TA-9324 MYA: Support for strengthening business climate – Capital Market Development, Phase 1 and 2

Description of Project:

The project aimed to support the development of the domestic capital markets in Myanmar through Phase 1-4, while the consulting contract was to support Phase 1 - Diagnostics; and Phase 2 - Development of a capital market master plan. Specifically:

·         completed a comprehensive diagnostic review of the current state of the finance sector, including the quality of infrastructure, the appropriateness of the operational and governance framework, and the capacity of key stakeholders to support a capital market development plan;

·         presented the draft diagnostics report to stakeholders and conduct a series of workshops and seminars to gain and, if appropriate, incorporate stakeholder feedback;

·         prepared a draft 20-year framework supported with a series of 5-year implementation plans;

·         finalized the capital market development plan, along with the proposed periodic stock-take and update methodology, to present its recommendations to the ADB and the government for review and final approval;

·         provided capacity development (workshops/ seminars) to the relevant government agencies.

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

·         Attended meetings and explain the project team about the requirements of senior officials;

·         Made appointments in advance of the field visits as requested;

·         Gathered data and conduct researches as requested;

·   Provided inputs for the comprehensive diagnostic review, 20-year framework, 5-year implementation plans, capital market development plan.

Climate Vulnerability Assessment

Description of Project:

Myanmar and Denmark were currently implementing a Country Programme 2016-2020 for Myanmar, with the thematic focus on “Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth”.  The Denmark Climate Envelope provided additional support to build climate resilience in climate-vulnerable countries such as Myanmar. Under this overall framework, a specific Development Engagement of the Climate Envelope supports climate change adaptation and resilience-building through rehabilitation and sustainable management of mangrove forests in coastal areas of Myanmar (the CCA Engagement).

 The Forest Department (FD), implemented the CCA Engagement in Rakhine State, with additional minor activities in Tanintharyi Region (where mangrove forests were still in a relatively healthy state). Degraded mangrove forests were rehabilitated in Rakhine State, and coastal communities supported to build climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods, as well as being involved in co-management arrangements related to mangrove management.

 Vulnerability assessment of those communities with the aim to identify areas of intervention and prioritize resilience-building opportunities, included few selected communities consisting of mixed ethnicities and different religious groups outside of the target areas. The total number of villages was covered by the VA is estimated 34 villages in Sittwe District, Kyauk Phyu District and Myiek District.

 Description of Actual Services Provided:

• Compiling VA tools and best-practices from the region, and adapting them to specific geographic conditions of selected districts in Myanmar.

• Developing survey methodology in collaboration with FD core project officials.

• Actively participate in and provide technical inputs to a workshop on finalizing the survey methodology, identification of key government and FRI staff to be included in the VA team, and implementation planning, including testing of methodology;

• Mobilized and trained of the full VA team (in collaboration with the CCA team) on data collection and assessment, community consultation, community facilitation, including government staff from FD, ECD and FRI

• Conducted stakeholder’s consultation/dissemination on VA in the target areas

• Conducted Reconnaissance fieldtrip to test and adjust methodology and survey tool.

• Conducted VA assessments in communities following the final agreed methodology;

• For each community, documented each specific data collection event in agreed formats including delivery of complete raw data sets in agreed formats.

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Needs Assessment and Gender Analysis

Description of Project:

The Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Needs Assessment and Gender Analysis will entail both desk review and primary research in Nyaung U, Mandalay Region. In consultation with adolescent boys and girls, young men and women, their parents or caregivers, duty bearers (local decision-makers, service providers, other influential community members) and other stakeholders, the assessment will focus on identifying strategies to create an enabling environment where adolescents and young people feel empowered and have self-esteem to raise their voices which matter on their sexuality and reproductive health in the relationships. It will assess the social environment regarding gender equality and recognition of the value of girls in the target area with an aim of shifting norms and power relations and attaining a more equal allocation of resources towards girls at the end of the program.

Description of Actual Services Provided:

• Write up plan of action/inception phase to understand the exact requirements of the client and reviewing the existing literature on the project;

• Draft KIIs and FGD questions, as well as the short quantitative survey;

• Recruit and provide trainings to enumerators;

• Collect field data and carry out data analysis;

• Held a debrief meeting with the project team following the completion of data collection to discuss preliminary findings;

• Submitted a final evaluation report including an executive summary detailing key findings including achievements against indicators, lessons learned and recommendations.

