A gender-transformative response to COVID-19 in Myanmar

Abstract

COVID-19, as an economic crisis, hit Myanmar long before the first cases of infections in-country were confirmed. From January 2020 onwards, border closures for people and goods, dwindling supplies of imported raw materials for certain industries, and decreasing demand for services, especially tourism, have strongly affected Myanmar's economy. On 23 March, Myanmar confirmed its first COVID-19 cases and by early April, national and city authorities imposed strict measures to contain the spread of the virus. By 17 May, the country had 182 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection, with six deaths. STRATEGY SUPPORT PROGRAM POLICY NOTE 04 MAY 2020 On 27 April, the Myanmar Government published the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP) which aims to mitigate COVID-19's impact on the macroeconomic environment and the private sector and to ease the impact on laborers, workers, and households. The CERP action plan should pay explicit attention to gender discrepancies to avoid unintentional harm or aggravating existing gender inequalities. To ensure an effective response and offer scope for lasting gender-transformative change, the following actions are imperative for women's inclusion in the Myanmar Government's COVID-19 relief measures:

COVID-19 and the food system: setback or opportunity for gender equality?

“…16 Gender-targeted interventions typically focus on assuring adequate child feeding, nutrition, and reducing domestic violence, but not on supporting women's economic opportunities. In Myanmar, the COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan includes support for farmers, small agri-processors, seed farmers, and agri-businesses, but has no explicit gender targeting (Lambrecht et al 2020). In countries such as Myanmar, where men are considered the household head and main income earners, women often miss out on relief packages, information, and technical support to farmers or entrepreneurs.…”