 21st coordination meeting at the meeting room of the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.
Present at the meeting were Committee Chairman Union SWRR Minister Dr Win Myat Aye, Vice Chairman and Deputy Minister for Office of the State Counsellor U Khin Maung Tin, Joint-Secretary and Deputy SWRR Minister U Soe Aung, Rakhine State Government Secretary and committee members who are also departmental permanent secretaries, directors-general, deputy directors-general, and other officials.
Firstly, Dr Win Myat Aye delivered a speech, in which he said relevant departments regularly implement the recommendations assigned to them. He said the committee reports its processes in a transparent manner to the public. He said the conflicts in Rakhine State were the result of underdevelopment and long-lasting losses, suspicion and misunderstandings between the different communities.
The Union Minister said the ministries and relevant committees are working hard to resolve these issues and there had been improvements. He said they prioritized recommendations from the previous 20th coordination meeting and drew action plans accordingly.
The Union Minister said if the benefits of these plans cannot be shown to be benefiting the public then it cannot be labeled as successful. He urged the ministerial committee members to keep themselves updated of the situation on the ground when drawing up plans and for the Rakhine government to work closely with currently implementing staff.
The Union Minister suggested each relevant department to set up monitoring and evaluation teams to be updated on the progress and challenges faced when implementing the recommendations. He said while conflicts slowed down processes it is still important to carry on with those that can still be implemented. He said in places with cohesiveness in society, processes that promote harmony should be established akin to friendly bazaars.
The Union Minister said the committee is providing support to IDPs in Rakhine State in line with the population list. He said the birth certificate issuing and citizenship verification processes are gaining momentum and it is important to continue them and also increase effective implementation of educational and health opportunities. He also said it is important to record these activities.
The Union Minister said it is important to motivate the public to increase their participation and cooperation in this endeavor. He said news of the committee’s activities need to be short and concise in order to proliferate quickly at home and around the world. He said to do this, an effective news distribution methods need to uncovered in line with existing policies, laws, rules and regulations.
Next, Committee Vice Chairman U Khin Maung Tin discussed the effectiveness of employing mobile teams for citizenship verification and issuing birth certificates, conferring scholarships, and organizing discussions between technical working groups concerning medium-term projects.
Afterwards, other attendees engaged in relevant discussions and the Union Minister provided suggestions where needed before closing the meeting.
MNA
(Translated by Zaw Htet Oo)
Photo; MNA
Ref; The Global New Light of Myanmar