06 Jan

Socio-economic development is a fundamental need to restore normalcy and improve the situation in Rakhine State, and it is also a critical step in building a Democratic Federal Union.

With some positive improvements in the socio-economic sector in Rakhine State, the COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflicts have hindered the implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Due to the pandemic and armed conflicts, the locals in the state are facing shortage of job opportunities and uneasy livelihoods.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Government continued to implement the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State as much as it could, and is making efforts in the implementation of its National Strategy for the closure of internally displaced person (IDP) camps.

As most of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission focused on long-term goals, we need to formulate short-term and long-term strategies after reviewing the implementation of the recommendations in the past three years to ensure that those who will be implementing the recommendations in the coming years make effective plans.

The recommendations of the Advisory Commission focused on overcoming the current humanitarian crisis, security crisis and human right crisis; as well as preventing such future crises.

Bringing sustainable peace and development to Rakhine State requires a firm commitment and a broad involvement of all stakeholders including international civil society organizations which are working tirelessly with government organizations at large.

Those who will deal with the crises and development for Rakhine state are urged to understand well the historical context of the roots of the conflict, as well as the economic, social and military situations, in the state.

The Union Government is taking concrete steps to address what the Kofi Annan Commission described as complex challenges of low development and poverty rooted in enduring social conflict between the communities.

The actual status of the implementation of the recommendations could have progressed a lot more if we did not have the pandemic and other hindrances, and the massive consequences that followed, which hindered the implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission. Over the past three years, we witnessed the improvements of infrastructure such as roads, telecommunications and electricity in Rakhine State. However, the state still has a long way to go.