By Lalnuna – The Swedish government will provide assistance focused on poverty eradication, health care, and promoting human rights and gender equality, a diplomat said in Kalay, Sagaing Region this week.
Johan Hallenborg, the minister counsellor and head of office for Sweden’s section office in Yangon, made his first visit to Chin State from November 5-10. In Kalay, at the end of his trip, he told journalists at the GBH Hotel on Sunday about Sweden’s five-year plan to increase aid to the region, noting that he saw “many difficulties” and that poverty eradication was “very slow.”
“Health care and the agricultural sector must be improved in the remote areas of Chin State,” Mr. Hallenborg said in a press conference.
The Swedish delegation met with civil society organizations already working with the Swedish embassy, as well as other groups working on community development. They also met Chin State Chief Minister Salai Lian Luai and the speaker of state parliament, Zo Bawi.
These meetings were held to gain “more understanding of the situation in different areas in Chin State,” Mr. Hallenborg explained.
He speculated that the state’s challenges included accommodating the wide variety of languages spoken, and the lack of arable land due to the mountainous terrain.
One area of improvement that Mr. Hallenborg highlighted was gender equality—a major focus of Sweden’s foreign assistance. He added that he was glad to see that women’s participation had improved in remote areas of Chin State.