Myanmar is only just starting to open up to international cooperation after half a century of military rule and isolation. How should foreign donors and their implementing partners approach the country, which is struggling to handle the recent huge influx of development assistance?
It’s all about understanding the strengths and weaknesses of such a challenging environment, says Stephen Groff, vice president for operations at the Asian Development Bank, who sat down with Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar for a video interview on the sidelines of Devex’s first Partnerships & Careers Forum in Manila this week.
Groff compared Myanmar’s situation to that of the Philippines, where local capacity is much higher but where international expertise is still needed in some areas.
Check out the below clip for more insights from the ADB senior official on how the Manila-based institution views the future of development cooperation — and its own role — in Myanmar:
View our full video interview with ADB’s Stephen Groff.
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About the author
Carlos Santamaria
Carlos is a former associate editor for breaking news in Devex's Manila-based news team. He joined Devex after a decade working for international wire services Reuters, AP, Xinhua, EFE ,and Philippine social news network Rappler in Madrid, Beijing, Manila, New York, and Bangkok. During that time, he also covered natural disasters on the ground in Myanmar and Japan.
