Rethinking localisation: Power, risk-sharing, and leadership in Myanmar’s aid reform

VENUE

The dialogues in the series will be held in hybrid mode, i.e. in-person on the ANU Campus, and virtually on zoom.

IN-PERSON: Institutes Boardroom, HC Coombs Extension Building, 9 Fellows Road, ANU, Acton, ACT, 2601.

ONLINE: Zoom. Please select the relevant ticket, in-person or online, according to your preferred attendance mode.

For more information on the MRC 2025 Dialogue Series please see the MRC website or contact the Chair:

• Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

Rethinking localisation: Power, risk-sharing, and leadership in Myanmar’s aid reform

Localisation has become a central pillar of global humanitarian reform since the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. Yet the concept has been interpreted and operationalised in multiple ways by international actors in Myanmar, frequently translating into subcontracting, capacity building, or risk transfer, rather than genuine power sharing. International systems continue to be structured around compliance-heavy mechanisms and bureaucratic controls that limit genuine local leadership. Drawing on the experience of a Myanmar civil society network working to reform intermediary models, funding mechanisms, and partnership norms, this talk examines how localisation is understood differently by local actors and why current approaches fall short of structural transformation. It also explores how risk is constructed and distributed within aid systems, how power asymmetries persist despite reform rhetoric, and what institutional changes are required to move beyond symbolic commitments. 

Speaker

Okkar Shein, as the Head of Program at Gender Equality Network Myanmar, is a results-focused development professional with a decade of impactful experience, predominantly centred on advancing women’s empowerment, participation, and leadership. His journey spans across the economic, social, and political spheres, operating seamlessly from grassroots to national levels. Coupled with a bachelor’s degree in health (Myanmar) and a master’s degree in public management (New Zealand), he has a strong background in savings-led and community managed microfinance, women's empowerment and livelihoods, gender mainstreaming, localisation, and community driven initiatives. In response to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar, he actively engages with a wide range of international stakeholders from UN agencies to donor organisations, embassies, and UN permanent missions, strategically advocating for Women, Peace, and Security and localisation priorities to reshape international aid policies for greater efficacy and support to grassroots communities.

Chair

Zaw Yadanar Hein, zaw.hein@anu.edu.au

The ANU Myanmar Research Centre Dialogue Series is a conversation concerning current research on Myanmar aimed at providing scholars with an opportunity to present their work, try out an idea, advance an argument and critically engage with other researchers. International and Myanmar researchers from any discipline are invited to contribute. The Dialogue Series is particularly seeking to provide a space for early career researchers wishing to receive constructive feedback. Each dialogue is one hour long, including a 30-minute presentation followed by a 30-minute Q&A. As a hybrid series, the Dialogues are presented in both virtual and in-person format, hosted by the ANU Myanmar Research Centre.

Image by Dave Hopkins