Myanmar at the HLP Crossroads: - Displacement Solutions

25Myanmar at the HLP CrossroadsAddress urban and rural HLP issues.Perhaps indicative of the still largely rural nature of society, the vast majority of attention to the HLP sphere sincethe new Government took power has been upon HLP issues largely affecting various classifications of land in thecountryside. While these rural issues are vital and certainly in need of serious attention, urban housing conditionsalso require structural attention by the Government. Measures should be taken to build on the positive steps recentlyundertaken in Yangon to preserve certain portions of the city and the intention of the YCDC to establish an urbanplanning department. For example, the Government should do whatever possible to maintain Yangon’s unique positionas the only large urban area in Asia where virtually no high-rise towers have been built, and only provide planningpermission for high-rises in areas located far outside the urban core.All relevant international treaties recognising HLP rights should be ratifiedwithout reservations by the Government of Myanmar.This should begin with the ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, andthen be followed by all remaining core international human rights instruments. Moreover, given the history of InternationalLabour Organisation involvement in the country, the full ratification of all ILO Conventions by the Governmentwould send a very strong, positive signal to the international community as a whole.Finally, a Code of Conduct for Businesses Investing in Myanmar committing the companiesto a no-grabbing-no eviction-no displacement policy in all projects in which they are involvedshould be promoted by companies already engaged in responsible investment.Every company investing in Myanmar should be strongly encouraged to sign such a Code of Conduct and act ina manner fully consistent with the HLP rights of everyone in the country. Companies need to ensure that they areactive supporters of the democratization process and that they fully respect the rule of law, basic human rights andenvironmental protection measures and that they generally join forces with the Government and civil society to builda modern, fair and equitable Myanmar. In addition to taking responsibility for their own actions, companies shouldinsist on assurances, in entering into agreements with the Myanmar government, that there have been no HLP violationsin the land acquisition and transfer process.5.4 RECOMMENDATION 4:FACILITATE TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING FOR PARLIAMENTARIANS,GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND POLITICAL PARTIES ON HLP RIGHTSBEST PRACTICE AND INTERNATIONAL STANDARDSRapid and comprehensive training and capacity building on HLP rights issues should be provided to Parliamentarians,Ministers, relevant ministry officials and political parties. Given the long absence of democratic practices andlack of legislative experience and standard administrative practices, there is a deficit in legislative and administrativesophistication within many political entities in Myanmar. This is particularly true as this relates to the protectionof HLP rights. Intensive and practical training of MP’s, relevant Government officials and political parties is a priorityand an activity that should be pursued in the immediate term.