Mingalarbar!
Welcome to the April 2019 Edition of the GEN Monthly Newsletter! Padauk flower which is a symbol of Thingyan festival in Myanmar bloomed and everyone enjoyed the water festival in April. It is also the time of Myanmar New Year and we wish that this year brought you joy, prosperity and success. At GEN, we also celebrated Thingyan party at the office and we are busy as usual with workshops and meetings.
We always request a GEN member, friend or staff to provide some insight into their participation with GEN. This month, we request TRP member Ma Nan Khan Yone, who is also an active member, to share her feelings and experience with GEN.
Mingalarbar!
It’s my pleasure to write a greeting letter as a TRP.
I’m GEN’s TRP member Ma Nan Khan Yone. I have been working in non-governmental organisations for twenty years. I’ve involved in development activities for ethnic groups such as combating human trafficking, reducing poverty, vocational trainings for children, gender equality and projects for social justice while representing the organisations. As an individual, I have been participating in campaigns and advocacy activities in cooperation with other partner organisations for the improvement of human rights and democracy practices.
In order to build a better society, I believe that human rights and democracy practices can be achieved only through collective strength. Gender Equality Network has been the epitome of a successful network for more than a decade, promoting gender equality in Myanmar where discriminations based on religion, race and colour no longer exist. I’ve involved in this network since 2013 and I’m glad for that. I promise that I will keep contributing to this network.
Let’s keep going forward to reach our goal. I thank each and every one of you who involves in GEN network all CU staff.
GEN'S HIGHLIGHTS
Three-day ”Gender-based Violence Emergency Preparedness and Response Training" was conducted at the Resource Center of Gender Equality Network from 30th March to 1st April 2019. The training was facilitated by sayarma Kyawt Kyawt Khaing, sayarma Ei Mon Han and sayarma Nang May Phue Mon. There were 20 participants (1 Male and 19 Female) from different states and regions.
NSPAW, CEDAW, GBV, Case Management, CRC, Child Protection training was held by Gender Equality Network. Gender Equality Network (GEN) facilitated the training and 52 people (5 M, 47 F) joined the three days training from 1.4.2019 to 3.4.2019. The training was held at DSW office Hpa An.
Stakeholder Consultation Workshop On “Understanding Barriers and Pathways to Women’s Political Participation in Myanmar” was conducted on 9th April 2019 in Hakhar, Chin State. H.E Pau Lun Min Thang who is the Minister of Social Affairs, Government of Chin State and the chairperson of MNCW (Chin State) attended the workshop and gave the opening speech. 44 participants (22 M,22 F) joined the workshop and different topics ranging from opportunities and barriers for women to step up from one level to another higher level to attitude of women and men regarding women’s and men’s participation in politics were discussed. Group discussion and Q & A session followed after the discussion.
On 10th April 2019, Gender Equality Network’s staff performed a field trip to the Chin Women Organization, Ha Kha, Chin State. They discussed actively to share the advices for effective activities in that area with staff from Chin Women Organization and to provide the documents and reference books to Youth Corner. The Director of Gender Equality Network and members participated to the Women and Politics discussion conducted by Women for Justice on 11st April 2019. In this discussion, Daw May Sabe Phyu (Director of Gender Equality Network) participated to share the research on summary of Gender and Myanmar Politics. Also, she discussed to promote the gender equality to involve in politics being as a visible need, and shared the structure and activities of MNCW to the staff from Women for Justice and local women.
MEETINGS AND WORKSHOPS ATTENDED BY GEN’S REPRESENTATIVES
26th March to 1st April – GEN’s Head of Program participated in the Leadership Development Training at Inle Princess Resort in Inle, Shan State. It was a 5-day leadership development training which was attended by GEN members, and CU staffs.
1st April 2019 - GEN’s Consultant facilitated the NSPAW and CEDAW training to the Department of Social Welfare’s staff at their office in Hpa-An. The training took the whole day and the morning session was on NSPAW and the remaining time was on CEDAW and government obligation for CEDAW implementation. The training was attended by 52 participants (M 5, F 47). Participants discussed actively during the training and share their insights on NSPAW and CEDAW.
2nd – 3rd April 2019 - GEN participated in the two days “Policy Community of Practice” workshop organized by LIFT and participated by LIFT’s implementing partners, CSOs and Strategic Partners. The objective of the workshop are as follows:
- Day 1: Based on shared experience during 2016-2018, identify key lessons learned about the factors and circumstances that promote or inhibit successful policy engagement;
- Day 2: Based on the lessons learned, identify key implications for policy engagement going forward, 2019 – 2023.
GEN’s Head of Policy Advocacy Unit presented GEN’s experiences in advocating for the drafting process of the new bill on “Prevention and Protection of Violence against Women Law: Drafting Process”.
8th April 2019 - GEN Advisor, Head of Policy Advocacy Unit and some GEN SC members participated in the workshop of the four Technical Working Groups on (i) Violence Against Women and Girls; (ii) Women, Peace and Security; (iii) Women and Participation and (iv) Mainstreaming to discuss about the TORs for the TWGs and draw up consolidated 2019 work plan of the members to contribute to implementation of NSPAW. The workshop was organized by DSW and financially supported by UN Women.
9th April 2019 - Selected members of the four TWGs participated in the one-day National Platform for Beijing Platform for Action +25 Country Report workshop held in Nay Pyi Taw on review of the Beijing Platform for Action (BfA) to contribute to the Country Report to be prepared by the government in May.
9th April 2019 – GEN’s Director participated and provided the opening speech in the Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on Understanding Barriers & Working Pathways to Women's Political Participation in Myanmar organised by GEN in Hakha, Chin State.
11th April 209 – GEN’s Director participated as a key speaker in Women and Politics workshop which is a special talk for women organised by Women for Justice in Kalay Myo, Chin State. Women for Justice is one of the WLB member and based in Kalay Myo. They organised regular small group discussion with local women on different issues.
24th April 2019 - GEN is the co-chair of the working group and regularly participated in working group meeting and advocacy trip to Nay Pyi Taw to meet with Hluttaw representatives on drafting domestic worker law. This time, the working group meeting on domestic Workers’ law at International Labor Organization (ILO) office was held to provide inputs to two legal analysis on protection of domestic workers. It was a half day meeting and GEN could provide its concerns and suggestions on two papers.
24th April 2019 – GEN’s Director and Head of Policy Advocacy Unit participated in the working on Gender in Emerging Myanmar organised by the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh as key speakers. There were about 40 participants and they are students, faculty and staffs from AUW. As part of exchange visit to Asia University for Women based in Chittagong, Bangladesh, GEN's Director provided a talk on gender situations in Myanmar and how GEN is promoting women rights and gender equality.
26th April 2019 – GEN’s Technical Consultant, SC member and Head of Program had a meeting with the minister of the Ministry of Information at the Ministry of Information office in Nay Pyi Taw. The meeting was attended by Minister U Phay Myint (Ministry of Information), H.E. U Aung Hla Tun (Deputy Minister Ministry of Information), U Myint Kyaw (Permanent Secretary),U Aung Myo Myint (Director General, Printing and Publishing Department), U Thet Swe (General Manager, News and Periodical Enterprise). GEN will provide technical support to conduct gender awareness trainings to the government staff working in MRTV in the future in order to strengthen the gender-sensitive programs and scripts. GEN also advocated the MOI to broadcast video or film production related to violence-against women or women’s rights and awareness raising campaigns organised by GEN or working groups in the state-owned media repeatedly. An agreement to distribute GEN’s publications to the libraries and community-centres owned by the government was made as well.