Dual-Client (Labor Market & Youth) Assessment for Kachin and Rakhine

Description of Project:

With a long history of inter-communal tensions, Myanmar’s Rakhine and Kachin States have witnessed periods of unrest and devastating conflicts, and large scale displacement. As a result, adolescents and young people are particularly vulnerable and do not have access to livelihood opportunities to improve their communities and quality of life.  Social restrictions and cultural norms in turn often impact girls and young women’s rights and access to livelihood opportunities

Even when women find formal work, they undertake statistically lower paying jobs or are involved in more seasonal work than men. Women are in other words left out of the formal labour market and engaged with unpaid family care and community work. Responding to the complex situation and the need for sustainable livelihoods, Plan International seeks to conduct a dual-client assessment to understand labor market opportunities for, as well as interests of, adolescents and young people and which skills development and livelihood interventions are most appropriate for enabling sustainable income generation opportunities for them in target areas.

Description of Actual Services Provided:

1)      Adolescent and Youth Population demographic mapping and profiling: Determining the number of adolescents and young people (10-30 years of age) who are employed or NEET (Not in Education, Employment, or Training) on the national level and by state and region especially for Plan’s target areas, then identifying the specific conditions with regard to: (i) Occupational status and income, reasons for work, main sources of, means of remuneration and who controls earnings; (ii) Education level achieved and reasons for no longer attending; (iii) Level of participation in household chores and domestic responsibilities; (iv)Living conditions; (v) Preferred means of livelihood: wage or self-employment, professional aspiration; (vi) Preferred skills training that they believe would increase their employment opportunities; (vii) Constraints to accessing skills training and employment opportunities; (viii) What kind of support networks or focal points/mentors exists for youth to address or overcome problems they encounter with employers, coaches, teachers; and (ix) Typical male and female jobs in the area and opportunities to empower and open new opportunities for young women.

2)      Mapping of Training, Employment, and Business Development Services (BDS) providers: Identifying the agencies (government, INGOs and private sector) that are directly implementing or supporting (technical and financial) programs / projects and policies in the fields of skills training, enterprise/business development, and employment for adults and young people in the target locations. Providing a description of the programs, projects, policies. Identifying agencies and entities, public or private supporting business development or entrepreneurship through trainings, coaching, loans, and provision of facilities. Background-checking agencies for ties with human trafficking networks or exploitative practices (in particular in Kachin for businesses with ties to China)

3)      Assessment of status and functionality of Labor Markets: Identifying the different sector markets within the target locations and their status and functionality, focus (1) an analysis of the size of markets, volume of sales, market integration/segmentation; (2) local market structure and enabling environment; (3) market actors; (4) market requirements and prices, wage rates and employment conditions; (5) employment or entrepreneurial opportunities for them with minimal skills and experience. Also identifying gaps in the current markets and opportunities for new markets through last mile distribution, linking to neighboring markets or other.

4)      Recommendations for Plan International: Identifying suitable livelihood sectors and associated vocational training modules, business support interventions and other livelihood support that lead to sustainable employment opportunities within these livelihood sectors; Identifying the major constraints facing vocational training providers, job-seekers and potential entrepreneurs and providing an understanding where potential growth, and the uptake jobs growth is most likely to occur; Providing recommendations on how youth centers can support target young people to increase their employability and provide linkages to sustainable job opportunities; and Improving overall situations of adolescents and youth in target areas with recommended services; including opportunities for young women to break-out of traditional job roles.

Long term Arrangement (LTA) on Third Party Field Monitoring Services (Progress Review Team)

Description of Project:

UNICEF Myanmar with its network of 8 field office supported humanitarian and development interventions in thematic programme areas of WASH, Health and Nutrition, Education, Child Protection and Social Policy and Child Rights Monitoring to further the rights of children. MKE supported UNICEF in monitoring humanitarian and development interventions, including identifying any unmet needs and difficulties faced by women and children, monitoring UNICEF-supported interventions, focusing particularly on locations where UNICEF has limited or no access.

Key objectives of the Phase 1-2 assignments included:

·         Verifying progress reports submitted by implementing partners;

·         Assessing appropriateness of UNICEF’s response interventions to the needs of the affected populations;

·         Monitoring programme interventions based on agreed standards / criteria;

·         Identifying gaps in delivery of services (including supplies);

·         Conducting situation monitoring to identify any emerging issues related to the affected population which needed urgent attention by UNICEF.

Covid-19 assessment: MKE entailed a quick socio economic assessment following COVID-19 outbreak covering perceptions, psychosocial check-in and family arrangement. It aimed to examine the current public awareness towards Covid-19, and track the changes in working situation, family arrangements and mental illness every two weeks interval, as well as to assess individual knowledge, attitude and practices and enabling environment in regards to accessing trustful media. The findings guided the UNICEF to identify the needs of people, and to better understand in providing effective and efficient responses.

Multi-sectors Rapid Needs assessment: It aimed to generate evidence on the impacts of the emergency (Covid-19 and 1st February 2021 coup) on household level basic needs. It covered a broad array of sectors of UNICEF programmes in Myanmar, including Health, Nutrition, Education, WASH, Child Protection, and Social Protection/Services. The findings helped improve the ability of UNICEF to advocate, coordinate, fundraise, and allocate funds for appropriate and relevant responses.

