Myanmar: Open for Business? Corporate Crime and Abuses at Myanmar Copper Mine

This report focuses on the Monywa copper mine project and highlights forced evictions, substantial environmental and social impacts, and the repression, sometimes brutal, of those who try to protest. It also raises serious questions about opaque corporate dealings and possible infringements of economic sanctions on Myanmar.

Statement of Ethnic Community Development Forum and the Customary Land Protection Committee Concerning Myanmar’s National Land Use Policy (Draft)

On November 1 and 2, 2014 representatives of more than 30 organizations of civil society and farmers networks came together in a workshop to review and analyze the draft national land use policy of Myanmar. […]

Pro-Business or Pro-Poor?

Making Sense of recently unveiled Draft National Land Use Policy

October 18, 2014 saw the official unveiling by the government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar of its much-awaited draft national land use policy. Once it is finalized, the new policy will guide the establishment of a new overarching framework for the governance of tenure of land and related natural resources like forests for years to come. As such, it is of vital importance.

This preliminary assessment aims to shed light on the key aspects of the draft policy and its potential implications for the country’s majority rural working poor, especially its ethnic minority peoples, although they are not the only ones whose future prospects hinge on how this policy making process will unfold. […]

Over 650 Myanmar/Burma Civil Society Actors Speak Out on the Reality of the Transition

The forum titled, “Civil Societies’ Review on Myanmar/Burma’s Transition Process: Prospects for 2015 and Beyond”, held on 15 – 17 October 2014 at the Myanmar Christian Fellowship of the Blind Center in Rangoon, brought together over 650 representatives from 257 organizations and networks from across the country and border areas to discuss and strategize a wide range of key issues currently facing Burma in the context of the recent economic and political reforms since 2011. This is the first forum of this scale to assess the reform and the wide range of problems currently facing Burma.

Despite the hailed “transition to democracy,” exalted particularly by the international community, civil society organizations (CSOs) spoke of the decades old challenges that remain unresolved, the stagnation of the reform process, and new emerging issues, in addition to the need for meaningful inclusion of the voices of civil society, democratic opposition forces, ethnic peoples, women and youth in the reform process.

The forum addressed six core issues; (1) law reform, (2) peace and conflict, (3) media, hate speech and communal violence, (4) Parliament, Government and accountability, (5) economic reform and foreign direct investment, and (6) the international community’s role and involvement, which were discussed under six panel discussions and six workshops. The forum produced a statement that gave concrete recommendations from civil society groups to the Burma Government, United Nations, international governments and international non-governmental organizations (lNGOs) […]

Joint Submission on the Proposed World Bank Group’s Country Partnership Framework (CPF) in Myanmar

We, the undersigned organizations in Myanmar and other countries, respectfully submit these comments to the World Bank Group to inform the development of the Country Partnership Framework for Myanmar. We belong to civil society organizations and ethnic community networks with a focus on human rights, environment, peace and mediation, and good governance with significant expertise and experience in Myanmar […]

U.S. Companies Report on Burma/Myanmar Investments

Reporting Requirements Spur Disclosures, But Questions Remain (Washington, D.C.)—Today, the second set of annual reports pursuant to the U.S. Government’s Burma Responsible Investment Reporting Requirements was published. The reports include disclosures related to human rights, workers’ rights, the environment, anti-corruption, land acquisition, revenue transparency and military communications. “We welcome the newly submitted reports, and look forward to engaging […]

New Report Card Scores US Companies Investing in Burma

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, US Campaign for Burma (USCB) released the first edition of its Report Card: US Companies Investing in Burma. The Report Card analyzes whether US companies are transparently complying with the US State Department’s Responsible Investment Reporting Requirements, conducting due diligence, and responsibly managing their investments on the ground […]

Press Release: IFC Should Postpone Burma Investment

(Washington, D.C) – US Campaign for Burma (USCB) calls on the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) to ensure that IFC investments in Burma are oriented toward poverty alleviation, and to prioritize safeguards and transparency. Three out of the IFC’s five projects in Burma involve the construction of upscale hotels, and the most recently proposed IFC project will excuse the Burmese client, Yoma Bank, from implementing basic due diligence and safeguards […]

President Obama Must Renew Burma Investment Sanctions

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, the U.S. Campaign for Burma (USCB), along with 28 other human rights organizations, called on President Obama to continue the national emergency with respect to Burma. The national emergency provides the authority for the ban of U.S. investment in the Burmese military and the authority for the Reporting Requirements for Responsible Investment in Burma. This authority is set to expire this month. Last week, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom also pressed for the renewal of the national emergency […]

New Investment in Dawei Project Must Follow International Best Practices

Ahead of this week’s Japan-ASEAN summit, the Dawei Development Association calls on the Japanese government, development agencies and investors to refrain from investing in the Dawei Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Tanintharyi Region until international best practices are firmly […]