The High Level Meeting was
organized primarily by Global Water Partnership (GWP) in coordination with Office
of the UN Secretary-Generals’ Special Envoy on Disaster Risk Reduction and
Water and Government of Myanmar. The High Level meeting aims to further endorse
and strengthen the role of water as main foundation in national development
agenda in Myanmar. This is done by convening professionals and institutions in the
region with various experience and knowledge with key water-related Ministers
and members of the Water Think Tank in Myanmar in the discussion of ensuring
water security and achieving sustainable development goals in the country and
in South East Asia. This is to further the improvement of governance and
management of water resources for water security that can lead to a sustainable
and equitable development in the country and region. The Round Table Meeting
was focused on five SDGs, namely SDG 5 (Gender), SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation),
SDG 11 (Cities), SDG 13 (Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction), SDG 17
(Partnerships).
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Group Photo taken at the High Level meeting at Inya Lake
(Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/globalwaterpartnership/sets/72157668281304670/with/27317347046/)
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The welcome address was delivered by
Deputy Union Minister U Kyaw Myo from the Ministry of Transport and
Communications of Myanmar. He stressed the importance of water in the lives of
the people and how water insecurity can have negative impacts that may lead eventually
to crisis. Due to this, he emphasize the role of water as the “basis of all
economic development activities” and the importance of understanding the “water-energy-food nexus” in order to “boost the sustainable development in
Myanmar”. He concluded his speech by saying that the meeting was a positive
development and expressed his gratitude to the participants. Congratulatory
remarks were given by Dr. Jennifer Sara (Global Water Practice Director, World
Bank Group), and by Dr. Koji Ikeuchi (Vice Minister, Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan).
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Photo (left image)
during congratulatory remarks delivered by Dr. Koji Ikeuchi (Vice Minister of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport
and Tourism, Japan) and Climate Change and Disaster Risk Resilience Roundtable
led by Professor Toshio Koike (right image)
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Four
keynote addresses were delivered in the meeting. The keynote speakers were Dr.
Kenzo Hiroki (Special Advisor, United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory
Board on Water and Sanitation), Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein (Secretary of Myanmar
Water Think Tank, Water Security and new Economic policy in Myanmar), Mrs.
Kenza Robinson (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), and Drs.
Koos Wieriks (Strategic Advisor Water Management, Ministry of Infrastructure
and the Environment of the Netherlands). Afterwards, each
group facilitated round table discussions for SDG 5 (Gender),
SDG 6 (Water and Sanitation), SDG 11 (Cities), SDG 13 (Climate Change, Disaster
Risk Reduction), and SDG 17 (Partnerships). Each group was tasked to discuss
the recommendations and corresponding rationale in dealing with the water
security and achieving the SDGs in Myanmar and South East Asia. A background paper as a result of the meeting can be found in GWP website to summarize the proceedings. Dr. Akiyuki Kawasaki and Dr.
Ralph Allen Acierto participated in the round table discussion as
representatives of University of Tokyo and part of SATREPs project. Dr.
Kawasaki was designated on SDG 11- Cities, while Dr. Acierto was assigned to
SDG 13 Climate Change and DRR. Lastly, Dr. Toshio Koike led and summarized the
discussion on the SDG 13 table tackling Climate Change and Disaster Risk
Reduction. The High Level meeting paves the road in mainstreaming the importance of dealing with water security issues and achieving SDGs in the national development agenda of the new administration in Myanmar.
The background paper on the meeting can be accessed to this link below:
Source: http://www.gwp.org/Global/Events/Myanmar/Background%20Paper%20HLRT%20Myanmar.pdf
Accessed on 31May2016
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