Description of actual services provided by your staff within the assignment:

MKE implemented the following tasks in consultation with UNICEF Myanmar Country Office:

 Phase 1-2

·         Conducted field monitoring as per the requirement, including 30 generalist visits, 1 supervisory visit (Phase 1), and 90 generalist visits (Phase 2);

·         Independently obtained approval (including Travel Authorization) from relevant government and security authorities for travel;

·         Organized trainings for monitors on the checklist and guidelines/standards drafted by UNICEF to ensure credible and good quality data collection;

·         Carried out independent monitoring and assessment of the progress against key activities and inputs of UNICEF’s humanitarian and development work. Validated the reports submitted by partners and seeked feedback from the affected population and key informants;

·         Submitted monitoring/assessment reports in English as per the agreed template;

·         Used real time data collection tools;

·         Contacted the Chief of PME unit and focal points for respective field office and sections by phone and email about any issues or gaps in programme activities that needed to be urgently addressed;

·         Conducted regular (online/onsite) pre-post deployment meetings with UNICEF field office staff;

·         Conducted de‐brief meetings with UNICEF towards the end of each phase to consolidate experiences and identify progress, main challenges and lessons learnt.

 Covid assessment

·         Finalized questionnaires drafted by UNICEF;

·         Identified key respondents from prioritized townships in six states/regions;

·         Developed online-offline mobile data collection form;

·         Arranged logistics to reach hard-to-reach areas (including Non-Government Control Area);

·         Conducted telephone surveys (100 respondents in Mindat - Chin State), 200 respondents in Kayah State and 150 respondents in Kayin State, and 164 respondents in Sagaing region); Data management and quality control;

·         Conducted data analysis and report writing.

 Rapid Needs Assessment

·         Finalized questionnaire drafted by UNICEF, translated and transferred to KOBO software;

·         Developed project work plan and supervised the data collection team;

·         Identified list of respondents (including KIIs) in targeted townships in 3 states and 1 region, using snowball method;

·         Arranged logistics to reach hard-to-reach areas (including conflict affected areas, remote villages, Non-Government Control Area, IDP camps);

·         Conducted 614 telephone surveys with households, and KIIs in 13 townships (including temporary IDP camps) in targeted states and region within the project timeframe;

·         Conducted data quality control;

·         Conducted primary data analysis and wrote up key findings;

· Submitted final report and PowerPoint presentation of key findings of each State and Region.

MEL Activities under the Graduation Model under the “LIFT” funded project “Response Mechanism for Addressing Protracted Displacement in Rakhine State, Myebon and Mrauk U.

Description of Project:

The project implemented a graduation model to support internally displaced persons (IDPs), former IDPs and the surrounding communities. The graduation model was built on five core elements: (i) provision of productive assets; (ii) technical and business skills training to manage the respective product asset; (iii) consumption support through regular cash or food support; (iv) home visits/coaching geared at community inclusion and positive behaviour change; (v) financial inclusion, training on financial literacy and linkage to formal financial services. The objective of the assignment was to monitor the model and evaluate its impacts on the livelihoods and wellbeing of the target households.

MKE implemented the following tasks:

●        Meet with RI to discuss the scope, approach, methodology, resource mobilization, stakeholders, timelines, deliverables for the baseline evaluation;

●        Develop methodology and data collection tools including household surveys, focus group discussions, key informant interviews;

●        Review the project documents and the result matrix and relevant indicators;

●        Review the M&E needs of the project and of the graduation model and identify relevant indicators to be measured;

●        Conduct data collection throughout the baseline, M&E, and endline studies;

●        Design a monitoring system including a logframe framework, theory of change, result matrix;

●        Develop guidelines for tools to be used in the data collection system;

●        Provide technical assistance and training to the staff in the use of the tools, M&E standards and good  practices;

●        Periodic reporting on the project progress including provision of monthly narrative reports;

●        Capture lessons learnt, and provide forward-looking recommendations to ensure that the project can effectively capture optimal impact;

● Provide recommendations for project implementation focus areas for the graduation models on strengthening methodology for qualitative impact assessment on the rest of the program

Consolidating and Prioritising Nutrition Research in Rakhine State, Myanmar

Description of Project:

The research aimed firstly to ascertain on-going nutrition research in Myanmar and Rakhine State in particular, including on aetiology of malnutrition, wasting, kwashiorkor and stunting trends, and on effective identification and management of malnutrition, to identify research gaps, and secondly, to identify the key research questions on the effective management of malnutrition, including wasting, stunting and micronutrient deficiencies, in all vulnerable groups including infants, children under five years of age, school-age children, adolescents, women of reproductive age and pregnant and lactating women (PLW).

