Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group meetings

There are many steps to develop Thilawa Complaint Management Procedure (TCMP); amongst MSAG is the one of the key event in the evolution of TCMP.

To promote Stakeholder Engagement: Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group
The proposal for a Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MSAG) to advise on the implementation of the Thilawa SEZ Zone A project and, in particular, the resettlement program was put forward as a direct outcome of the Investigation Report by the Examiner for JICA Guidelines for Environmental and Social Considerations (November 2014), and in response to recommendations from the external monitoring and evaluation conducted for the Zone A resettlement program. It was also in response to civil society interest and concerns about the resettlement program and Government of Myanmar (GOM) recognition that broader stakeholder engagement would assist in resolving some ongoing challenges.

The membership of the MSAG was as follows:
Chairperson: Ms. Vicky Bowman, Director, Myanmar Center for Responsible Business (MCRB)
Secretariat: JICA Expert Team
Members:

  • Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Management Committee Secretary (1)
  • Income Restoration Program Implementation Supporting Committee (IRPISC) representatives (2)
  • Myanmar Japan Thilawa Development (MJTD) representatives (2)
  • Project Affected People/Community Representatives (2) (including 1 from the Thilawa SEZ Phase 2/Zone B community)
  • Mediators (1)
  • Non Government Organisations (NGOs)/Civil Society Organisations (CSOs); Paung Ku (1), Earth Rights International (1), Thilawa Social Development Group (1)

MSAG meetings were held on a quarterly basis from February 2015 – March 2016.
In July/August 2016, a third-party evaluation was undertaken of the MSAG. It concluded that while the creation of the MSAG was necessary and timely, a new mechanism was needed that would oversee and manage company-community relations in the SEZ.