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Myanmar (Burma)

ICCO in Myanmar

  • Country Office Myanmar

    ACT Alliance House,
    No. 11 Kan Street, 10 Quarter,
    Hlaing Township, Yangon, Myanmar

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ICCO in Myanmar

The ethnic armed conflict in Myanmar is considered the longest civil war in the world. After decennia of repression, Myanmar is slowly moving towards democracy, but it will take time to lift people out of poverty and situation of food insecurity. In Myanmar, ICCO Cooperation works together with its partners on responsible and inclusive development, and on peace building and tolerance.

What we do

The programs of ICCO Cooperation in South East Asia connect and strengthen the interface between our two core principles: Securing Sustainable Livelihoods and Justice & Dignity for All. Together with our partners, ICCO Cooperation’s key intervention strategies in South East Asia focus on responsible business, inclusive markets, sustainable food production and food security, all with the aim to make sure that poor and marginalized men and women can lead secure, sustainable, just and dignified lives.

ICCO Cooperation believes that peace is needed to develop a sustainable economy in Myanmar. Therefore, ICCO’s work focuses mainly on sustainable economic development in rural areas, as well as peace building and conflict resolution. We principally work in the agricultural sector, applying a cross-cutting focus on food security, ethnic minorities, youth and gender.

Our expertise

ICCO Cooperation has been working with local partners in Myanmar since 2002. After cyclone Nargis in May 2008 ICCO’s programs and activities expended from emergency aid to human rights, democracy building and economic development. In the same period we also started to support refugees and internally displaced people along the border between Myanmar and Thailand.

The aim of our current program in Myanmar is to empower men, women and youth so they can fulfill their economic, social and civil rights. To successfully alleviate poverty, injustice and exclusion we cooperate with civil society stakeholders, with the public sector and the private sector. ICCO Cooperation follows a multi-stakeholder approach in which our partners work together for a common goal, based on the principles of co-responsibility and co-funding.

In Myanmar, ICCO Cooperation South East Asia makes use of the following interlinked approaches and models:

Markets for the Poor (M4P)

The M4P approach aims to transform market structures by increasing the participation of the poor, and to make the market more beneficial and sustainable for them.

Value Chain Development

We focus on empowering small scale producers and marginalized groups by connecting them to viable and sustainable value chains and its actors, to generate income and improve food security.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPP)

Our emphasis has always been on partnerships and cooperation. The PPP-model connects the resources and expertise of various sectors (governments, companies, knowledge institutes, ngo’s) when implementing entrepreneurial programs to eradicate poverty.

Business Incubation & Impact Investment

Through our investments programs, ICCO contributes to fair economic development in emerging economies. ICCO provides conditional capital (such as loans, equity and guarantees), by ‘blending’ financial instruments. Our Business Incubator Program  provides capacity and capital to small and medium enterprises and farmer cooperatives, for them to grow and develop into strong and independent enterprises.

Business & Human Rights

We work with local communities, private sector actors and governments to achieve a world where the private sector operationalizes its role as an important partner for development. We regard the United Nations Guiding Principles as an important guideline and framework to make the private sector comply with human rights.

Accelerating the Myanmar Mung bean Value Chain

ICCO Cooperation (ICCO) in collaboration with Myanmar Government’s Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), Evers Specials B.V. (...

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Project started:
  • 2019
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Accelerating Inclusiveness in Myanmar

Our project goal is to make Burmese inclusive business entrepreneurs investment-ready and connect them to potential investors, in ...

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Project started:
  • 2019
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Lobbying for the Elimination of Child Labour in Agriculture

Ratana Metta Organization (RMO) is one of Myanmar's expert ngo's working on the topic of child labour. As ...

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Project started:
  • 2018
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Elimination of Child Labour in Agricultural Value Chains

Child labor is work that children should not be doing because they are too young to work, or, ...

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Project started:
  • 2018
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Women and Youth Livelihood Empowerment in Myanmar

Since 2011, Myanmar has been going through a democratic improvement process, although the social & economic status of Myanmar's women & ...

Countries:
Project started:
  • 2017
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Pulses, People, Planet and Profit - NAG farmer strengthening

The Pulses, People, Planet and Profit (P4) project will work with smallholder farmers and labourers in four townships ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Pulses, People, Planet and Profit - EWS Key farmers

The Pulses, People, Planet and Profit (P4) project will work with smallholder farmers and labourers in four townships ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Lobbying for Pulses sector value chain development in Myanmar

This project by CESD, as part of Myanmar's Civic Engagement Alliance, aims to build up the knowledge and ...

