UN Women Myanmar

Myanmar is emerging from 60 years of isolation, authoritarian rule and protracted armed conflict, and has embarked on a historic process of peace, governance and economic reforms. In a population of 52 million, half of all women are not in the workforce. Their concentration in vulnerable employment, sectoral and occupational segmentation, gender pay gaps, poor skill levels and bearing the sole responsibility of care work are other concerns women face in Myanmar. Women occupy only 13 per cent of all seats (elected and appointed) in the Union Parliament, while conflict and recurring natural disasters have hit women the hardest. Violence against women and girls in every form is widespread and perpetuated by harmful gender stereotypes.
UN Women has been present in Myanmar as a project office since 2013. From early 2019, however, the office is transitioning into being a fully fledged country office, repositioning and better aligning its resources to be able to support Myanmar in its commitment to ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment. The team is expanding, as is the office’s operational capacity, to ensure greater efficacy in delivering results in line with our mandates and corporate responsibilities.