Usaid Promoting the Rule of Law Project

USAID

PROMOTING THE RULE

OF LAW PROJECT

QUARTERLY REPORT NO. 15: APRIL – JUNE 2017

USAID

PROMOTING THE RULE OF LAW PROJECT

QUARTERLY REPORT: April – June 2017

USAID

PROMOTING THE RULE OF LAW PROJECT

QUARTERLY REPORT: April – June 2017

USAID

PROMOTING THE RULE OF LAW PROJECT

QUARTERLY REPORT: April – June 2017

Task Order No. AID-486-TO-13-00008

CONTRACTOR: TETRA TECH DPK

DATE: July 26, 2017

This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Tetra Tech DPK. The authors’ views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government.

Table of Contents

I. List of Acronyms ...... 3

II. Executive Summary ...... 4

III. Program Activities by Objective/Component ...... 5

Objective 1: Promote More Effective, Accountable, and Accessible Justice Sector Institutions...... 5

Objective 2: Increase Legal Literacy, Access to Justice for Marginalized Populations in Target Regions/States ...... 16

IV. Grantee Trainings, Workshops, and Conferences ...... 22

Attachments:

Attachment 1: Trafficking-in-Persons Program Trip Report, Albert Moskowitz, June 2017

Attachment 2: Report on the Replication of Court Customer Service Workshops

I. List of Acronyms

A2J Access to Justice A2JI Access to Justice Initiative AAPTIP Australia Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons ACC Anti-Corruption Commission ASEAN The Association of Southeast Asian Nations CEC Central Executive Committee CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women CLE Continuing Legal Education CMS Case Management System COR Contracting Officer’s Representative CSO Civil Society Organization DCOP Deputy Chief of Party EU European Union GPI Green Peasants Institute HTWG Human Trafficking Working Group IBAHRI International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute ICT Information and Communications Technology ILAM Independent Lawyers’ Association of Myanmar ISLP International Senior Lawyers Project MCRB Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business MLAA Mahawthadha Legal Aid Association MP Member of Parliament NDI National Democratic Institute OSCU Office of the Supreme Court of the Union PRLP Promoting the Rule of Law Project PEA Political Economy Analysis RFA Request for Applications SCVG Social Care Volunteer Group SGBV Sexual and Gender-Based Violence SOP Standard Operating Procedure TIP Trafficking-in-Persons Tt DPK Tetra Tech DPK UAGO Union Attorney General’s Office US United States USAID United States Agency for International Development UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Program

II. Executive Summary

USAID’s Promoting the Rule of Law Project (PRLP or the “Project”) entered the second half of 2017 with a continued focus on exposing justice sector counterparts in Myanmar to effective international and US practices and creating linkages between Myanmar’s justice sector stakeholders with their regional and US peers, in order to build meaningful, sustainable dialogue and engagement. In addition, significant progress was made on the Project’s trafficking-in-persons (TIP) program, including the development of technical programming as well as the initiation of a local grants initiative. Further strides were also were taken in renewing support to the Office of Supreme of the Union (OSCU) strategic planning process, developing the new Union Attorney General’s Office (UAGO) pilot law office program, and building complementarities between the pilot programs in the two institutions. Finally, the Project’s extensive civil society program continued apace this period, with implementation beginning on thirteen new legal aid initiative grants and award of five new TIP initiative grants, as well as Access to Justice Initiative (A2JI) further increasing its engagement with the Hluttaw while advancing in its own strategic planning process. These, and other important activities, are further detailed in the following pages, and selected activities are highlighted below.

Trafficking-in-Persons Program. The Project launched a major cross-cutting effort in its program to promote TIP awareness and support related institutional capacity building. This effort engaged both the governmental sector, including the Hluttaw, OSCU, and UAGO, as well as civil society, with five grants submitted for approval for TIP-related activities. An international expert in TIP training returned to Myanmar to provide technical support in to government counterparts in the adoption of modern and well-established pretrial preparation practices, with particular attention to the unique aspects of TIP cases. The expert met with judges, members of the OSCU, UAGO, judges, and prosecutors, explaining the need for modern trial preparation practices and presenting guidelines on conducting ethical pretrial victim/survivor interviews. The expert was also involved in a Hluttaw roundtable to discuss proposed amendments to the Anti-Trafficking Law, and provided suggestions for improvements to the amendments.

Pilot Courts Program - Customer Service Training. During the quarter, customer service training was presented to all pilot courts and the Supreme Court. Significantly, courts not in the pilot courts program have replicated the training, recognizing the inherent value of providing quality justice services to all persons interacting with the courts. These training sessions, which took place during the weekends and will continue into next quarter, were presented to all judges and staff of the participating courts and emphasized the importance of serving all court users. As of June, 630 participants have received training (307 female, 323 male).

Launching Strategic Planning for OSCU. The Project engaged with the Strategic Planning Team of the OSCU and has been supporting their efforts to develop a follow-on Strategic Plan for 2018- 2022. Weekly collaboration and technical advice has started and a timeline of work and activity milestones have been prepared, which will lead to a completed product by the beginning of 2018.

Legal Aid Initiative Grants. This quarter, all 13 grants proposed under RFA 2016-007 Legal Aid Initiatives were approved and grant agreements finalized. Grantee partners under this initiative are focused on providing direct legal aid services to vulnerable and marginalized populations in eight of Myanmar’s states/regions, including the criminally accused, displaced farmers, youth, women, TIP, and sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) victims/survivors, disabled persons, and those otherwise unable to access representation. All 13 grantees have begun implementation and activities are underway.

