IWRM NEWS OiEAU 2021

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN IMPLEMENTING AN INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICY IN MYANMAR Project stakeholders National partner Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation of Myanmar – Forestry Department Project team Experts: C. Brachet, B. Dhont, A. Guittard (Regional representative) AELB expert: H. Gilliard Project leader: R. Boyer Key information Location Balu River pilot basin Key words IWRM - characterisation - training - cooperation Objectives Develop IWRM mechanisms on the Balu River Basin by ensuring stakeholders' ownership at different scales: at the central and State levels (Shan and Kayah). Implementation schedule 2019-2020: Phase II 2021-2022: Phase III Project financed by Loire-Bretagne Water Agency Detailed project description The technical support project for implementing an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) policy in Myanmar started in 2016. Having shared the respective experiences with the MoNREC to develop an adapted vision of IWRM; then identified the project partners at the pilot basin level, an iterative process for the characterisation of the Balu River Basin has been put in place. The document, which will serve as a basis for the subsequent planning stages, is being prepared in a coordinated manner between central, deconcentrated and decentralised services, to ensure that complementary perspectives are taken into account in water resources management. As the pilot basin selected for the project is shared between the Federated Shan and Kayah States, cooperation and coordination among local governments is crucial, adding an innovative territorial challenge to Myanmar. Outcomes and prospects Main current results Support in drafting the characterisation report of the Balu River basin. Remote support, due to the inability to carry out international missions. Prospects The third phase of the project was due to start in 2021, and with a view to continuity, the IWRM process initiated with local stakeholders had to be continued, notably with the organisation of the first joint work between the Shan and Kayah States, both crossed by the Balu River basin. In order to ensure better ownership of the implementation of IWRM by the Myanmar authorities, for this phase III, it was also identified the need to strengthen linkages between stakeholders and projects promoting IWRM in Myanmar at the national and pilot basin levels, to better take into account the unique experience of the Balu. As a result of the coup on 1 February 2021, the project’s activities were suspended until further notice. At the time of writing, the political situation in the country has not yet stabilised, and the project, while reaffirming its friendly individual sympathy with the focal points in Myanmar, remains a duty of careful reservation. 20 MYANMAR