[{"bbox": [83, 104, 1147, 213], "category": "Text", "text": "level of impoverishment not seen in the country since 2005. The WFP has indicated that up to 3.4 million more people will struggle to afford food in the next three to six months due to food prices rise and limited access to cash, including in urban areas worst affected by job losses in manufacturing, construction and services. This sharp increase is on top of the 2.8 million **people suffering from food insecurity** before the military coup."}, {"bbox": [82, 249, 1147, 490], "category": "Text", "text": "**The private sector and its workers have been hit hard by the effects of the pandemic followed by the military coup.** An estimated 700,000 people, 90% of them female, were employed in the garment industry pre-pandemic. About one-third lost their jobs last year, and it is estimated that Myanmar's garment industry has shed another 200,000 jobs since the coup, as factories have closed and buyers have pulled orders back. Employment and livelihood slowdowns have contributed to a strong exodus of workers from Yangon. The Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) has not received any foreign investment proposals since the coup. **Economic sanctions will dissuade western investors, but Asian investors are usually less affected.** Among the top 12 foreign investors, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Republic of Korea, Thailand, China Taipei, and Vietnam were responsible for 87% of total approved foreign investments between 2017/18 and 2019/20¹⁴."}, {"bbox": [82, 494, 1147, 656], "category": "Text", "text": "The military coup in Myanmar could also have direct negatives consequences for Myanmar's environment and its natural resources. Myanmar being already considered one of the country's most vulnerable to environmental degradation. Decades-long overexploitation of its natural resources, coupled with extensive militarisation and corruption have put the country's ecosystems under huge pressure. Experts warn that the country could turn to investors with no environmental standards. Environmentalists have urged the military to allow civil society groups to continue to monitor and protect forests and indigenous communities."}, {"bbox": [82, 659, 1147, 795], "category": "Text", "text": "**Myanmar is highly exposed to climate change impacts.** It is ranked second globally in terms of climate change vulnerability in the 2020 Global Climate Risk Index. The effects of climate change include increasing temperatures, more frequent and intense storms, and changes in weather patterns. Environmental degradation and climate change pose significant challenges to Myanmar's economic growth and the livelihoods of the poorest and most vulnerable groups, and particularly women."}, {"bbox": [82, 798, 1147, 960], "category": "Text", "text": "**Conflict continues** to generate suffering, internal displacement and loss of economic opportunities for the country. Conflict fuels also a very large shadow economy from natural resources exploitation (in particular jade, precious stones, timber, wildlife), drugs and arms trade, mostly in ethnic areas of Myanmar. While a number of Ethnic Armed Organisations have denounced the military coup, some have engaged in armed clashes while others remain silent or have sided with the military regime. As a result, the situation has become very volatile and may rapidly escalate in full-fledged conflict in any of the ethnic areas of the country."}, {"bbox": [82, 964, 1147, 1123], "category": "Text", "text": "**This male-dominated military regime is expected to at least reverse the limited progress that was made in previous years on various fronts.** In particular, the repression, violence and economic hardship that is following the military coup have raised additional concerns on the gender front. Women garment workers have taken a predominant position in demonstrations against the military. In addition to facing the violent crackdown of demonstrations, women are suffering an increase in incidents of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, which poses another serious threat to women and children's lives."}, {"bbox": [82, 1128, 1147, 1318], "category": "Text", "text": "UNDP's report¹⁵ highlights that women and children are expected to bear the heaviest brunt of the combined impact of COVID-19 and the political crisis. Given the pre-existent vulnerabilities female headed households are those most at risk. In Myanmar participation of women in the labour force is consistently low. According to UN data¹⁶ in 2020 only 47.3% of females engaged actively in the labour market compared to 77,2% of males, this gender gap is likely to increase having COVID-19 and the coup a disproportionate affected highly feminised economic sectors such as textile and garments, where 90% of firms have reported negative impacts from COVID-19, above the economy wide average of 75%¹⁷."}, {"bbox": [82, 1321, 1147, 1484], "category": "Text", "text": "While the European Union is refusing to legitimise the military-appointed State Administration Council, through this action it wishes to support Myanmar people in their aspirations towards a just society and sustainable development. To do so, it will engage with the **civil society and local communities** as they are the ultimate managers of Myanmar people's resources as well as beneficiaries of its improved management. **European private sector** is also an important partner that can strengthen sustainable and responsible business practices, when engaged directly in support to the population."}, {"bbox": [72, 1566, 573, 1592], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁴ Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA)"}, {"bbox": [72, 1590, 153, 1614], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁵ Ibid.18"}, {"bbox": [72, 1614, 372, 1640], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁶ http://data.un.org/en/iso/mm.html"}, {"bbox": [72, 1638, 146, 1661], "category": "Footnote", "text": "¹⁷ Ibid.21"}, {"bbox": [1050, 1663, 1158, 1687], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 20"}]