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Project started:
  • 2018
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Lobby and advocacy in for Pulses, People, Planet & Profit (P4)

The project will increase the incomes of 10,000 smallholder mungbean farmers, 20% of whom are landless female farm labourers. ...

Countries:
Project started:
  • 2017
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MMR171 ACT Alliance appeal Rohingya Myanmar

The purpose of this emergency relief is to contribute to the ACT Appeal for the Rohingya crisis in ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Lobby and advocacy for an inclusive pulse and rice seed sector

Access to and adoption of high-quality certified seed is perhaps the largest challenge for rice and pulses farmers ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Lobby & advocacy for agri-development and farmer collaboration

Access to markets is a big challenge for rice and pulses farmers in Ayeyarwaddy and Bago Regions. Within ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Pulses, People, Planet & Profit - ICCO Lead partner

This project will increase the incomes of 10,000 smallholder mungbean farmers, 20% of whom are landless female farm labourers. Pulses ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Karenni Public Participation in Peace Process (K-4P)

This project aims to build awareness of youth and village/ward administrators (in 48 villages/wards in Karenni State) ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Improving Agricultural Production & Income in Rural Myanmar

Summary KMSS Myanmar's contribution The purpose is to improve the socioeconomic conditions of farming communities from three township ...

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Project started:
  • 2016
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Stories of Friendship for Peace and Tolerance in Myanmar

The project is going to to work with youths towards a more peaceful and tolerant future through capacity ...

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Project started:
  • 2016
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Civic Engagement Alliance (CEA) Myanmar

The Civic Engagement Alliance aims to decrease inequality and injustice in Myanmar society through partnerships by improving inclusive ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Myanmar's New Agriculture Development Strategy

Over the last five years (2011-2015) Myanmar has been engaged in a process of political and economic liberalization ...

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Project started:
  • 2017
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Cooperation of Livelihoods in Agricultural Business Project

The Cooperation of Livelihoods in Agricultural Business Project (CLAP) is a project on agricultural development and building market ...

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Project started:
  • 2016
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Building Resilience of Conflict Affected and Displaced People

The overall project strategy of this rights-based joint ACT Alliance project in Myanmar’s Kayin State is aimed ...

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Project started:
  • 2016
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Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

The research program 'Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict in Fragile States: Understanding Intersections, Exploring Transformations ...

Project started:
  • 2014
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Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

The research program 'Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict in Fragile States: Understanding Intersections, Exploring Transformations ...

Project started:
  • 2014
More info
Read more about Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

The research program 'Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict in Fragile States: Understanding Intersections, Exploring Transformations ...

Project started:
  • 2014
More info
Read more about Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

The research program 'Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict in Fragile States: Understanding Intersections, Exploring Transformations ...

Project started:
  • 2014
More info
Read more about Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

The research program 'Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict in Fragile States: Understanding Intersections, Exploring Transformations ...

Countries:
Project started:
  • 2014
More info
Read more about Climate Change Mitigation Policies, Land Grabbing and Conflict

Shan Protection and Livelihoods Program in Myanmar

The 'Shan Protection and Livelihoods Program' consists of three main elements: food security, nutrition and child protection. The ...

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Project started:
  • 2015
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Reducing Economic Vulnerability in Myanmar

According to the last census of Myanmar, 1,3 million people in Myanmar are with a form of disability. Also, 35.6% ...

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Project started:
  • 2016
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The Power of Collective Action

It’s busy at the Magway Regional Farmer Development Association warehouse in Myanmar’s Central Dry Zone. ...

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Important Message for Pulses Farmers in Myanmar: Work Together!

Pulses are a key export commodity for Myanmar, and are currently ranked 4th most exported goods. In ...

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Farmers in Myanmar Carefully Exploring Benefits, Together

Visiting a small town in the West Bago region of Myanmar, it is clear that the whole ...

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"Where Do You Go? Have You Eaten?"

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As of 1st January 2021 ICCO has joined forces with Cordaid and continues as one organization under the name Cordaid.

ICCO’s international website will remain online for the time being and can be visited here or go to Cordaid: www.cordaid.org