Myanmar

In late November 2015 ASEAN signed the Kuala Lumpur Declaration, formally establishing a single market among the 10 ASEAN member states. Known as the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), the endeavour aims to integrate the region’s economies into a unified market of 620m people and with combined annual output of $2.4trn.

Formerly known as Burma, many have hailed the Republic of the Union of Myanmar’s recent economic, political and social restructuring as ground breaking, and for good reason. In a relatively short period, it has gone from an isolated economy to an investment focal point.

After decades of dictatorship, Myanmar emerged as an unlikely beacon of democracy in South-east Asia in 2015, as the National League for Democracy (NLD), under former political prisoner and Nobel-Prize-laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, strode to a victory in November’s landmark election. With the government in Naypyidaw poised to hand over power...

Myanmar is currently passing through a crucial period of political debate, against the background of an era marked by rapid economic growth and international openness. The successful November 2015 parliamentary elections capped a landmark year for the country. Myanmar has undergone changes that only a few years ago might have seemed unlikely,...

Revitalising a fragile education system, which was once considered amongst the best in South-east Asia, remains a top priority for Myanmar’s transitional government. However, rapid urbanisation, limited infrastructure, and a mesh of civil and religious unrest have left the Ministry of Education (MoE) with numerous hurdles to overcome. During the height of military rule,...

By most accounts, Myanmar has made significant economic progress in recent years, but general health care quality and access still lag dramatically behind that of its neighbours. Decades of mismanagement and limited funding has diminished the health sector and left it in dire need of reform, leaving the Ministry of Health (MoH) to fight an uphill battle. With life...