• The following set of national policies and programmes have been identified as key priorities in Myanmar, which REDD+ should align with and support where possible:
• National Forest Policy (1995) and National Forest Law (2018)
• Myanmar Climate Change Strategy and Master Plan (2018-2030) and Myanmar Climate Change Policy (2019)
• National Environmental Policy (2019) and Environmental Conservation Law (2012)
• National Land Use Policy (2016)
• National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and Protection of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law (2018)
• Myanmar Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (2017)
• Myanmar Sustainable Development Plan (2018-2030)
• The Constitution of Myanmar (2008)
• National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2013-2022)
• Myanmar National Social Protection Strategic Plan (2014)
• Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Ethnic Armed Organizations (2015)
• A number of coordinating processes and bodies are relevant to the alignment of REDD+ Policies and  Measures (PaMs) with the objectives of other policies, programmes and international agreements:
• The National Environmental Conservation and Climate Change Central Committee (NE5C) provides guidance on national activities to tackle climate change issues, and manages and coordinates all climate change related activities, including the development of climate change related policies, strategies and action plans. The NE5C includes a Working Committee on Policies, Laws, Regulations and Standards, which works on policy formulation and review of existing laws and regulations; REDD+ falls under the purview of the Climate Change Mitigation and Adaption Working Committee.
• The REDD+ Task Force currently supervises the implementation of all REDD+ Readiness activities.
• The REDD+ Technical Working Groups (TWGs) support decisions on proposals and options in their topic area, and provide information/recommendations to the REDD+ Task Force.
• The National Land Use Council (NLUC) was established to implement the National Land Use Policy and related laws, with membership of the relevant Union Ministers and Chief Ministers of the Regions or States. The NLUC shall establish Land Use Committees and these shall play an important role in coordinating land use between various sectors.
• The Coastal Resources Management Central Committee guides the development and implementation of policies, strategies and regulations related to national-level integrated coastal resource management, supervises collection of information on coastal resources, and provides guidance on the development of an Integrated Coastal Resources Management Programme. This Committee is particularly relevant for REDD+ PaMs in coastal areas, such as mangrove forests.
• Other relevant cross-sectoral coordinating bodies that bring together government and non-government actors and guide policy development and implementation include the Environmental Sector Working Group and the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group.
• The Basic Principles of the 2018 Forest Law are supportive of Principle A, as they state that the Law should be implemented in accordance with the government’s forestry and environmental conservation policy, as well as international agreements relating to the conservation of forests and of the environment (see Criterion A2). These principles should guide the work of all forest sector government institutions. The objectives of the 2018 Forest Law also include implementing policies related with forest, environment and natural resources, as well as International Agreements on climate change and disaster risk reduction.


• In 2019, the Supervising Committee for Consultation on Forest Rules at State and Region Levels was formed to reach the local level during the development of the new draft Forest Rules, with members from Forest Department and international and national NGOs.


• Each Ministry follows its own process to develop a strategy/policy and has responsibility to ensure alignment with other sectors. When laws and policies are submitted to the Cabinet for approval, there is also discussion if there are contradictions with other laws and policies. The Myanmar Development Assistance Policy (DAP, 2018) sets out procedures for the review and approval of development assistance, which requires the responsible government entities to ensure that the grant/loan is in line with the DAP, relevant sector plans, and consistent with/ complementary to other ongoing and planned initiatives.

• A number of processes and steps have been undertaken to date to ensure that the National REDD+ Strategy and PaMs are consistent with the objectives of key policies and programmes:
  
  • Identification of priority national policies and programmes, and international agreements through the national safeguards clarification and in the final draft National REDD+ Strategy, and compilation of statements on their objectives, targets or goals.
  • The establishment of coordinating bodies that played a key role during the development of the Strategy and the initial portfolio of PaMs, such as the REDD+ Task Force and TWGs.
  • Cross-sectoral discussions on the Strategy and the PaMs have taken place within the TWGs, as well as with concerned ministries and expert focus groups, which has contributed to the alignment of the National  REDD+ Strategy with the goals and concerns of various sectors.
  • Consultations with stakeholders including ethnic groups have also been carried out at sub-national and national level as part of the PaMs development process.
  • Final validation and approval of the National REDD+ Strategy through a national validation workshop and an online comment period, to be followed by approval of the Strategy by the REDD+ Taskforce, endorsement from the NE5C, and final submission to Cabinet by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC).

The Basic Principles of the Forest Law, even though they call for alignment of forestry and environmental conservation policies, are not sufficient to ensure that REDD+ PaMs are designed to be consistent with the objectives of priority  programmes and policies, due to the lack of a specific operational mechanism, and because REDD+ PaMs outside of the forestry sector would not be covered by the Forest Law. Strategies are not normally formally reviewed for consistency or contradictions with other policies and laws, and not all the relevant coordinating bodies include representatives who should be consulted about alignment with REDD+. Myanmar’s legal framework around climate change also needs to be strengthened.

Recommendations to address these gaps include: 

• The memberships of the coordinating bodies established for REDD+, such as the TWGs and Taskforce, should be assessed for the implementation phase of REDD+, to ensure that the sectors needed for proper cross-sectoral oversight of the PaMs are represented.
• Myanmar’s Safeguards Information System (SIS) should include indicators to track the contribution of REDD+ to a number of priority national policy objectives.
• Opportunities to strengthen Myanmar’s legal framework on climate change and coordination should be identified; for example, through the upcoming revision of the Environmental Conservation Law (2012), through the development of new climate change specific legislation, and/or through the upcoming revision of the Forest Law (2018).