Mitsubishi Corporation Supports NGO Initiatives Aimed at Assisting Farming Communities in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar

April 29, 2015

Mitsubishi Corporation

Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with OISCA International (OISCA), an NGO specializing in international cooperation, to expand or newly construct training facilities as part of OISCA’s efforts to train farmers in the Mandalay Region of Myanmar.

OISCA has carried out capacity building and support activities to promote agricultural development in Myanmar since 1996. The training center established by OISCA in the Central Dry Zone of Myanmar in 1997 produces 20 agricultural leaders per year. MC aims to double the output capacity of the center by supporting either the center’s expansion or the construction of new facilities.

In March of this year, MC became the first private sector donor to the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT), administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), with the aim of supporting initiatives which improve the lives and prospects of poor and vulnerable people in rural communities across Myanmar.

As a global integrated business enterprise, MC carefully considers how it can provide mid to long-term support to the countries and regions in which it operates, and the company also carries out international contributions initiatives tailored to the needs of the local communities. Up to March 2015, MC has supported some 67 projects in 43 countries.

The Mandalay and Magway Regions occupy much of what is referred to as the Central Dry Zone in Myanmar. The area receives very little rainfall and the development of irrigation channels has also not advanced, making it a very infertile area. The Dry Zone is, however, inhabited by a large number of poor farming communities, making it one of Myanmar’s biggest social issues.

MC will provide comprehensive support to rural farming communities through OISCA’s and LIFT’s programs.

[Overview of OISCA and Details of Support]

Overview of OISCA:

Established as an international cooperation NGO in 1961, OISCA has a presence in 34 countries and regions, mainly in the Asia Pacific region. The organization focuses on sustainable rural development and public awareness activities, with agricultural development (including organic farming), training and ecological safety as its main themes. OISCA set up an agricultural training center in Magway, Myanmar in 1997 at the request of the United Nations, as part of the UN’s efforts to reduce poverty in Myanmar’s Central Dry Zone, an area with a high number of poor farming communities, through the development of farming techniques. The center has trained over 330 agricultural leaders at a rate of approximately 20 per year.

Details of Support: Contribution of the funds necessary for the expansion or construction of training center facilities for the purpose of agricultural capacity development in the Mandalay region.

[Overview of LIFT and Details of Support]

Overview of LIFT:

LIFT was set up in Myanmar in 2009 to support poor rural farming communities as part of initiatives aimed at achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (including that of halving rates of extreme poverty and hunger). The fund, which is administered by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), provides financial assistance to NGOs and other implementing partners engaged in activities in Myanmar. Donations to the fund are currently provided by public institutions from Australia, Denmark, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, European Union and the United States of America. Mitsubishi Corporation became the fund’s first private sector donor in March 2015.

Details of Support: Contribution of 200,000 USD over a four-year period to improve the lives and prospects of poor and vulnerable people in rural Myanmar

[United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS)]

Founded on January 1, 1995, the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is an operational arm of the United Nations, which implements projects on behalf of other agencies in the United Nations System, international financial institutions, governments and other partners operating in the international development sphere. UNOPS manages, evaluates and monitors the successful implementation of its partners’ peacebuilding, humanitarian and development projects around the world. UNOPS therefore manages - including evaluating, improving and monitoring - the various activities conducted by LIFT and its partners towards the reduction of poverty in Myanmar.