Implementation of Local Governance Mapping in Seven States/Regions, Myanmar

Myanmar is in transition, with numerous reforms underway to strengthen the democratization process. The 2008 Constitution provides basic principles of democracy, rule of law and human rights, and the separation of powers. There is a strong commitment of the Government of Myanmar to further roll out and implement a complex reform agenda at multiple levels including and with a specific emphasis at the local and sub national level.
To contribute to an enhanced basis for policy dialogue, and to support decision making, planning and engagement for national stakeholders and development partners, UNDP started conducting an analysis of the state of Sub-national Governance in an initial group of 7 States and Regions of Myanmar from November 2013 with an option to complete all 14 State/Regions in 2014. This initiative aims to respond to scarcity of data and to provide a critical contribution to the ongoing reform process.
The purpose of the mapping exercise is to better understand the state of governance in Myanmar at both state/region and township level, from both the supply and demand side perspective, i.e., from the institutional and people’s perspectives. The mapping exercise will identify the opportunities and challenges that exist in the area of sub-national governance, in order to contribute to policy discussions on regional and local governance in an informed manner. It is expected that this mapping exercise will build on the momentum of reforms, and contribute to a further consolidation of the democratic transition process in Myanmar.  
The Sub-national Governance Mapping exercise will therefore provide national stakeholders with the necessary data and information to make better informed decisions/produce better informed policies/better plans for improved service delivery and democratic governance at local level. The people of Myanmar (including the poor and most vulnerable) will provide much of the content of this mapping exercise; it gives them an opportunity to express their perceptions. Additionally, it will make UNDP and other International Development Partners with relevant baseline data to improve programming, indicator development and progress monitoring. The outcome of this mapping exercise will be used as a basis to design and refine jointly with the government counterparts UNDPs future work on local governance in Myanmar.  
The mapping exercise has been successfully implemented in the pilot states of Mon and Chin, and currently being implemented in five more states/regions in Phase II, to be completed by end of July 2014. UNDP proposes to roll out this process to all remaining seven states/regions between August-November 2014.
The objective of the assignment is to implement the Sub-national Governance Mapping exercise in seven states/regions – Mandalay, Magway, Sagaing and Yangon (regions), Shan, Kachin and Rakhine (states) – as per the proposed methodology in the attached Terms of Reference, which has been endorsed by a wide range of stakeholders including the Government of Myanmar, and already implemented across half the country.