In a serious blow to thousands of would-be home-owners, the construction of affordable homes in Yangon’s Ayeyarwon and Yadanar housing projects has been suspended because the money has run out, government officials say. Urban and Housing Development department director general U Min Htein told The Myanmar Times on December 6 that the government lacked the funds to complete the projects, in Dagon Seikkan township, according to schedule. “The Ayeyarwon and Yadanar housing projects are costing more than US$455 million, and we don’t have enough money to complete it. Because the department is prioritising low-cost housing it cannot [also] prioritise affordable-housing. We have therefore suspended construction of the 49 18-storey-buildings included in the project.” Also on hold is the related infrastructure, including roads, schools, sewage systems, markets, public transportation bus lines and parks. 

Keep reading

The post Affordable housing projects affected as funds dry up first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Reducing the numbers of underweight and stunted children has fallen short of the targets set, despite the efforts undertaken to pursue the targeted plan, a recent government report has showed. The number of underweight children less than five years of age has fallen to 25.5 percent of the total children nationwide, which failed to meet the targeted plan of 22 percent as approved by the National Assembly. The findings were detailed in a report on the implementation of the socio-economic development plan over the first 10 months of the 2015-2016 fiscal year. Presenting the report to the recent NA ordinary session, Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr Souphanh Keomixay told the parliament that efforts to reduce stunted children also fell short of the target. Stunted children under five years of age (children who suffered chronic malnutrition) represented 35.6 percent, failing to meet the target of 34 percent as approved by the NA.

Keep reading

The post Reduction in underweight, stunted children falls short of targets first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The heads of diplomatic missions in Laos have expressed confidence that the current National Socio-Economic Development Plan will lead to tangible progress in achieving continuous, inclusive and sustainable growth. This was the main message delivered by foreign diplomats to the country’s leaders, government and citizens during a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Friday to celebrate Laos’ 41st National Day. Malaysian Ambassador to Laos Dato’ Than Tai Hing, as Dean of the diplomatic corps, led representatives of diplomatic missions in offering good wishes to President Bounnhang Vorachit, his wife, and the government. Ambassador Hing congratulated Laos on the successful convening of the General Election of the National Assembly in March, saying it paved the way for the smooth transition of the country’s leadership. The diplomatic corps noted the continuing political stability in Laos over the past 41 years as one of the country’s most remarkable achievements, which they said had enabled the effective and successful implementation of successive five-year NSEDPs, including the current eighth cycle from 2016 to 2020.

Keep reading

The post Foreign diplomats wish Laos continued success in development first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Around 15 per cent of Việt Nam’s population – approximately 13.5 million ­people – suffer from 10 of the more common mental disorders, reveal statistics released on November 29. Around 2.8 per cent of Vietnamese live with depression, 2.6 per cent suffer from anxiety disorder, while 0.47 per cent have schizophrenia, the Voice of Việt Nam online newspaper reported. The data was revealed on November 29 at the start of a two-day meeting in Hải Phòng City, organised by Lao động và Xã hội (Labour and Society) magazine and the Social Protection Department under the Ministry of Labour, Invalid and Social Affairs. Around 200,000 Vietnamese people suffer from severe mental illnesses, according to a report by Phạm Dũng from the Medical Committee Netherlands-Việt Nam at the meeting. Of these, 98 per cent cannot take care of themselves, 15 per cent show violent behaviour, and 37 per cent are yet to receive medication for treatment.

Keep reading

The post 13.5 million Vietnamese suffer from common mental disorders first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The government and development partners have agreed on the coordination mechanisms and framework they believe can help accelerate development through the participation of all sectors. This was the outcome of the Round Table Implementation Meeting held in Vientiane province’s capital last week. After the meeting ended last Friday, Minister of Planning and Investment, Dr Souphanh Keomixay, the province’s Governor, Mr Vidong Saysone, and United Nations Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Representative Ms Kaarina Immonen joined a press conference to inform the media about the outcomes. We have agreed with the majority of the recommendations on various topics raised by development partners at the meeting, while also providing explanations to their queries, Dr Souphanh said. The meeting approved the progress made in implementation work for 2015/2016 and the target plan for 2017, aiming to attract broadened and quality investments and expanding the diverse economic bases that can help ensure macro-economic stability.

