Myanmar Announces National Environment and Climate Change Policies
Myanmar Announces National Environment and Climate Change Policies
Mizzima, 06 Jun 2019
URL: http://www.mizzima.com/article/myanmar-announces-national-environment-and-climate-change-policies
The Government of Myanmar yesterday announced its vision for the country’s environmental protection and climate action, launching two new policies that will guide Myanmar’s environmental management and climate change strategy, according to a UN Environment statement.
Myanmar is widely considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change, and its renowned biodiversity and natural resources are under increasing pressure as the country develops. More intense and more frequent floods, cyclones and droughts have caused immense loss of life and damage to infrastructure and the economy.
President U Win Myint announced the two new policies – the National Environmental Policy and the Myanmar Climate Change Policy – at an event marking World Environment Day in the capital. More than 400 attended the announcement, including senior government officials from Union ministries, states and regions and representatives from civil society, academic institutions, businesses and the international community, including the acting UN Resident Coordinator and EU Ambassador.
The new policies explicitly recognize the increasing threat of extreme weather and other climate change impacts to the country’s economic and social development and set out an ambition to transform Myanmar into a climate-resilient, low-carbon society that is sustainable, prosperous and inclusive.
They are a culmination of five years of work spearheaded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) with support from UNDP and the Myanmar Climate Change Alliance, an effort funded by the European Union with technical support from UN Environment and UN-Habitat.
Myanmar is widely considered one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to the impacts of climate change, and its renowned biodiversity and natural resources are under increasing pressure as the country develops. More intense and more frequent floods, cyclones and droughts have caused immense loss of life and damage to infrastructure and the economy.
President U Win Myint announced the two new policies – the National Environmental Policy and the Myanmar Climate Change Policy – at an event marking World Environment Day in the capital. More than 400 attended the announcement, including senior government officials from Union ministries, states and regions and representatives from civil society, academic institutions, businesses and the international community, including the acting UN Resident Coordinator and EU Ambassador.
The new policies explicitly recognize the increasing threat of extreme weather and other climate change impacts to the country’s economic and social development and set out an ambition to transform Myanmar into a climate-resilient, low-carbon society that is sustainable, prosperous and inclusive.
They are a culmination of five years of work spearheaded by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) with support from UNDP and the Myanmar Climate Change Alliance, an effort funded by the European Union with technical support from UN Environment and UN-Habitat.