III. Program Activities by Objective/Component

Objective 1: Promote More Effective, Accountable, and Accessible Justice Sector Institutions

The USAID Promoting the Rule of Law Project (the “Project”) supported a number of activities this past quarter which contributed to the overall enhancement of justice sector effectiveness, COMPONENT 1: accountability, and accessibility in Myanmar. Key among these was a major cross-cutting effort in promoting trafficking-in-persons (TIP) SUPPORT THE awareness and related institutional strengthening, which took place DEVELOPMENT OF across governmental sectors including the Hluttaw, the OSCU, and the A COMPREHENSIVE UAGO. In addition, the Project selected five organizations proposing TIP-related programs to receive grant awards and submitted them for STRATEGY FOR USAID approval, four of which have been approved. The Project was NATIONAL RULE OF also involved in two Hluttaw roundtables and convened a follow-up LAW REFORM discussion session of the March study tour participants.

Trafficking-in-Persons Program Overview. TIP continues to be a major issue in the ASEA region, and last year the US Department of State downgraded Myanmar, a source country for TIP, to Tier 3 status. In response to this, the Project developed a multi-targeted effort starting in the month of June. An initial activity, led by TIP Advisor Albert Moskowitz, involved a variety of direct engagements with key justice-related institutions (see Attachment 1 for a detailed discussion of this activity). The TIP-related objectives and specific counterpart engagements conducted this quarter are further detailed below.

TRAFFICKING-IN-PERSONS PROGRAM ACTIVITIES JUNE 2017 Objectives 1. Acceptance by prosecutors and the judiciary of pretrial interviews of TIP victims 2. Provide training to prosecutors implementing UAGO Guidelines governing pretrial interviews 3. Provide specific recommendations to bring provisions of the draft TIP laws to prevailing international standards Counterpart Engagements 1. Hluttaw workshop with MPs relating to amendments to the Anti-Trafficking Law (In cooperation with NDI) 2. Meeting with key officials of the OSCU regarding pretrial victim/survivor interviews 3. Two workshops with members of the Supreme Court regarding pretrial victim/survivor interviews (Yangon and Naypyidaw) 4. Presentation to the TIP working group regarding pretrial victim/survivor interviews. 5. Three two-day training workshops for prosecutors regarding pretrial victim/survivor interviews, skills training and guidelines (Mandalay, Naypyidaw, Yangon)

Trafficking-in-Persons Program: Hluttaw Workshop. Efforts to combat TIP in Myanmar have often been criticized for a focus on minor offenders, such as marriage brokers, and an often

disproportionate sentencing structure. The current Anti-Trafficking Law, enacted in 2005, is regularly identified as contributing to these problems. To address these issues, the Ministry of Home Affairs recently drafted amendments to the 2005 law, which were submitted to Ministers of Parliament (MPs) for deliberation. The Ministry also contacted USAID, which requested the Project provide technical assistance to MPs to better understand the underlying issues in Myanmar and wider ASEAN region and ensure amendments are consistent with international standards.

To that end, the Project sponsored a workshop with 44 MPs (11 women, 33 men) from key Hluttaw committees, including the Bills Committees, Women’s and Children’s Rights Committee, and the Local and Overseas Labor Committee. The workshop focused on analysis of the proposed amendments and language in the current law falling short of international norms. The wide-ranging presentation also included discussion on sentencing, identification of vulnerable groups in addition to women and children, and eliminating prosecution of offenses committed by trafficking victims/survivors that occur while they are being trafficked. As a result of these discussions, the Project provided MPs with written recommendations for changes to the amendments for further consideration (also referenced below). It is expected an amended law will soon be submitted to the UAGO for its legislative review and then move on to the Hluttaw for deliberation and approval. Through these activities, it is hoped MPs are better-prepared to consider legislation combating TIP in Myanmar and the region.

Trafficking-in-Persons Program: Human Trafficking Working Group. The Project recently became a member of the Human Trafficking Working Group (HTWG), a collection of international non- governmental organizations and civil society organizations (CSOs) working on the TIP issue. The Project hosted its first bimonthly meeting of the HTWG in June, which included coordination discussions and a presentation by the Project’s TIP Advisor on recent work with the UAGO to modernize pretrial investigation practices.

Trafficking-in-Persons Program: Engagement with the OSCU, Judges, the UAGO, and Law Officers. The Project’s TIP Advisor met with representatives of the OSCU, the UAGO, judges, and law officers, and conducted five workshop/training sessions at various locations throughout Myanmar. The key theme of these meetings and workshop/training sessions (described in greater detail under Components 2 and 3 below) was to explain and emphasize the importance of law officers who are serving as prosecutors to meet with the victim/survivors of TIP crimes during the pretrial phase of case. This practice is regularly employed by prosecutors in other countries and widely-regarded as an effective practice. Properly prepared victim/survivors and witnesses better understand the adjudicatory process and their role in it and typically provide more truthful and effective testimony, all increasing the likelihood of just case outcomes.

There appears to be overall acceptance within the UAGO of the value of incorporating the practice of pretrial interviews with victim/survivors of TIP crimes, so long as they are conducted pursuant to UAGO-approved guidelines. Currently, judicial acceptance of this practice seems to be more tentative. Overall, there is momentum in favor of this practice and the Project is planning follow- up meetings and discussions with the UAGO, private attorneys, and members of the judiciary.

Trafficking-in-Persons Program: Grant Initiatives. The Project’s TIP-related grant initiatives are discussed under Objective 2.