Keep reading

The post Govt, development partners pursue accelerated development first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Localisation of Sustainable Development Goals, effective development partnerships, food and nutrition security, green growth, climate change and disaster response preparedness are cross-sectoral topics of discussion between the government and development partners this year. Experts from the government and development partners’ representative agencies began discussion on these issues on November 24 at the 2016 Round Table Implementation Meeting, which continues today in Vientiane province’s capital. Serving as a forum to discuss how partners can collaborate on national development priorities, the Round Table Implementation Meeting is taking stock of progress made in 2016 and guiding joint efforts for 2017. As a main output of this meeting, the government will endorse with its partners, the Vientiane Declaration Country Action Plan for 2016-2025, which outlines key actions to enhance effective development cooperation, and will help put into practice the SDGs and the Eighth Five-Year National Socio-Economic Development Plan. In his opening remarks at the meeting, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dr Kikeo Chanthaboury noted the importance of learning about implementation and achievement of various goals, and the integration of local and national level indicators.

Keep reading

The post Govt, development partners to agree on next ten years cooperation first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Human trafficking continues to flourish within the region, requiring a joint effort by the Mekong countries to actively stamp out the trade and penalise those responsible. Human trafficking is harmful to socio-economic development and social order in the region and could worsen when the ASEAN Economic Community is fully integrated. ​Speaking at the Coordinated Mekong Ministerial Initiative against Trafficking meeting in Vientiane on November 24, Minister of Public Security, Major General Somkeo Silavong stressed that human trafficking was destructive and should be tackled more vigorously.​ Human trafficking is one of the most harmful crimes and is transnational. It involves the acquisition of people by improper means such as force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them, he said. Action is being taken to address the root causes of human trafficking and support the recovery and reintegration of victims. Joining together to address this issue is the responsibility of everybody in society, he added. 

Keep reading

The post Human trafficking needs urgent action: Mekong nations first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement hosted an event this week in Yangon aimed at drafting a national policy for a growing contingent of those over 60 years old. One in every 11 Myanmar citizens is elderly, the ministry’s deputy director general Daw San San Aye said. Improvements need to be made in all sectors – including healthcare, and the social and environmental arenas – as that ratio grows, she said. The ministry consulted with elderly people, relevant departments and old-age homes, she added. Like other countries in Southeast Asia, the number of elderly people in Myanmar is increasing rapidly, having nearly quadrupled over the past 60 years due to smaller families and improved life expectancy, according to a 2014 report from the United Nations Population Fund. That growth is expected to accelerate over the next four decades: By 2030, the percentage of elderly people – defined as those over the age of 60 – is expected to jump from 9 percent to 15pc, according to UN data, and by 2050, one-quarter of the country’s citizens may be elderly.

Keep reading

The post Officials look to formulate national policy on ageing first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

Despite muted sentiment in the fourth quarter, the government is highly confident the economy could end this year with an estimated growth of 3.2-3.3%. Deputy Prime Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said accelerated state spending on infrastructure projects and growing tourism will shore up economic growth in the fourth quarter and help offset weak sentiment as people mourned the passing of the King. Mr Somkid said the government is estimated to spend a combined 293 billion baht in 2016 and 2017 on infrastructure development, of which some projects have begun construction and some are scheduled to start next year. Projects that have commenced include road expansion and motorways linking Pattaya and Map Ta Phut, together worth 28.2 billion baht. Projects due to be built next year include the high-speed train linking Bangkok and Rayong worth 153 billion baht, which will be developed under the public-private partnership scheme that is now pending State Enterprise Policy Office’s consideration.

Keep reading

The post State spending trusted to boost GDP first appeared on Open Development Mekong.

The Yangon Region government is in the process of arranging low-cost housing for “real squatters” in the commercial capital, Yangon’s security and border affairs minister told the regional legislature on November 16.  He was responding to a question from lawmaker U Kyaw Zeya (NLD; Dagon 2), who asked why MPs had yet to be provided with follow-up information six months after the regional government said it would begin to tackle the issue of Yangon’s unofficial tenants, estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands. In May, the government said it would first carry out a census-like data collection effort to ascertain the squatter population, including attempting to determine who among these unofficial residents were truly without alternative – and legal – housing options. Speaking on November 16, Colonel Tin Aung Tun, the regional minister for security and border affairs, said the government would provide support to “real squatters” while taking action against “professional squatters”, described as people who do not have a genuine claim to landlessness and exploit the legitimate claims of others.

Keep reading

The post Yangon govt to offer low-cost housing to ‘real’ squatters first appeared on Open Development Mekong.