Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability
We support the MATA network in advancing dialogue between business, civil society and government around the sustainable use of Myanmar’s natural resources.
The Partner
Disagreement around the management of natural resources is one of the main drivers of conflict in Myanmar. The Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability (MATA) is Myanmar’s largest civil society network working on strengthening governance around the country’s vast mineral resource deposits. Hence, strengthening MATA translates into opportunities for hundreds of civil society organisations to better understand how to address issues around mining that affect communities across Myanmar.
MATA also represents Myanmar’s civil society in the Myanmar Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (MEITI), where it has regular engagement with Myanmar government and business stakeholders on resource governance issues.
Our Support
In 2018, PeaceNexus provided technical expertise to MATA in the area of company-community dialogue, which fed into a broader discussion around whether and how MATA might engage businesses. Through the engagement with PeaceNexus, MATA identified best practices that members might follow, and developed a strategy for corporate engagement that has since been approved by its steering committee and introduced to all members.
The Results
MATA has now positioned itself to work with local business associations, as well as government mining departments at several levels, to address the social and environmental impacts of mining. As a next step, the network will initiate partnerships with local state and regional governments around the development of their mining policies. As part of this work, MATA has developed strong relationships with industrial associations specific to the mining sector, and initiated dialogue with business on sustainable mining practices.
Presently, Myanmar lacks mining policies at the local level, with most of the small and artisanal mining in the country occurring outside any regulatory framework. MATA is now well positioned to assist local government in incorporating sound environmental and social criteria in local mining policies, and to work with mining companies to support changes in practices.
PeaceNexus continues to provide support to MATA around this process, bringing in expertise and lessons learned from other countries and regions. The introduction of local mining policies is a first step towards addressing the critical question of revenue sharing between the central and local governments, a matter which sits at the heart of Myanmar’s peace process.
