BOLD LEADERSHIP

Cordaid with local partners is implementing an urban resilience programme in Yangon, Myanmar. Lessons learnt from urban resilience programming after a disaster (Philippines) and in development times (Jakarta) are being taken forward to work in Myanmar (fragile context).

Two approaches developed by Cordaid over the years are being used to increase the resiliency of one of the most vulnerable communities in Yangon: Urban Resilience Programming and Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction (CMDRR). These two approaches include a number of activities and tools. 

 The Cordaid team in Yangon is fairly new and has no prior experience in these two specific approaches. In March 2018 the team was trained in CMDRR and the team has been implementing the Integrated Risk Mapping over the last few months. 

Remaining, is a need for the team to be trained in the urban resilience approach and to receive follow up-support on the CMDRR method.

The objective of my appointment was therefore:

• Finalizing the already conducted risk mappings (in preparation of the validation workshop);
• Finalizing the already conducted stakeholder assessment (in preparation of the validation workshop);
• Capacitating the team on development of community (ward) action plan, as follow up support on the risk mappings
• Support and guide the team in the facilitation of the validation workshop;
• Transfer of knowledge and skills in urban resilience. With a particular focus on:
• Multi-stakeholders workshop 
• Establishment of a new resilient community platform or further development of an already existing platform.
• Other countries’ experiences in urban resilience, successes and failures;
• Urban resilience and the relation to urban planning and development 
• Urban resilience and its linkages to environmental strategy
• Urban resilience and the relationship to social cohesion, social harmony, and peace.

OUTCOMES

The methodology used to develop the Domestic Violence Strategy in Philippi has been focused on a combination of key processes:

• Mapping of key domestic violence stakeholders and production of a local service directory
• Multi-stakeholder meetings to define a joint strategy to improve domestic violence services in Philippi
• Sub-granting for development of multi-stakeholders pilot initiatives to improve domestic violence services.

Over 7 days in Myanmar these are the outcomes we achieved:

• A Validation workshop took place and was well facilitated. Risk mapping and stakeholder analysis completed by the Yangon team was validated by the multi-stakeholder platform.
• Cordaid team in Yangon now have the capacity and feel confident to facilitate the development of ward action plans.
• Cordaid team in Yangon are confident to facilitate validation workshops in the future.
• Cordaid team in Yangon understand the principles of the multi stakeholder approach and feel confident to host the series of multi stakeholder workshops in the next phase of the project.
• Cordaid team in Yangon has a strategy in place for establishing a resilient community platform.
• Cordaid team in Yangon feel more confident in executing the urban resilience approach.
• Cordaid team in Yangon have gained a good understanding of the relation between urban resilience and urban planning, urban development, environmental strategies, social cohesion, social harmony and peace.