ADFIAP, represented by its Secretary General and Head of its consulting arm, AC, Mr. Octavio B. Peralta and Ms. Cora D. Conde, respectively, attended the official launch of the SMART Myanmar project in the capital city Yangon on March 20, 2013. The event, attended by over 300 participants and guests, was officiated by the Chief Minister of Yangon together with high-ranking representatives from the EU Office, the German Embassy, and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Myanmar Business (UMFCCI).

ADFIAP is part of a consortium of implementing partner-institutions of this project called, “SMEs for Environmental Accountability, Responsibility and Transparency Myanmar” or SMART Myanmar, for short. The consortium, led by sequa gGmbH of Germany, also includes UK’s Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Germany’s Gesamtverband (Confederation of the German Textile and Fashion Industry), the UMFCCI and the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association (MGMA). Associate partners of project are Germany’s GIZ and the Netherlands’ CBI (Center for Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries).

Aside from the official project launch, the mission to Myanmar from March 18-22, 2013 also afforded ADFIAP to meet with consortium partners to: (a) sign the cooperation agreement (b) organize the project steering committee and (c) draw up the project work plans. The timing also provided ADFIAP the opportunity to conduct, as part of the project, seminars for the Myanmar Banks Association (MBA) and the UMFCCI/MGMA on green financing and sustainable consumption and production (SCP) principles and practices, respectively.

The 3-year project, funded by a grant from the European Commission under its SWITCH-Asia Programme https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/asia/regional-cooperation/environment/switch_en.htm, specifically aims to improve the competitiveness and resource-efficient production and consumption of sustainably-manufactured garments from Myanmar. ADFIAP’s main role is to provide technical assistance, particularly in financing areas, to key stakeholders of the project, i.e., the chamber of commerce and industry, the garment association, banks and SMEs. ADFIAP hopes that the experience gained from the project can be shared to its member-development finance institutions (DFIs) in the region.