Hluttaw Roundtables. As previously reported, the Project is contributing to the National Democratic Institute (NDI) program of hosting regular roundtable workshops to engage with MPs on a variety of timely justice-related topics. This quarter, the Project sponsored two roundtables: 1. An analysis of the amendments to the 2005 Trafficking-in-Persons Law led by the Project’s TIP Advisor, which resulted in recommendations to strengthen and clarify

certain aspects of the draft amendments (discussed in further detail above under Hluttaw Workshops); and a group of CSOs presented the findings of their Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) shadow reports. The CEDAW roundtable included eight representatives from the CEDAW Alliance, who gave a presentation to 42 MPs from various committees, including the Fundamental Rights, Democracy, and Human Rights of Citizens Committee (Amyotha Hluttaw), Rights of Women and Children Committee (Amyotha Hluttaw), and International Relations Committee (Pyi Thu Hluttaw). The CEDAW Alliance consists of three CSOs who have partnered to address issues of common concern regarding gender rights and equality. The three member groups are the Women’s Organizations Network, CEDAW Action Myanmar, and Women’s League of Burma. Together this group conducted a research and reporting process in 2016, and prepared a shadow report summarizing their studies and observations. The shadow report was organized into five parts: 1. Rule of law – access to justice and ending impunity; 2. Women’s participation in political life including ongoing peace process; 3. Structural barriers – constitutions, laws, and policies; 4. Inadequate resources for gender equality; and 5. Rural women’s rights. After presenting MPs with their research and findings each of these five topics, the presentation directed particular attention to the concluding observations, highlighting shortfalls in Myanmar’s efforts to end gender discrimination and areas where opportunities for women are suppressed.

Study Tour Follow-up. In April, the Project conducted a follow-up meeting with participants on the US study tour conducted in March, where they were able to discuss impressions of their experiences abroad and formulate ideas for next steps, goals, and aspirations. The participants expressed particular interest in developing commercial courts in Myanmar and increasing pre-trial engagement between police, prosecutors, and victims.

Additional Activities. In anticipation of future activities, the Project continued planning for a Political Economy Analysis (PEA) of the justice sector, support to the implementation of the recently-enacted Legal Aid Law, and organization of a National Rule of Law Symposium. Planning and groundwork also took place for follow-up visits by US federal judges.

Work to support professional development at the UAGO focused primarily on advancing the new pilot law office program, with additional support focused on continuing to develop a training curriculum for law officers on the handling of TIP cases. COMPONENT 2: ENHANCE THE Pilot Law Office Program: Activity Planning. This quarter, the Project CAPACITIES OF THE finalized a report of preliminary recommendations for the three initial pilot law offices, the Township Law Office of Chan Aye Tharzan and UNION ATTORNEY the Pyin Oo Lwin District Law Office in the Mandalay Region and the GENERAL’S OFFICE Township Law Office of Mawlamyaing in Mon State. The Report on Possible Procedural Interventions at the Pilot Law Offices was a product of consideration of prior support provided to the UAGO, as well as a March workshop in Naypyidaw for members of the UAGO Pilot Law Office Supervisory and Management Committees and representatives of the pilot law offices. Listed in the table below are the seven conceptual recommendations which were presented and discussed in the report and will serve as a starting point for further activity planning and implementation.

It is apparent that some of these proposed concepts would involve considerable changes in the UAGO’s current practices, and may require changes in laws and policies as well as developing new engagement protocols in the courts, law offices, and police. For example, the TIP trainings discussed below emphasize the need for responsible and ethical engagement with the victim/survivors and witnesses to crimes (Concept 3). In the coming months, the pilot law office program will provide a robust testing ground for the implementation of some of these concepts, with a major focus in the next quarter on further prioritizing, fine-tuning, and planning based on these preliminary ideas. A series of meetings culminating in a planning workshop are planned for July and August, which will involve representatives from pilot law offices, the UAGO Pilot Law Office Supervisory and Management Committees, Project staff, and the recently mobilized Deputy Chief of Party (DCOP) / Senior Prosecution and Justice Sector Advisor, Robert Dean.

REPORT ON POSSIBLE PROCEDURAL INTERVENTIONS AT THE PILOT LAW OFFICES Conceptual Recommendations 1. Greater Law Officer Involvement at Investigation and Pretrial Stages 2. Law Office Control of Charging Process 3. Law Officer Pretrial Engagement with Victim/Survivors and Witnesses 4. Speedier Disposition Procedures 5. Case Diversion 6. Vertical Case Assignment 7. Electronic/Automated Case and Data Management

Automation. To provide the initial foundation for implementing automated case management at the law office level, the Project started a procurement process to equip each pilot law office with desktop computers, printers, and essential peripherals. This procurement will provide necessary Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure to begin implementation of Concept 7 (Electronic/Automated Case and Data Management), noted above. Upon completion of the procurement process, delivery and training on use of the hardware is projected to take place in the next quarter. In preparation for installation, the entire staff of the three pilot law offices received basic computer training provided by local computer training companies KMD Computer Training Centre and Aye Computer Training Centre. This basic-level training covered keyboarding and use

of Microsoft Suite applications. More advanced ICT training will be provided to selected staff when appropriate in the coming months.

