As COVID-19 continues to evolve in Myanmar, United Nations agencies, funds and programmes are supporting the efforts of the Government of Myanmar and communities to prevent and respond to the pandemic.

Since the early days of the outbreak, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has been working closely with the Government to provide direct assistance. In recent weeks, more than 8,700 bottles of hand gel and 260 temperature screeners were handed over to the Union Parliaments, the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission, the Union Civil Service Board, the Union Attorney General’s Office, the Office of the Supreme Court of the Union, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and other counterparts. Similar assistance was also provided to local communities in collaboration with 12 CSOs in Kachin and Rakhine states. To assist community awareness building, about 100 loudspeakers are also being provided to the Department of Disaster Management. Further, UNDP will be assisting nine state and regional governments in strengthening health support through providing personal protection equipment (PPE) and other necessary medical supplies, with the first batch of PPEs due to be handed over in the next two weeks.

UNDP continues to enhance the capacities of national institutions to operate effectively during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its Support to Effective and Responsive Institutions Project (SERIP), UNDP organized a webinar for Union Hluttaw MPs, on the topic of the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) and the role of MPs with regard to this important national plan. UNDP’s project on Strengthening Accountability and Rule of Law (SARL) is providing video conferencing equipment to the Myanmar Anti-Corruption Commission and the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission. This support will allow enhanced coordination and timely provision of services to general public. It will have a positive impact on the operations and activities of the Government institutions and CSOs to allow staff to continue ongoing coordination work while observing physical distancing measures.

Earlier in April, UNDP collaborated with relevant Government entities at union and state levels to prepare and submit loan applications to the COVID-19 Fund set up by the Government of Myanmar. A fund of 100 billion Myanmar kyats was set up to provide immediate loans to enterprises in the socio-economic sector impacted by the COVID-19. UNDP facilitated over 180 applications to this fund.