[{"bbox": [285, 153, 474, 291], "category": "Text", "text": "ethnic health\norganisations\nimpacts the quality\nand effectiveness of\nthe action"}, {"bbox": [770, 153, 1133, 322], "category": "Text", "text": "based on a needs assessment during the\ninception period of the action.\nAdditionally, implementing partners at\nlocal level will be carefully selected,\nbased on capacity and past experience\nworking on similar activities."}, {"bbox": [93, 357, 253, 381], "category": "Section-header", "text": "Lessons Learnt:"}, {"bbox": [93, 397, 1162, 711], "category": "Text", "text": "This action will build in particular upon the lessons learnt from the previous EU-funded programme focusing on providing GBV, SRHR and MHPSS services, \"Women and Girls First Phase II\" (WGF II), implemented from 2019 to 2022, as well as the Spotlight Initiative regional programme \"Safe and Fair\", implemented from 2018 to 2023. WGF was designed as a nexus programme straddling humanitarian, development and peace building contexts and offering flexibility to respond to acute humanitarian needs while investing in long term development activities to realise the rights of women, girls and vulnerable populations. The second phase of WGF was dominated by the unprecedented crisis caused by the pandemic and a worsening humanitarian situation following the military coup. It required the programme to adapt and show flexibility in its delivery. This new action should build on the past achievements and on the trust build at the local level with communities, local CSOs and ethnic health organisations. It takes into account the following lessons learnt, both from WGF II, Safe and Fair and from previous engagement in the sector in Myanmar and in other EU-funded programmes on GBV such as the global Spotlight Initiative:"}, {"bbox": [130, 725, 1162, 990], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Importance of adopting a gender transformative, holistic and survivor-centred approach for GBV programming and of working with WROs.** Effective programmes should take a holistic approach that addresses the multiple dimensions of gender-based violence, including prevention, response, and support services. It is particularly important to address the root causes and underlying social norms that perpetuate violence while also providing comprehensive support to survivors. While WGF II already adopted such an approach and integrated activities aiming at shifting harmful social norms, this new action should build upon the results while going one step further in the implementation of the GAP III¹⁹ priorities. This will be done in particular by building a greater focus in the design of the action on the roles and capacities of local women rights' organisations, who will pilot on the ground awareness raising activities and contribute to building greater resilience and social cohesion at community level."}, {"bbox": [130, 1002, 1162, 1267], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Increasing partnerships with local non-government actors and service providers.** Similarly, this action should invest in capacity building to strengthen the skills and knowledge of local, non-government service providers, which includes local women CSOs but also ethnic health organisations. This is necessary in a context where survivors are currently not willing to use government managed hospitals and health facilities, further reducing the availability of services. The current context in Myanmar is characterised by high levels of mistrust, which requires careful consideration in the design of the programme. Survivors are more likely to access services if offered by local, trusted non-governmental organisations. Additionally, lack of access to conflict-affected areas has made it difficult for international actors to implement programmes. Through localization and by providing support to civil society actors already established at the local level, the action has a greater chance to reach the beneficiaries."}, {"bbox": [130, 1280, 1162, 1466], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Need for flexibility in a high-risk and volatile environment.** One of the added value elements of WGF was to work under a Contribution Agreement with UNFPA, allowing the use of UNFPA procedures, which represents a higher level of flexibility compared to what a programme in direct management could have done. UNFPA was able to keep working with local organisations despite the promulgation of the new Registration of Association Law imposing additional requirements on non-governmental organisations, and was able, through UN channels, to keep disbursing programme funds to the local implementing partners despite the restrictions on the banking system."}, {"bbox": [130, 1478, 1162, 1557], "category": "List-item", "text": "- **Importance of adding a livelihood component to the intervention.** Providing survivor-centered services and support that are sensitive to their preferences is crucial for survivors' empowerment and recovery. While the previous EU support in the sector focused mainly on access to health services (through WGF II) and legal"}, {"bbox": [86, 1619, 706, 1645], "category": "Footnote", "text": "19 https://capacity4dev.europa.eu/library/clip-myanmar_en?refpage=search"}, {"bbox": [1027, 1681, 1141, 1705], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 16 of 31"}]