TIP Skills Course for UAGO Law Officers. This quarter, in partnership with the Australia Asia Program to Combat Trafficking in Persons (AAPTIP), the Project developed and delivered a series of functional and practical trainings to a total of 62 UAGO officials and district law officers serving as prosecutors at the district court level. The focus of the trainings was on the importance of pretrial preparation and interviews with victim/survivors and witnesses. Prosecutors in justice sectors around the world recognize the crucial importance of pretrial preparation and responsible engagement with victim/survivors and witnesses in all criminal prosecutions. The trainings took place in June and were held separately in Mandalay, Yangon, and Naypyidaw. The law officers were also joined by two district judges acting as observers. The response was very positive and AAPTIP has already inquired about partnering on two additional rounds of training. The topic of this training is of particular significance in that it dovetails with Concept 3 (Law Officers’ Pretrial Engagement with Victim/Survivors and Witnesses), referenced above. Indeed, the Prosecutor Guidelines for Pretrial Preparation Interview of Victims in TIP Cases, a product of the TIP trainings, highlights the crucial role of such engagement in the trial preparation process. It makes a compelling case, well recognized in modern and advanced judicial systems that the victim/survivors and witnesses who will be called upon to testify at trial deserve attention, sensitivity, and whose needs should not be overlooked. Highlighted excerpts from the Guidelines are listed in the table below.

PROSECUTOR GUIDELINES FOR PRETRIAL PREPARATION INTERVIEW OF VICTIM/SURVIVORS IN TIP CASES Highlights 1. “Prosecutors should prepare the victim to give a truthful and coherent account of the relevant facts in the case.” 2. “Many victims are not well educated or able to express themselves clearly and succinctly especially under stressful situations.” 3. “Trauma/physical pain reflecting the passage of time can contribute to a victim’s feelings of fear, mistrust and confusion, making it difficult for a victim to remember and describe the truth in a clear and coherent way.” 4. “The prosecutor should confront these problems by building rapport with the victim.” 5. “The victim will need help to get ready for his or her testimony in court. 6. “The prosecutor should never seek to tell the victim what to say, or to influence the victim to offer certain responses.” 7. Electronic/Automated Case and Data Management

The Project’s work with the judiciary was extensive this past quarter, and particular attention was paid to the five expansion pilot courts COMPONENT 3: and the three original pilot courts. The three initial pilot courts are SUPPORT TO Hlaing Tharyar Township Court (Yangon Region), Hpa An Township Court (Kayin State), and Taungoo District Court (Bago JUDICIAL SELF- Region). The five expansion pilot courts are Chan Aye Tharzan GOVERNANCE AND Township Court (Mandalay Region), the Magwe Township Court JUDICIAL REFORM (Magwe Region), the Pathein Township Court (Ayeyarwaddy Region), the Monywa District Court (Sagaing Region), and the Mawlamyaing District Court (Mon State). Customer service training to pilot courts and other courts interested in replicating this training also took place. Testing on the Case Management Database continued and additional computers were provided to courts to

enhance their ICT capabilities. Apart from the pilot courts program, the Project supported the efforts of the OSCU in developing the Strategic Plan for 2018-2022. Finally, the Project presented TIP roundtables with the judiciary as part of a multi-targeted awareness and skill development effort with the UAGO and the Hluttaw (noted above).

Pilot Courts Program Overview. The pilot court program continues to draw interest from the Myanmar justice sector. Significantly, and as noted above, the UAGO has recently launched a pilot law office program drawing upon implementation principles successfully utilized by the pilot courts program. Now with eight pilot courts operational, the Project focused on continued support to the courts to ensure new procedures are understood and implemented, and ongoing data collection is sustained.

Pilot Courts Program: Monitoring Site Visits. This quarter the Project’s pilot court coordinators visited each of the eight pilot courts at least twice. Depending on the circumstances presented at each pilot court (e.g., turnover of staff, new hires, and new judges), the number of project site visits will increase. The courts at Taungoo and Chan Aye Tharzan were visited on multiple occasions because of the testing of the case tracking system. During these standardized visits, the Project’s pilot court coordinators routinely conduct Q&A sessions with judges and staff, review use of the case tracking system in courts where it is operational, and review case intake procedures with clerks. When trials or pretrial hearings are conducted, they are observed for compliance with the OSCU’s National Case Management Plan.

Pilot Court Program: Expansion. In addition to the standard visits to pilot courts, this quarter the Project conducted the first evaluation on the five expansion pilot courts to assess performance after the first six months. This exercise involved a court user survey for each court as well as closed case and pending case surveys. Results of this semi-annual review were provided to the individual courts, the respective high court, and the UAGO Director General.

Pilot Court Program: Customer Service Training. Starting this quarter, the Project launched “customer service” training to all pilot court personnel. The focus of the training was directed to all court personnel to improve and establish positive and productive interactions with all court users and provide the highest quality of service. Ultimate beneficiaries of this training would include attorneys, police, litigants, and all members of the general public who interact with the court on a daily basis. Key topics of the training are listed in the table below.

The training this quarter was first delivered to the Supreme Court in April. In addition to the topics listed below, which were covered during the first two days, a third day was dedicated to facilitation and presentation for replicating the training module to court staff and judges throughout Myanmar. Follow-up two-day replication workshops have since taken place during weekends throughout the quarter at the High Court, District Court, and Township Court levels. As of the end of the reporting period, 630 participants have received training (307 female, 323 male), and training will continue throughout July. All pilot courts were trained and now courts throughout Myanmar have become involved in presenting this training. The interest and initiative of the non-pilot courts in replicating this training is an encouraging development in scaling up reforms and improvements in the delivery of justice services in Myanmar. See Attachment 2 for additional discussion.