While nutrition programming tended to focus on children under 5 years of age (including infants), this exercise also included school-age children, adolescents and women of reproductive age more broadly.

MKE implemented the following tasks:

●        Held a kick-off meeting between MKE research team and HARP-F team

●        Compiled and analysed secondary data sources

●        Finalised interview questionnaire for KIIs

●        Finalised survey template to rank nutrition research questions and code on Kobo Toolbox

●        Mobilised stakeholders to engage in KIIs and survey

●        Submitted Inception Report (3-5 pages plus annexes of questionnaire and template)

●        Conducted 15 remote stakeholder KIIs to prioritise nutrition research questions

●        Conducted survey with wider stakeholder group to rank nutrition research questions

●        Conducted data cleaning, transcription, analysis and report writing

●  Presented findings to HARP-F team

Integrated Resource Planning with Strategic Environmental Assessment for Sustainable Power Sector Development in the Greater Mekong Sub region - Firm 2 Energy Efficiency Market Assessment (49208-001)

Description of the Project:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a regional capacity development technical assistance project (RETA 9003) in November 2015 to support a more economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable power sector development for greater mitigation of climate change impacts in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). As the original scope of the project was successfully completed, GMS countries envision more renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) investments. To materialize such visions, ADB approved additional scope for RETA 9003 in November 2018 to support development of individual project pipelines and business models for implementation of RE and EE projects, among others.

Mekong Economics is responsible for the following tasks and outputs:

• Undertake review of energy demand and supply scenario in Myanmar

• Analyse, review & provide insights on the existing energy audit reports and other related country studies already carried out in Myanmar as well as investment grade energy audits to be undertaken or have been undertaken by KEA & other development agencies in order to develop potential DSEE investment pipelines.

• Assess the country’s existing EE/investment grade auditing capacity within the relevant government departments and ESCO industry and identify potential training/capacity building needs, which will be addressed through TA 9003 GMS Knowledge Hub Program on EE with Thailand Department of Alternative Energy Development and Efficiency;

• Analyse, review & provide insights on best-practice DSEE technology solutions including their application to potential energy efficiency investment projects; and

• Analyse, review & provide insights for preparation of awareness building activities on DSEE in the three countries on DSEE technologies.

• Support in identification of local vendors for energy efficient technology and set-up meeting with them as per PwC’s requirements.

• Support data gathering, review, analysis, and report preparation for technology. Financing, administrative, policy and regulatory and stakeholder engagement aspects for preparation of the required reports;

• Identification of local association in the industry, building, appliances & transport sector. Details of association should contain: Name, address, contact details, number of members, name and contact of head (President or equivalent).

• Supporting PwC in conducting survey of sub-sectors through online and telephonic methods and compilation of survey data.

• Provide relevant data and information for Demand side energy efficiency potential, measures (technical and financial feasibility) and potential financing sources in the DSEE.

• Provide insights for preparation of awareness building activities on DSEE in Myanmar on financing options and business models

Kimetrica LLC (funded by USAID) - Myanmar Analytical Activity (MAA) - 2019

Project Description:

USAID/Burma (Myanmar) requires analytical support to supplement its current portfolio of Democracy and Governance, national reconciliation, economic growth and health activities. This analytical support is aligned with the Democracy and Governance Project Appraisal Document and will primarily focus on the drivers of conflict impacting the implementation of development programs by USAID/ Burma. The activity will enable the Mission to better address emerging issues, take advantage of opportunities, and react to unexpected political and economic events and social conditions.

USAID/Burma anticipates the most significant need for support in addressing conflict dynamics in Kachin, Shan, and Rakhine States, southeastern Myanmar, and the influence of national political and economic actors and institutions based in Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw. The multitude of layers impacting Myanmar’s development and democratic transition require continuous monitoring and analysis allowing the Mission to make strategic adjustments to implementation.

AVPN - Impact Measurement Course - 2020

Description of Project:

The one-day course, delivered in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city, was designed for private sector impact investors, corporate sustainability decision-makers and grant-makers looking to understand their impact goals and how to define and measure impact metrics. The course enabled participants to (i) know how to best define, measure and manage ‘doing good’; (ii) learn to identify, justify and measure the most appropriate social and economic impact measures for social impact projects and organizations; and (iii) understand that a robust set of impact metrics derives from a sound Impact Statement and Theory of Change, as well as from meaningful direct and proxy indicators.

Adam McCarty, Chief Economist of Mekong Economics, led the following responsibilities: 

• Design of course, including case studies and group assignments;

• Organizing some group activities (i.e. Drafting Impact Statements and Indicators) to exploring theories of change; 

• Sharing and hearing inspirational examples of analysing impact; 

• Introducing IRIS+, the Impact Measurement Project and SoPact; 

• Guiding on measuring social and economic impact in approaches such as gender-lens investing.