asia.aidforum.org Interview with Paul Luchtenburg, Country Director, Myanmar, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) at Aid & Development Asia Summit 2017
14-15 June I Myanmar International Convention Centre 2 (MICC-2) I Naypyitaw, Myanmar
The 3rd annual Aid & Development Asia Summit attracted 300+ high-profile participants from the government, national and international NGOs, businesses, UN organisations, donors and media. Following the success of the previous Summit held at the United Nations Conference Centre in Bangkok, this year’s event zoomed in on current initiatives and latest trends around procurement, technology and innovation in Southeast Asia’s aid and development sector, with a focus on Myanmar.
The Summit featured 17 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge products and services that support the progress of Sustainable Development Goals and help save lives of disaster victims. Amongst them were Procter & Gamble, HemoCue, NRS International, Okkar Thiri Co. Ltd., Aquatabs, B Medical Systems, Envirofit, Imerys, Toyota Gibraltar Stockholdings Ltd., Inmarsat, Dulas, GIZ and IIRR.
Day one offered an update on policies and regional programmes in food security, climate-smart agriculture, community resilience, disaster preparedness, infrastructure and education. The opening keynote address was given by Dr Tin Htut, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation, Myanmar. Peter Batchelor, Country Director at United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) set the scene with a presentation on aid and development trends in Myanmar and Southeast Asia.
The second day was dedicated to technology innovations and best practice in data strategy and mobile-based initiatives in Myanmar, as well as building Asia’s capacity to meet health SDGs and deal with public health threats. Dr That Zin Htoo, Assistant Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and Sports, Myanmar gave an opening keynote speech.
Planet of the Apps, a new feature of the Aid & Development Asia Summit, presented mobile applications that help support SDGs in the region. Showcased apps include Green Way, ReliefWeb, AidHedge, Share The Meal and ETC Reporter.
Over the two days, the Summit participants learned about initiatives and programmes in Southeast Asia, discovered applications of new technologies and established long-lasting partnerships with key stakeholders including government ministers, UN representatives, NGOs and the private sector companies in aid and sustainable development.
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