ASEAN CSR Network (ACN) organised Module 3 of the ASEAN CSR Fellowship between 1 and 5 October 2018, in Yangon, Myanmar. This was the final module of the ASEAN CSR Fellowship Programme 2018. It was held with support from the Government of Sweden through the Embassy of Sweden in Bangkok, National Youth Council (NYC) Singapore, Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and Impact Hub Yangon.

A total 19 Fellows participated in this module, representing all the ASEAN nationalities except Thailand and Brunei. The vast majority of our Fellows are employed in the private sector, while the remainder work in the third sector and academia.

The overall aim of the Fellowship programme is to develop a pool of professionals who can be ambassadors for responsible business in Southeast Asia. It aims to bring together a team of high-potential individuals from businesses, governments, academia and civil society and equip them with in-depth theoretical and practical concepts in responsible business. As ASEAN continues to face a variety of complex national and regional issues, the Fellowship also aims to deepen cross-border perspectives, and unite a new generation of CSR leaders in our common goal towards regional sustainable development.

In this module, our Fellows explored familiar themes of responsible business and corporate governance in one of ASEAN’s fastest-growing emerging economies. They examined a variety of responsible and inclusive business issues, ranging from land rights to women’s empowerment, through interactive sessions with individuals from backgrounds in business, government and civil society. The Fellows also went through a workshop on Design Thinking to equip them with the necessary skills to design their own CSR programmes in future.In this module, our Fellows explored familiar themes of responsible business and corporate governance in one of ASEAN’s fastest-growing emerging economies. They examined a variety of responsible and inclusive business issues, ranging from land rights to women’s empowerment, through interactive sessions with individuals from backgrounds in business, government and civil society. The Fellows also went through a workshop on Design Thinking to equip them with the necessary skills to design their own CSR programmes in future.

The programme also included learning visits to: a) Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), b) Ball Asia Pacific (Yangon) Metal Container Linited, c) Shwe Taung Group, and d) City Mart Holdings.

Among the prominent role players of this programme were:

• Dr Maung Maung Lay, Vice President, UMFCCI
• Ms Khine Khine Nwe, Joint Secretary General, UMFCCI, and Board of Trustees, ACN
•  Professor Aung Tun Thet, Chief Coordinator, Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine (UEHRD)
•  Mr Martin Pun, Advisor to the Board, First Myanmar Investment Company (FMI) 
•  Mr Aung Naing Oo, Director General, Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) 
•  HE Vanessa Elizabeth Chan Yuen Ying, Ambassador to Myanmar, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
•  Mr Aung Soe Tha, Chairman, Myanmar Japan Thilawa SEZ Development Co Ltd 
•  Ms Cho Cho Wynn, Vice Chairperson, Thilawa SEZ Management Committee 
•  Ms Sandar Htun, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Shwe Taung Real Estate 
•  Ms Win Win Tint, CEO, City Mart Holdings

The events of first day of the programme were held at UMFCCI in Yangon. In the first session, Understanding Myanmar, Vice President of UMFCCI, Dr Maung Maung Lay gave an overview of the political and socio-economic issues in Myanmar’s modern history. He placed Myanmar’s economic policies, particularly those pertaining to land use, in the context of Myanmar’s changing political, economic and social landscapes. Dr Maung Maung Lay provided an insider’s perspective on Myanmar’s history that he claims is usually absent from international media.

The following session on Business and Peace was led by Professor Aung Tun Thet, Chief Coordinator of UEHRD. Prof Aung gave a presentation on the private sector’s potential to promote an expanded concept of peace that applied not only to conflict areas, but also to the workplace, the marketplace and within local communities. Besides sharing about the various challenges Myanmar continues to face incorporating social responsibility into its business landscape, Prof Aung highlighted the various milestones Myanmar has reached in promoting CSR and the ways in which CSR may yet bring the country further progress.

The first day of the programme ended with a panel discussion on Responsible Investment that was moderated by Mr Martin Pun, Advisor to the Board of FMI. Panelist Mr Aung Naing Oo, Director General of DICA, elaborated on the various policies and laws the government of Myanmar has adopted to shape an investment climate which promotes responsible business. Panelist Mr Win Min, Senior Programme Associate (Tourism, ICT & Regulatory) at the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB),  further touched on the obstacles faced in pushing the private sector to adopt responsible business practices.

The second day of the programme began with a session on Tourism in Myanmar led by Mr Nyunt Win Naing, Chairman of the Myanmar Responsible Tourism Insitute. Mr Nyunt spoke to our Fellows about Myanmar’s as yet untapped potential for tourism, and about the challenges of promoting responsible business practices in a nascent tourism industry. Mr Nyunt emphasized the importance of engaging the various stakeholders – government, businesses, and local communities – in ensuring that tourism in Myanmar develops in a sustainable way. 

In the afternoon, our Fellows paid a visit to the Singapore Embassy in Yangon to hear Her Excellency Vanessa Chan, Singapore Ambassador to Myanmar, Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, speak on The ASEAN Community in 2018. In an interactive dialogue that touched on topics ranging from sustainable development to ASEAN’s consensus-centric approach to regional relations, Ambassador Chan provided numerous insights into the inner workings of the ASEAN community.

Ambassador Chan leading an engaging informal dialogue with our Fellows at the Singapore Embassy in Yangon.

