UN-Habitat Myanmar, in collaboration with numerous local and international partners, has successfully concluded the Myanmar Climate Action Week (MCAW) 2024!

MCAW is an initiative of UN-Habitat under the EU-funded Myanmar Climate Change Alliance 2 (MCCA2) programme, with co-financing this year from CDE/University of Bern. This week-long event, themed “Building Resilience in a Polycrisis,” brought together a diverse range of stakeholders to accelerate local climate solutions in Myanmar.

With active participation from over 20 organizations within the Myanmar Climate Action Network (M-CAN), private sector initiatives, youth groups, women leaders, and local communities, MCAW 2024 focused on key areas like climate adaptation, cross-sectoral partnerships, youth and women empowerment, and innovative resilience solutions.

Key Achievements:

• Increased focus on climate adaptation and resilience efforts among local communities.
• Fostered collaboration among various climate actors to promote climate discussion and action.
• Highlighted the necessity of cross-sectoral partnerships for effective climate action.
• Empowered youth and women to take concrete steps towards climate action.
• Showcased innovative solutions for climate resilience and mitigation.

Key Highlights:

• 800+ trees planted
• School-led climate action initiatives
• Climate Fair featuring 30+ women entrepreneurs
• 70+ speakers from 50+ organizations
• 2 focus sessions and 20 side events
• 2000+ hybrid attendees

Key Outcomes:

1. Empowering Youth for Climate Action
   
   
   • Youth and women play essential roles in community-led climate actions but face vulnerabilities due to limited resources and capacity-building opportunities.
   • It is crucial to provide technical support, knowledge sharing, and financial aid to empower youth and women in decision-making roles.
   • Building and strengthening localized youth networks for climate and gender activists is critical for future progress in addressing climate change.
     

2. World Clean Up Day Campaign
   
   
   • 20th September is designated as World Clean Up Day by the United Nations, to be organized for the first time in 2024. UN-Habitat has been invited to act as the Secretariat and facilitate the celebration in 2024. This event aims to raise awareness about the waste crisis and mobilize all sectors of society for cleanup actions.
   • “Let’s do it Myanmar” proposed to collaborate with M-CAN and UN-Habitat to celebrate this day and organize cleanup campaigns to generate awareness on waste management.

3. Building Resilience in a Polycrisis
   
   
   • Myanmar Climate Action Week is a platform to foster climate dialogue, share information, and elevate awareness about the global and local implications of climate change, driving collective climate action.
   • Emphasizes the importance of investing in the resilience of community systems to address compounded vulnerabilities caused by polycrisis, including climate change.
   • A multifaceted approach at all societal levels is necessary, involving public policies, private sector collaboration, community training, and cultural initiatives.
   • Recognizes the importance of addressing climate change in times of conflict and recommends designing all programs and projects through the lens of climate change.
   • The UN transitional cooperation framework for 2024-2025 in Myanmar also covers climate change and disaster risk issues across sectors.
   • The private sector should develop a greater commitment to collaboration with local partners, and women-led initiatives are crucial for gender equality.
   • Despite Myanmar’s low contribution to global GHG emissions, it is critical for Myanmar to invest in both climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives due to large unmet demands (e.g., energy sector).
   • UN-Habitat has launched the Myanmar Climate Action Portal to facilitate access to knowledge exchange, structured information, e-learning materials, and a catalogue of nature-based solutions.

4. Consumer Rights in the Era of Climate Change
   
   
   • Educating consumers about their rights and responsibilities is crucial for addressing climate change. Exercising the right to information and the right to a healthy environment can shape businesses for a sustainable world.
   • Consumer platforms should advocate for policy changes and promote responsible consumption and production.
     
     
5. The Role of Gender and Youth in Climate Action
   
   
   • Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) need targeted support and resources to identify and implement climate action. A local learning platform or network for CSOs to engage more effectively is necessary.
     
     
6. Locally Led Climate Actions
   
   
   • Localization is key, promoting local ownership, decision-making, and knowledge sharing.
   • Power-sharing arrangements with local CSOs can facilitate accessible funding mechanisms and integrate indigenous knowledge into solutions.
   • Adopt a nexus approach integrating climate action with humanitarian efforts.
     
     
7. Enhancing Climate Resilience through Sustainable Land Use
   
   
   • Effective land management, land use, and infrastructure planning are critical for building resilience, especially among women and farmers.
   • Efforts are needed to strengthen community land rights and participatory planning to enhance food security, land tenure security, and reduce disaster risks.
   • Enhance local dispute resolution mechanisms to address land conflicts.
     
     
8. Innovative Waste Management Solutions
   
   
   • Education on sustainable waste management and recycling processes is needed for communities, waste collectors, and producers to improve the surrounding environment and social well-being.
   • Promoting advanced techniques like the Fukuoka method for waste treatment is necessary to overcome existing challenges.
     
     
9. Climate Action and Financing
   
   
   • Small localized grants can be more effective for directly channeling funds to conflict- and climate-affected communities and CSOs in the current situation in Myanmar.
   • A dedicated funding platform such as the Myanmar Climate Action Fund should be considered to enhance the effectiveness of climate action and promote people-centered solutions with flexible funding and reporting requirements for volatile and insecure contexts.
     
     
10. Climate-Smart Aquaculture through Private Sector Engagement
    
    
    • Recognize the climate vulnerabilities of smallholders in agriculture and promote the role of the private sector in addressing climate change impacts.
    • Understand the role of green finance in scaling climate-smart solutions and utilize climate financing to de-risk private sector investment.
      
      
11. Innovation in Financing Climate Action
    
    
    • Building the capacity of local farmer groups on climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and acknowledging the agriculture sector’s need for stronger support and engagement from the private sector and microfinance institutions (MFIs).
    • Concessional capital can help unlock further climate finance to scale new green lending (debts) and technical advice (grants).
    • Preparing local financing institutions to access instruments such as green guarantees and smart subsidies.
    • Educating local communities on how they can gain livelihood support by integrating carbon credit systems, mangrove aquaculture, integrated farming systems, and agroforestry systems.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who participated and contributed to the success of MCAW 2024. Let’s continue working together towards a climate-resilient future for Myanmar.

See you at the next Myanmar Climate Action Week!