PILOT COURT CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING Key Topics 1. Improving the quality of services and public trust 2. Benefits of quality customer service 3. Creating a court culture of customer service 4. Court initiatives to improve quality of service 5. Assessing the improvement of customer service. 6. Developing a customer service improvement plan. 7. Customer service and techniques of communication skills 8. Effective listening skills 9. Importance of first contact with intake counter clerk 10. Physical environment of the court 11. Communicating in challenging situations

Pilot Court Program: Development of Automated Case Management System. The use of outdated manual case processing procedures is a factor in case delay in the Myanmar courts, and a primary cause for the lack of comprehensive and verifiable data upon which justice sector management decisions can rely, both in Nay Pyi Taw and locally. During the first year of the pilot court program, the Project introduced computers and a basic Excel database to assist with new case management procedures, track cases, and provide reliable performance measurement data. While the Excel- based tool served a purpose, users did not take to its interface easily and the reporting it provided, while useful, did not fully address needs under the OSCU’s Case Management Plan. Consequently, a prototype automated case management database system was designed in collaboration with the OSCU Case Management Committee and Information and Communications Technology Department to support the new case management process, and to build capacity for the OSCU to have electronic access to management reports and statistics. The role of the OSCU’s ICT Department is an important one and the Project has focused significant resources to support its development. The project has been careful to collaborate closely with the ICT Department so that they will be in a position to continue developing and enhancing the Case Management System (CMS) in the future.

Initial testing had been conducted on an initial CMS prototype at the Taungoo District Court. Based on those early results, some modifications were made to the system and the Project began a next test phase at the Chan Aye Tharzan Township Court which has a higher case volume. Two pilot courts are now involved in developing and testing a prototype case management process: Pathein Township Court (Civil) and Chan Aye Tharzan Township Court (Criminal). In May, testing on both the civil and criminal segments started. Chan Aye Tharzan Township Court staff and judges, aided by Project staff and ICT Consultant Dr. Kazimierz Lobaza, conducted testing on the criminal case administration and case assignment components and started testing on the case management component. This testing will continue into the next quarter with ongoing support from the IT Consultant. Meanwhile, the Pathein Township Court started testing the civil case administration and case assignment components with the case management component to be tested in the next quarter. Finally, as part of this ongoing effort to improve the IT resources available to pilot court staff, the Project provided eleven additional computers to pilot courts to meet increasing demands due to recent courtroom additions. All eight pilot courts received at least one computer.

TIP Workshops for Judges. In June, the Project sponsored two one-day roundtables to address Judicial Considerations in TIP Cases. These round tables were attended by judges and personnel from the OSCU. The two sessions, one held in Naypyidaw and the other in Yangon, were a follow- up to the December 2016 TIP awareness trainings that the Project sponsored. The issues focused on current Myanmar practice in handling these types of cases as compared to international accepted practices that involve considerable involvement by the prosecution in victim/survivors and witness engagement and case preparation. The positive and negative aspects of such international practices were discussed. Engagement with the victim/survivors and witnesses by the prosecution is a standard and well-recognized step in case preparation in many modern judicial systems. The judicial workshops, led by the Project’s TIP Advisor, Albert Moskowitz, ran parallel to trainings jointly-sponsored with AAPTIP on recommended guidelines for pretrial victim/survivor interviews presented to District Law Officers (as noted in Component 2 above).

OSCU Strategic Planning. In 2014, USAID, through the Project, supported the OSCU in drafting its first ever strategic plan. The plan covered a number of areas critical to the judiciary’s reform efforts, including greater access to justice, promoting public awareness, judicial independence, and court transparency and efficiency. The introduction of strategic planning to the OSCU proved successful, and helped the OSCU develop and implement reform efforts based on demand-driven priorities and best practices, and introduced the use of data-based metrics to measure performance. Now in the final year of their first three-year plan, the OSCU again turned to the Project and requested support to develop a new five-year strategy. For many state institutions, strategic planning of this sort, if conducted, is done so clandestinely, with minimal input by relevant stakeholders or beneficiaries.

This quarter, for development of this plan, the Project devised and proposed an inclusive approach, and worked with the OSCU to develop and conduct a series of consultations with justice sector stakeholders in Myanmar. The Project then developed a detailed schedule and time line to facilitate planning and organize work with the OSCU Strategic Planning Working Group in producing the Strategic Plan. The support will include help with their internal evaluation and reporting on the June consultation, and in addition it was agreed the Project would provide technical support and input into developing the Strategic Plan on a weekly basis and as needed. This weekly support started at the end of the reporting period and will continue through the next quarters as needed. The support efforts will need coordination with UNDP who is also supporting this effort.

The first major activity was a consultation conducted in June. Following opening remarks by the Union Chief Justice, the OSCU’s strategic planning team ran a consultation that included key national stakeholders, including representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the UAGO, commercial law firms, legal aid organizations, and the media. Of particular note is that the OSCU insisted on providing all financial support for this event, a strong indication of their commitment to comprehensive and participatory planning for the judiciary’s future.

The Project is working to promote greater public policy engagement and advocacy by CSOs through multiple channels, including support to development of three legal-oriented organizations: a national bar association (Independent Lawyers' Association of Myanmar – ILAM), a separate national paralegal network (in conjunction with COMPONENT 4: Project grantee Namati), and a broad consortium CSOs committed DEVELOP THE to advocating for structural and policy reforms to improve access to CAPACITY OF CIVIL justice in Myanmar (Access to Justice Initiative – A2JI). While the Project is seeing progress in its support to ILAM and the national SOCIETY TO ENGAGE paralegal network, both remain in the early stages of organizational IN PUBLIC POLICY development and their capacity for substantial advocacy is still DEVELOPMENT AND limited (both are further discussed under Objective 2). Therefore, ADVOCACY the Project’s main focus under this component was support to the A2JI, which is further along in the organizational and technical development process and already well-positioned as a key justice sector advocate.