The day’s programme ended with a final session conducted at UMFCCI on Human Trafficking and Forced Labour. Ms Ohnmar Ei Ei Chaw, Country Director of Issara Institue Myanmar spoke about the global regulatory environment surrounding human trafficking and forced labour issues, and The day’s programme ended with a final session conducted at UMFCCI on Human Trafficking and Forced Labour. Ms Ohnmar Ei Ei Chaw, Country Director of Issara Institue Myanmar spoke about the global regulatory environment surrounding human trafficking and forced labour issues, and delivered an insightful presentation on Issara’s approach, centered on workers’ voices, to combating forced labour and human trafficking within global supply chains.

On the third day, our Fellows went on a day trip to Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ). In the morning, Mr Aung Soe Tha, Chairman of Myanmar Japan Thilawa SEZ Development Co Ltd, as well as Ms Cho Cho Wynn, Vice Chairperson of Thilawa SEZ Management Committee, provided the Fellows with an introduction to Thilawa SEZ’s operational structure. The speakers provided our Fellows with a comprehensive look at the reasons for establishing Thilawa SEZ, the various incentives offered in Thilawa SEZ aimed at attracting investment, and the resettlement and income restoration program for Project-Affected Persons (PAPs).On the third day, our Fellows went on a day trip to Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ). In the morning, Mr Aung Soe Tha, Chairman of Myanmar Japan Thilawa SEZ Development Co Ltd, as well as Ms Cho Cho Wynn, Vice Chairperson of Thilawa SEZ Management Committee, provided the Fellows with an introduction to Thilawa SEZ’s operational structure. The speakers provided our Fellows with a comprehensive look at the reasons for establishing Thilawa SEZ, the various incentives offered in Thilawa SEZ aimed at attracting investment, and the resettlement and income restoration program for Project-Affected Persons (PAPs).

Following their session with Mr Aung Soe Tha and Ms Cho Cho Wynn, the Fellows were invited to visit the factory of Ball Asia Pacific (Yangon) Metal Container Limited, located in Thilawa SEZ. Mr Min Ta La Nyan, Country Manager of Ball Asia Pacific (Yangon), first gave an overview of Ball Corporation’s operations in Myanmar and Thilawa SEZ, with particular reference to their CSR program in Myanmar. Mr Min then lead our Fellows on a tour around the factory premises to observe Ball Corporation’s manufacturing processes and working conditions.

The day ended with an informative tour around Thilawa SEZ’s customs clearance grounds and the Water Purification Plant (WPP) at Thilawa SEZ, to help them better understand the day-to-day operations in Thilawa SEZ and the issues surrounding sustainability and water resource management in the SEZ.

Indonesian Fellows, Lucius Dinto Pramudyo and Mardian Marsono learning about Ball Corporations’s manufacturing process firsthand from a representative of Ball Asia Pacific (Yangon).

Day 4 began with a learning visit to Junction City Mall hosted by Shwe Taung Group. Ms Sandar Htun, CEO of Shwe Taung Real Estate, and Mr Giuseppe Sardone, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Shwe Taung Development Co., Ltd, introduced our Fellows to the basic structure of Shwe Taung Group and to Shwe Taung’s CSR strategy. A key focus of her presentation was how Shwe Taung has extensively incorporated CSR into its business model, from contractually mandating its suppliers to source materials responsibly to encouraging civil society organisations to use the open spaces in its malls for donation drives.

Ms Wai Ling Mark, gallery owner of ArtAnt, a pop-up art gallery in Junction City Mall, also spoke at the session. She presented on how the room our Fellows were hosted in had been converted into an art exhibition to promote the work of local artists. The session ended with a tour around Junction City Mall led by Ms Sandar Htun. 

Ms Sandar Htun leading our Fellows on a walking tour of Junction City Mall.

Our Fellows then returned to UMFCCI for a lunchtime sharing by Yangon Bakehouse. Ms Nova Cecilia, Disability Technical Advisor at Yangon Bakehouse, shared about Yangon Bakehouse’s mission as social enterprise working for women’s empowerment in Yangon, particularly for women with disabilities. During the session, our Fellows were afforded the rare chance of interacting directly with Yangon Bakehouse’s beneficiaries, who were invited to speak at the session. 

The afternoon programme saw our Fellows embark on a learning visit to City Mart Holdings, one of Myanmar’s leading retailers and supermarket chains. Ms Win Win Tint, CEO, and Mr Win Myint Aung, Director – Corporate Affairs of City Mart Holdings, provided an introduction to City Mart Holdings and a comprehensive overview of City Mart’s well-developed CSR philosophy and programmes. The sharing session was followed by a tour of City Mart’s first supermarket outlet in Yangon.

Chairperson of Class of 2018 Fellows Rhea Sianipar presenting Ms Win Win Tint with a token of appreciation.

On the fifth and final day, the Fellows went through a workshop on Design Thinking conducted by Mr Okka Myo, Co-founder and Director of Impact Hub Yangon. In his workshop, Mr Okka Myo covered the fundamental principles of design thinking and conducted interactive activities in which our Fellows applied their newly learnt principles to real-life CSR challenges.

Product presentation from the Design Thinking workshop.

Our Fellowship closed with a ceremony in which the Class of 2018 received their certificates as official graduands of the ASEAN CSR Fellowship Programme.