[Myanmar] A Preliminary Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on the Mon State Economy: Pathways to Recovery

Auteurs/autrices : Mon Paing Ga Ghu, Hein Paing Htoo Chit, Karl Flecker and Yee Mon Hsu report on the economic impacts of COVID-19 in Mon State.

• Mon Paing Ga Ghu is a Researcher and Analyst at Nordic International Support Foundation.
• Dr. Hein Paing Htoo Chit is the Founder and Executive Director of SEED for Myanmar, a youth organization in the southeast of Myanmar training youth to become active citizens, responsible leaders, and social entrepreneurs. He is also the President of US Ambassador’s Youth Council in Myanmar (2019-2020) and the Economic Empowerment Professional Fellow of Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative.
• Karl Flecker has worked on human rights, labour migration and economic justice issues in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.  He spent a year volunteering with the National Enlightenment Institute based in Mawlamyine, Myanmar (2019-20).  He has also worked with progressive civil society organizations, within academe and with governments in a variety of capacities.
• Yee Mon Hsu is Executive Director and co-founder of National Enlightenment Institute (NEI) which is based in Mawlamyine, Mon State, Southern Part of Myanmar. After graduating with an Honours Degree in Computer Technology Mawlamyine Computer University in Myanmar, she continued her studies in Tourism Management at Singapore. Currently, she is also involved in the Regional Tourism Development Committee of Mon State as a Tourism Expert in that committee. 

Production : Tea Circle. Tea Circle was established in November 2015 as a forum for new and emerging perspectives on Burma/Myanmar during its current period of political and economic transition. It highlights analysis, research, opinions, book reviews, multi-media presentations and other types of submissions from a global audience of contributors. Tea Circle is run by a group of dedicated volunteer editors and is particularly focused on creating opportunities for contributors from Myanmar.

Diffusion : site du forum Tea Circle.

Date : 14 juillet 2020.

Since COVID-19 was discovered, it has spread around the world. On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the virus had become a global pandemic.

To limit the spread of the virus, communities were put on lockdown, leaving the doors of businesses and institutions closed. Additional mitigation measures have included frequent hand-washing, avoiding close physical contact and large gatherings, as well as wearing face masks. While such measures can slow the spread of the virus, they also have a significant impact on livelihoods and economies around the world including Myanmar and Mon State.

In late March, The National Enlightenment Institute (NEI) and SEED for Myanmar, two not-for-profit organizations based in Mawlamyine, conducted an initial assessment of the economic impacts to the Mon State economy from COVID-19. This preliminary report was made possible with the support of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS)-Myanmar.

Source : Mon Paing Ga Ghu, Hein Paing Htoo Chit, Karl Flecker and Yee Mon Hsu, « A Preliminary Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on the Mon State Economy: Pathways to Recovery », Tea Circle, 14/07/2020. URL : https://teacircleoxford.com/2020/07/14/a-preliminary-impact-assessment-of-covid-19-on-the-mon-state-economy-pathways-to-recovery/ (consulté le 19/08/2020).

Illustration “à la une” : Township Unemployment Rate of Mon State. © Tea Circle

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