Development Cooperation in Myanmar

This strategy comprises SEK 600 million for the strategy period. The strategy will contribute to a democratic, peaceful, free, inclusive and equal Myanmar where human rights and freedoms as well as the rule of law are respected. The bilateral strategy forms part of Sweden's overall development assistance and foreign policy for Myanmar, which also includes a large amount of Swedish humanitarian support (over SEK 180 million in 2023).

The goal of Swedish international development assistance is to create the conditions for better living conditions for people living in poverty and oppression. The starting point for development cooperation in Myanmar is that the activities should neither resource nor legitimize the military junta that carried out a coup d'état in February 2021.

The bilateral strategy for Myanmar has three objective areas under which development cooperation is organized.

Objective area 1: Promoting freedom and fighting oppression

• Strengthened conditions for a democratic transition.
• Strengthened conditions for a strengthened civil society and support for organizations, democracy movements, actors and networks that stand up for human rights and freedoms as well as democracy and the rule of law.
• Strengthened conditions for preventing and managing the effects of conflict and strengthened inclusive processes for consensus on future governance.

Objective area 2: Strengthening women's and girls' freedom and empowerment

• Strengthening the conditions for gender equality, with a particular focus on strengthening the empowerment and freedom of women and girls, including reduced sexual and gender-based violence.

Objective area 3: Health and sexual and reproductive health and rights

• Improving access to basic health care, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, for the most vulnerable.

To promote positive developments in Myanmar, Sweden is working with various partners, not least non-governmental and multilateral organizations. Swedish development assistance in Myanmar can be illustrated by the following three examples:

A) Sweden supports democracy and civil society organizations that, among other things, run strategic processes to promote consensus within the political opposition.

B) Sweden contributes to the development of local health systems to offer access to health services in hard-to-reach environments, including access to sexual and reproductive health.

C) Sweden supports independent media to provide information in accordance with good journalistic practice, which is based on everyone's right to receive information and opinions.