South East Programme

*****Proposals must be received by email at the following address: lift.proposals.mmoh@unops.org on the date and time indicated in CfP. *****

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LIFT’s programming in the South East is guided by the LIFT strategy 2019-2023. LIFT’s purpose is to strengthen the resilience and sustainable livelihoods of poor and vulnerable groups in Myanmar, particularly women, internally displaced people and returnees, migrants, smallholder farmers, landless people, people with disabilities and those vulnerable to trafficking and forced labour.

LIFT seeks to contribute to this purpose through three impact-level outcomes:

• Improved nutrition status, particularly for women and children
• Increased household income and assets, with greater control by women
• Reduced vulnerability of households and individuals to shocks, stresses and risks

The South East region of Myanmar has significant diversity in terms of ethnic groups, conflict dynamics, agro-ecological zones, market development, government services and the resulting challenges and opportunities these present for inclusive development. Following over five decades of conflict between various Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) operating in the region and the Government of Myanmar, a number of the EAOs operating in the region - most notably the Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) - became signatories to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA). Over the years, a large section of the population has been affected by conflict, with many migrating to Thailand (and some staying in camps there) while others faced internal displacement as a result of military and economic activity.

The limited development of local livelihood opportunities, linked to the protracted conflict, continues to push a large number of people to migrate, often through irregular channels, in search of better incomes and working conditions. Thus, while greater stability in recent years has led to increased investment by private companies and international actors, the region can be characterised by its persistent conflict dynamics, low levels of trust, limited capacity (strategic, technical, regulatory, budgetary) of both the state and Ethnic Service Providers[1] (ESPs), poor coordination across conflict lines, challenging topographical conditions, exposure to climate shocks and stresses, contested land rights regimes and limited economic opportunities. These factors converge to create unsustainable and exclusionary patterns of development that leave the poorest and most-vulnerable groups and individuals behind.

Operating within the interim arrangements in a conflict sensitive manner, LIFT’s programme in the South East of Myanmar aims to lay the groundwork for and catalyse, where possible, inclusive, climate-resilient[2] and sustainable development in the region that addresses food, nutrition and livelihood security of the most vulnerable. This includes a specific focus on Internally Displaced People (IDPs), returnees, women, youth and those at risk of labour exploitation.

Full details of the scope of the call for concept notes, including objectives, target groups, geographies and components, can be found in Annex 1.

LIFT has provided a more detailed analysis of the context of the South East and its approach for the region in the LIFT Southeast Programme Framework.