A2JI Strategic Planning. As noted previously, A2JI is based on the understanding that the access to justice issues facing Myanmar civil society were not limited to legal aid organizations, but cut across a wide range of the country’s CSOs. A2JI works not as a network or association, but as a platform on which these groups can come together to conduct research and advocacy on access to justice-related areas of common interest and to monitor government activity. While this diversity and approach is unique and well-suited to the current Myanmar context, it can make issues such as organizational development and pursuit of a coherent vision more complex. Therefore, starting last quarter, a key focus on the Project’s support has been to build upon the existing steering and advisory committee structure and preliminary organizational development efforts to engage in a more rigorous multi-year strategic planning process. The objective is to create a comprehensive activity frameworks and annual work plans for each of A2JI’s three “clusters” – research, advocacy, and monitoring and oversight – and two “work streams” – organizational development and strategic partnership.

On May 18-19, the Project facilitated A2JI’s first Strategic Planning Workshop in Bago, led by national consultant Nilar Myaing and attended by the majority of the steering and technical committee members. The objectives of this workshop were to first review short-term action points from previous planning meetings, and then to finalize future strategies, set short- and long-term priorities, and develop action plans for each cluster. An initial action point was developing an official definition of access to justice (A2J) for internal and external use, which the workshop participants agreed would be: “All people are entitled to A2J. Justice should be delivered through formal and informal mechanisms in an impartial way without discrimination. Everyone should have equal protection under the law and equal rights for all.” The workshop then addressed a second action point: the identification and mapping of key justice stakeholders according to their relative power and commitment to promoting the activities of the A2JI.

Building on this map of stakeholders, the participants then turned to brainstorming core future strategies for each cluster and work stream, including identifying key supporting assumptions, facts, and values, potential obstacles to successful implementation, and triggers that would encourage reevaluation of these strategies. These strategies were then used to develop priorities for short- and long-term activities in both the technical/program and management/operational arenas. The result of these discussions was a six-month organizational action plan that charts out key priority activities targeting A2JI’s five strategic objectives (summarized in the table below).

A2JI Organizational Development and Partnership Building. The A2JI quickly began to make progress on the work stream elements of its action plan with work on three key activities beginning this quarter. On June 14, five members of the A2JI steering and technical committees met the Director and other members of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) to exchange information about each organization and discuss possibilities for future cooperation. The ACC Director detailed the history and composition of the organization, as well as its ongoing activities and future priorities for technical programming and organizational development. Though only a preliminary exploration of potential linkages, the participants agreed there was a solid basis for future strategic partnering on numerous access to justice-focused efforts. Earlier in the quarter, A2JI steering committee members and coordinators met with representatives of Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business (MCRB) to discuss anti-corruption issues related to the government and private sectors, and to explore potential avenues for future collaboration between the two organizations. Finally, at the end of the quarter, A2JI initiated development of a website, a key piece in the consortium’s quest to become a broad-based, sustainable, and effective force promoting greater access to justice for persons throughout Myanmar. The Project is continuing to support the development process and the A2JI website is anticipated to be up and running in August.

ACCESS TO JUSTICE INITIATIVE (A2JI) ORGANIZATIONAL ACTION PLAN JUNE – DECEMBER 2017 Strategic Objective Proposed Key Activities Strategy 1. To become a sustainable, independent, 1. Organizational 1. Developing A2JI website platform with diverse membership that development 2. Anti-corruption day events promotes access to justice in Myanmar. 3. Drafting A2JI’s bylaws 2. To build strategic partnerships for 2. Strategic 1. Meetings with potential strategic partners (EU promoting access to justice among A2JI, partnerships My Justice project, UNODC, etc.) civil society, including CSOs and 2. Participation in MCRB workshop academics, and government policy makers. 3. Meetings with ACC 3. To increase the knowledge-base of 3. Research 1. Analysis of anti-corruption law government officials and the Myanmar 2. Collecting data on corruption complaint public about access to justice. mechanisms 3. Disseminating anti-corruption info among A2JI members and general public 4. To affect government policy and laws on 4. Advocacy 1. Meetings with key stakeholders (ACC, US access to justice issues through evidence- Embassy, etc.) based advocacy efforts. 2. Field visits to raise awareness on anti- corruption law 3. Disseminating info on advocacy/research cluster initiatives and findings 5. To promote transparency and citizen 5. Monitoring & 1. Preparing anti-corruption law booklet oversight of the people and institutions Oversight 2. Preparing country report and/or shadow responsible for delivering access to justice. report 3. Meetings with members of ACC and Supreme Court

A2JI: Anti-Corruption Activities. Corruption continues to impede progress toward greater economic development and democratic reform in Myanmar and efforts to combat corruption are increasingly a central focus of government, civil society, and international donor activities in the justice sector. A2JI is seeking to take a leading role among civil society actors in this arena and is beginning to build strong connections to organizations in Myanmar and abroad with interest and capability to address corruption in the public and private sectors. As mentioned above, potentially fruitful partnerships with the ACC and MCRB are already forming, and A2JI is also entering discussions with UN representatives to explore potential anti-corruption activities, with a first

meeting scheduled for mid-July. Additionally, with the support of the Project, A2JI is seeking to engage international consultants with proven expertise in the anti-corruption sphere, particularly in research and monitoring of government corruption, model anti-corruption legislation, and effective practices in combatting government corruption – all areas largely beyond the current capacity of A2JI member organizations. Potential partner organizations, including Transparency International, and regional experts are being identified and preliminary discussions are expected to occur in the coming months and will be reported on in future periods.

