February
26, 2018
Interview
with Dr. Stephan Paul Jost (WHO representative to Myanmar)
Q:
How important do you think this event is for our country?
A:
I think it’s a very important event. The Development Assistance Policy is a key
framework for partners and the different institutions and sectors in the
government and civil society. And the Draft Myanmar Sustainable Development
Plan too is a new departure, and both together are going to be very important
markers for the development debate and implementation.
Q:
What do you think are the biggest challenges for our country in the democratic
transition?
A:
That’s a very big question; I hope I can do justice to its magnitude. I think
there are many challenges but also significant progress has already been made.
If anyone were to predict how far Myanmar had come in the last 5 years, I think
very few people would have dared to actually say so. So the country has moved
ahead fast both socially and economically and I hope also in terms of
protecting the environment. In addition, of course, many, many problems remain
as well. For peace, in certain areas of the country, it’s still the key to
achieve for sustainable development, continued progress and induction of
poverty in economic development and in doing so in an environmentally
sustainable way so that all future generations will not suffer, but benefit.
Q:
What suggestions or recommendations would you like to make on our country for
achieving sustainable development?
A:
I’m the WHO representative here and I’m privileged to work in this country. Our
assessment is that a key thing would be to strengthen the state and regional
level effectively so that these different states and regions can really fulfill
the functions they were designed to do and that will really help Myanmar move
forward in a much faster and more equitable way as well. Because development
cannot just be directed from the center, it does need to be multipolar and
here, I think the states and regions in this country are the key level to
strengthen next in terms of human resources, capacity building, and material
resources in a comprehensive and serious way.
Attention
to implementation and implementation capacity is key because we all know that
it’s already difficult enough to do good plans and policies but to implement
them is even a much bigger challenge still. And to give sustained attention to
implementation capacity and progress will be crucial.
Perhaps,
finally, people should be at the center of our endeavors and the end of
communal strife in the country where it still exists will be very important for
development to be sustained and for the fruits of development to be shared with
all. It’s very important that the different ethnic nationalities and all groups
of societies are included and feel that they have a stake in the future of
Myanmar because ultimately it’s a beautiful country and has tremendous
potential.
Q:
Some economists say that Myanmar’s economy is stagnant in this time of the new
government, so I want to know your opinion about the prospect on Myanmar’s
economy and the achieving of sustainable economic and potential investment from
western countries.
A:
I think the prospects for Myanmar’s economy are good. We’ve heard from the
World Bank representative this morning saying that growth has averaged 8 per
cent close to it since 2011 and that future prospects for growth are also good,
provided of course that there are further structural reforms and the
improvement of implementation capacity which is really building up people’s
ability to also implement for foreign investment in the country, and to do it
in the different sectors. Education and health will remain crucial for this
investment to come because you need good human capital, so to speak; healthy
and well-educated people for sustainable progress to be made. Myanmar people
are very clever, capable and a lot of prospect. Plus it’s a young population
overall so there’s a demographic dividend as well and there is still a lot of
catching up to do especially in the different parts of the country. Some people
suffer more than others and it’s very important that this is addressed. That, again,
will give more confidence for economic investment. I think western investment
will remain good and strong but it’s really getting the structure of things
right in the country, and sustained equitable development will be the keys to
promote further investment.
Of
course, the less conflict, the better. The more peace there is, the better. The
idea of a federal democratic union is basically very sound. I come from
Germany, which is a federal country and has done well with the federal
constitution. We have 16 states and Myanmar has 17 states so it sounds very
similar. I think there is a good prospect here if not everything is directed
from the center and relative autonomy can be given to the states and regions to
look after their own affairs as best as they can. If they are really enabled to
do that then that will be very important for the future of the country.
Q:
What are the key to Myanmar economic development?
A:
I think the social sector needs to be strongly supported. Education is key,
training for people both in the school and universities and also for vocational
training and skill-building. The modern world is moving so fast that a lot of
new skills and technologies are coming in. For that training an open mind will
be crucial. Health is also key because you do need to be healthy in order to
lead a fulfilling life and to contribute socially and economically.
We
know from experience around the world that Public Health is a key thing to move
further and faster and to have the greatest benefit for the people. Here
Myanmar has quite a good record and the current union minister is a public
health expert himself. So I think there are a lot of good things happening that
need to continue. Strong support for states and regions and for implementation
capacity will remain crucial.
Ref;
The Global New Light of Myanmar
No comments:
Post a Comment