The impacts of the COVID-19 economic crisis are threatening the livelihoods and welfare of vulnerable households in Myanmar. Declining household income from increases in unemployment and declines in remittances can have negative long-term effects on the food and nutrition insecurity of households and the overall welfare of vulnerable populations. A deeper understanding of the social and economic impacts of COVID-19, through careful monitoring, can guide government, civil society, and development partners on policies and interventions to mitigate these effects.
On September 15, 2020, the Myanmar Agriculture Policy Support Activity held a virtual policy seminar in collaboration with the Livelihoods and Food Security Fund and the University of Michigan, presenting findings based on recent phone surveys of COVID-19's impact on Myanmar's food and nutrition security. The seminar addressed the negative impacts of the pandemic and the sustained positive impacts of maternal and child cash transfers on maternal and infant nutritional care. The Director General of the Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation, U Kyaw Swe Lin, and the Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement, U Kyaw Linn Htin, provided government perspectives on these issues and information on the recent actions the government has undertaken to protect vulnerable households.
Moderator:
Katy Webley, Fund Director, Livelihoods and Food Security Fund
Opening Remarks:
U Kyaw Swe Lin, Director General, Department of Planning, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation
Speakers:
Derek Headey, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute - Poverty and Food Security Impacts
Sophie Goudet, Senior Technical Advisor Nutrition - Nutritional Care Services
Elisa Maria Maffioli, Assistant Professor, Health Management and Policy, University of Michigan - Sustained Impacts of Maternal & Child Cash Transfers
Panelists:
U Kyaw Linn Htin, Director, Department of Social Welfare, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief, and Resettlement
Questions & answers from the virtual policy seminar
Relevant publications
- Poverty and food insecurity during COVID-19: Evidence from the COVID-19 Rural and Urban Food Security Survey (RUFSS) - June and July 2020
- The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on maternal and child malnutrition in Myanmar
- COVID-19 and the food system: Setback or opportunity for gender equality?
- Additional COVID-19 impact analyses from IFPRI-Myanmar