Monitoring and evaluation workshop held for improved stove distribution project in South Asia, Southeast Asia

IN cooperation with Dry Zone Greening Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation and Climate Change Centre (CCC) of the Republic of Korea, monitoring and evaluation workshop for improved cook stoves distribution project in developing countries of South Asia and Southeast Asia (Myanmar) was held under the CCC's plan at Thingaha Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday morning.

First, Union Minister for Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation U Khin Maung Yi said that more than 70 per cent of Myanmar's total population lives in rural areas and uses firewood and charcoal as their main fuel, so the annual firewood demand of rural and urban people is about 17 million cubic tonnes (76 per cent of the total energy).

“The high demand for firewood is a major challenge faced in the implementation of the processes of ensuring the sustainability of forest resources and the conservation of natural forest remnants and combating desertification,” he said. “Since 1997, the Dry Zone Greening Department of Tropical Greenery has been able to distribute more than 742,000 improved cook stoves to people free of charge.

“We are cooperating with international organizations to speed up the distribution of improved cook stoves.

“In collaboration with the Climate Change Centre (CCC) of the Republic of Korea, 218,955 stoves were distributed during the two-year period of the project, and more than 385,000 tonnes of carbon emission were reduced,” he added. Based on the monitoring and evaluation results during the project, officials need to make efforts to achieve better results, the Union minister urged.

Afterwards, officials explained the status of the project and read the research papers related to the use of improved cook stoves, and the attendees made suggestions.

This project is to reduce the consumption of firewood through the distribution of improved cook stoves and help preserve natural forests. Myanmar joins the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and is eligible to implement the United Nations - Clean Development Mechanism (UN-CDM) project to obtain the first emission reduction certificate - CER.

The deputy ministers, the permanent secretary, the directors-general, representatives of the Republic of Korea, representatives from the Climate Change Centre (CCC), and related ministries attended the event.

MNA/ KZL

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