Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement held the coordination meeting in a virtual system on the ongoing cooperation with ASEAN on development and resettlement activities and future cooperation in Rakhine State yesterday morning in Nay Pyi Taw.
Union Minister for International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr Win Myat Aye, Rakhine State Chief Minister U Nyi Pu, deputy ministers for the State Counsellor Office, Border Affairs, International Cooperation and Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, State Ministers of the Rakhine State government, the permanent secretaries, directors-General and departmental officials participated in the meeting.
At the meeting, Union Minister Dr Win Myat Aye said the meeting aims to discuss the ongoing activities on Rakhine State Development and Resettlement and further cooperation, and ways to solve the difficulties encountered and make the international community aware of the current situation.
He said the situation in Rakhine State is subtle and attracts international attention and hence it needs the positive cooperation of the international community. He added social harmony in Rakhine State is a key requirement and the implementation projects will be successful only with the participation of the local people.
He added the implementation of the Committee for Implementation of the Recommendations on Rakhine State formed in September 2017, the cooperation with local and international in the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance Resettlement and Development in Rakhine State (UEHRD) and cooperation with ASEAN and United Nations.
He said although the cooperation with international organizations grew to some extent until the end of 2018, the armed conflict in Rakhine State at the beginning of 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic have made implementation difficult and slowed down. However, the respective ministries and Rakhine State government tried to continue the implementation process.
He added effective cooperation with the ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) in 2019, which conducted preliminary needs for resettlement programmes, prepared the finding reports, and cooperated with UNDP for Rakhine Joint Assessment (RJA) report. He continued these reports proved that there are no restrictions in education, health care and other basic services according to the rules and regulations.
He said the respective ministries have developed 37 projects to implement the recommendations of the Preliminary Needs Assessment Report and seven priority projects were approved on 29 October, 2019.
These projects include increasing access to local radio programs and information via radio to support readmission in Rakhine State; project to provide the necessary equipment for screening returnees at resettlement camps; project to dig fish ponds for livelihood support; technology and machinery distribution project for agriculture; project to upgrade access roads to resettlement camps and intermediate camps; project to strengthen the dissemination and management of information on the readmission process through social media by relevant ministries; the project to provide more psychosocial support for returnees and local people by arranging places for women fun places for children.
He said his ministry had prepared the report (draft) to implement of the Kofi Anan Advisory Commission on Rakhine State by the relevant ministries.
The meeting also discussed the support of ASEAN’s cooperation in development and resettlement activities and the future cooperation with ASEAN, the implementation of the priority projects according to the Preliminary Needs Assessment Report, the need to give priority to the readmission process in implementing the projects, discussion on Rakhine State at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Special Meeting, regional meetings to raise funds for the projects and high-level coordination meeting, situation in resettlement camps and construction of houses in the resettlement areas and further activities.
—MNA
(Translated by Ei Phyu Phyu Aung)
Photo: MNA
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