A2JI members meet with the ACC in Napydyiaw

A2JI: Continuing Engagement with MPs. As reported previously, A2JI is working to address past barriers to civil society engagement with the Hluttaw and seeks to become a unified civil society platform to identify and engage in constructive advocacy efforts with the new government and parliament. Initial A2JI efforts in this area included partnering with National Democratic Institute (NDI)’s Parliamentary Resource Center to introduce MPs to work they had already undertaken and to create forums for greater civil society engagement on existing and proposed laws. Initial Hluttaw roundtable discussions focused on CSO requests for 22 different laws, which were presented to the Hluttaw Committee for the Assessment of Legal Affairs and Special Issues Commission, largely focused on increasing public consultation in the drafting of laws and recommending inclusion of public comment mechanisms in amendments processes.

These discussions took an even more targeted approach towards the end of the quarter, with a joint A2JI-NDI program bringing 47 MPs together, including the Chairs and Secretaries of both the Fundamental Rights, Democracy and Human Rights of Citizen Committee and Women and Child Rights Committee and the Director of the Bill Committee to present civil society analyses and recommendations on the TIP law under debate in the Hluttaw. The Project engaged TIP Expert Albert Moskowitz to lead the discussion and is planning future assignments to follow up on the recommendations provided and feedback received from MPs. Independent of these discussions, A2JI steering and technical committee members joined with a legal aid law firm later in June to conduct an Anti-Corruption Law Analysis Workshop that produced a detailed analysis of the Anti- Corruption Law, which identified 13 sections of the law needing clarification and revision, as well as exploring the role for civil society to advocate for amendment or the drafting of new legislation entirely.

Objective 2: Increase Legal Literacy, Access to Justice for Marginalized Populations in Target Regions/States

The Project’s activities under this Objective focused on increasing the organization, presence, and skills of Myanmar’s legal aid providers and providing resources for them to advance their work, increasing legal literacy and access to justice across Myanmar. Efforts are spread across five separate activities: curriculum development based on the Project’s Legal Aid Toolkit, development of a legal aid case management database, support to development of ILAM, support to establishment of a national paralegal network, and the project’s extensive grants program, each of which is discussed in detail below.

Legal Aid Toolkit: Continuing Toolkit Roll-out and Curriculum Development. In previous quarters, the Project launched the Legal Aid Toolkit for Myanmar, a dual-language self-education resource designed to inform and assist Myanmar’s legal aid providers in the development of their case analysis skills and organizational capacity. The Project also began to build a comprehensive training curriculum around the Toolkit that could be implemented by organizations supporting legal aid providers or lawyers. Initial efforts focused on reviewing existing training tools, many of which had served as the basis for the Toolkit and expanding these tools to include additional training materials and exercises. Beginning last quarter and continuing through this quarter, the Project undertook the next steps in the curriculum development process: creation of entirely new training modules covering topics outside the scope of previous training activities and engagement of potential users to broaden the reach of the Toolkit curriculum’s valuable training resources.

This quarter saw the completion of initial drafts of three modules, comprising structured session plans with skills-based practical activities, handouts for participants, agenda outlines, and pre- and post-assessments. The drafting process was led by Access to Justice Advisor, Debrah Mercurio, building upon her extensive experience supporting legal aid providers across Myanmar, also drawing lessons from established training practices proven effective regionally and internationally. The first three topics covered were Case Analysis (Chapter 1), Alternative Dispute Resolution (Chapter 3), and Legal Aid and Legal Practice Management (Chapters 5 & 6), with each topic building from and linking into different chapters of the Toolkit (see earlier parentheticals). The next modules will cover Trial Skills (Chapter 4) and Statutory Interpretation Skills, a critical module that expands beyond the topics covered in the Toolkit and will to be designed as a preliminary training topic, as it will underpin the trainings for all Toolkit topics.

Building on the demand expressed during the initial roll-out of Toolkit to national legal aid providers and international development organizations, the Project held fruitful meetings with potential outlets for the new Toolkit curriculum. The Project showcased the initial draft modules and received strong initial interest from numerous organizations operating in Myanmar’s legal aid sector, including the Rule of Law Centers (a joint project of the International Development Law Organization and UNDP), the EU MyJustice project, and ILAM (discussed earlier in this report). Six Rule of Law Centers, operating in Mandalay, Taunggyi, Yangon, and Myitkyina, provide legal skills and substantive law trainings for both legal aid and private sector lawyers, and see the Toolkit and the more comprehensive curriculum as potentially valuable complements to their existing training tools/curriculum. The EU MyJustice project provides direct legal aid services for marginalized groups through Justice Centers in Yangon and Mawlamyaing. With new centers being launched in Mandalay, Taungoo, Hpa an, and Lashio, the EU program intends to immediately start using the Toolkit and ultimately the full curriculum to conduct internal trainings for its legal aid lawyers and paralegals.

Once finalized, the curriculum will be used by such organizations to conduct trainings internally, building the legal aid capacity of staff and members, and externally, spreading the Toolkit

curriculum lessons to their wider networks of partners and beneficiaries. Strategic partnerships with UNDP, the EU, and other organizations have to potential to create “multiplier effects” for the Toolkit, promoting widespread delivery of legal skills trainings, and helping to develop a common platform for more comprehensive support to Myanmar’s growing legal aid community. The initial Toolkit roll-out and preliminary discussions regarding distribution of the full curriculum will therefore need to be followed up with more substantive coordination once the remaining modules are completed and plans for training the trainers have been formulated.

