KOICA to establish development think tank in Myanmar

Emerging donor South Korea has high hopes for Myanmar, and the latest step is to establish a new think tank to assist in policy, capacity building and research efforts in the country, as well as boost Seoul’s own development footprint in Southeast Asia.

The Myanmar Development Institute will be based in the capital Naypyitaw and operate with a $20 million budget provided by the Korea International Cooperation Agency over the next five years. The center is expected to be the top national institute for economic and social development in Myanmar, which is still grappling with the challenges of democracy and opening up to business after decades of military rule and international isolation.

“[MDI] will focus on providing technical assistance in institutional capacity building as well as the construction of the physical building of the institute in Naypyitaw,” Hyun Jee, aid effectiveness expert at KOICA’s Myanmar office, told Devex. “But the idea is that MDI is a national think tank. It belongs to Myanmar. The operations will depend on what [they] want and what their needs are, and we will provide the proper support.”