Legal Aid Database. Beginning last quarter, the Project engaged Zwenexsys, one of the leading ICT developers in Myanmar and a core member of the USAID-supported Phaandeyar community tech hub, to develop a legal aid database providing comprehensive case management systems and tools for any legal aid provider. The design of the database is based on the Legal Aid Toolkit launched last year and will include case analysis tools specifically designed for Myanmar and the Myanmar Penal Code. As a first milestone, Zwenexsys completed its design workshop and user interface meeting, and completed initial development of the database this quarter. At the end of May, the beta version of the database was completed and testing commenced the following week at the Mawlamyaing Justice Center, one of the largest legal aid providers in Myanmar, and a former Project grantee.

Once testing and final design are completed, the Project intends to provide the database free of charge to any interested legal aid provider in the country, a move which will stimulate more complete data across the sector. Inclusive and sustainable data collection is a key factor to the success of a legal aid organization, and to the effectiveness of data-driven advocacy, two key elements of the Project’s support to Myanmar’s legal aid community. The Project is already coordinating directly with the EU MyJustice program and UNDP, and is exploring partnerships with other organizations to ensure widespread deployment of the system. With the Project’s performance period ending in 2018, steps are being taken to ensure the long-term sustainability of the database as a broadly accessible resource for legal aid providers. The EU program recently agreed to continue supporting the database for the following two years, an indication of the widely recognized value of such a system and another demonstration of the importance of close cooperation between donor-funded programs.

Support to a National Bar Association. This quarter, the Project continued its support to the development of an ILAM, an independent national bar association formed in 2016. This activity is channeled through a grant award to the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI), and is an off-shoot of IBAHRI’s existing capacity building and advocacy programs. The central objectives of the grant are to establish and staff ILAM’s Secretariat office, establish regional pilot legal libraries, and deliver continuing legal education (CLE) programs to ILAM members. This quarter IBAHRI, in coordination with ILAM’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) and an organizational development expert from the Malaysian Bar Association, Kenneth Ang, focused on designing and providing specialized trainings for Secretariat staff. Together they assisted staff to develop policies and procedures, communications strategies, and library resources that will aid in creation of regional legal libraries. Initial trainings on finance and fundraising, project management, communication, library, and other related skills were conducted in May 22- 26, and were targeted to ILAM including how organizational structures should operate given the small size of the Secretariat, and how to properly address financial, compliance, and fundraising issues unique to bar associations

Another notable achievement in the Project’s support to ILAM this quarter was development of 25 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) covering a variety of organizational development topics. These SOPs are informed by effective international practices and, if approved by the CEC, will be used to guide further development and expansion of ILAM. A key SOP developed this quarter covers communications strategies and will regulate communication between the ILAM Secretariat and all internal and external stakeholders, including development of an online presence, distribution

of promotional brochures and newsletters, and publication of organizational reports. In April, IBAHRI also facilitated the third CEC meeting (earlier meetings were held in September 2016 and January 2017) in Loikaw (Kayah State) attended by 26 CEC members, IBAHRI’s international and national legal specialists, as well as logistics and finance experts supporting ILAM. Participants discussed and developed multiple resolutions and follow-up action items on topics including attendance requirements for CEC members, planning the upcoming inauguration ceremony of the ILAM office, lobbying strategies for reform of the Bar Council Act, approaches to influencing high-profile legal cases, and a potential strategic partnership with the International Commission of Jurists.

Later in May, ILAM officially inaugurated its Yangon office and commenced planning for membership events later in the year, which will be publicized through the ILAM website, newsletters, and other promotional materials that all currently in development. Work also commenced on the establishment of satellite legal libraries, which began in May with a library needs assessment, and will be informed by resources from international legal development stakeholders and a library systems and education toolkit currently in development. Finally, delivery of CLE programs were scheduled for later in the year and will initially be conducted in partnership with the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP) in order to benefit from ISLP’s prior CLE workshop experience, allowing ILAM to lead its own CLE pilot workshops in the future.

Support to a Paralegal Network. The Project achieved a major milestone this quarter in its long- running effort to address the relative dearth of legal services available to marginalized populations in Myanmar with the official launch of a national paralegal network on April 7. The network launch, conducted in conjunction with former Project grantee Namati, was the culmination of months of work and received the attention and recognition of national and international justice stakeholders alike. The launch event was attended by paralegals from throughout Myanmar, as well as international donors such as Danish Church and the Norwegian Refugee Council, and was an occasion to publicize the Project and Namati’s collaborative achievements founding and growing the network and to raise awareness of the vital role paralegals can play in the quest for greater justice.

In countries such as Myanmar, where access to legal services is often limited, paralegals often play a vital role in providing legal services at the grassroots level, for example, assisting clients with completing common legal documents such as those needed for land registration. While the understanding of how paralegals function is limited and their numbers are few, the Project determined early on that local dynamics – limited access to lawyers, low legal literacy rates, majority of the population living at poverty levels – were such that growing the number of qualified paralegals and building linkages between paralegals in different states/regions would go a long way towards increasing the availability of legal services for marginalized populations in all corners of Myanmar.

With the network officially established, the Project will now focus effort on supporting the network’s core objectives of increasing the numbers of paralegals working in Myanmar, providing them training, advocating for the profession, and focusing on management and fundraising issues. While much remains to be done, as these activities progress in the months and the network builds its membership, visibility, and expertise, the Project will continue to support the network to become a sustainable and effective force in the justice sector of Myanmar.

Grants Program Overview. This quarter, the Project’s grants program successfully launched two new grants initiatives, described below, and continued implementation in support of a national bar association (IBAHRI) and a national paralegal network (Namati), as described above. As in the past, grantees selected under both initiatives will undergo the Project’s organizational development

curriculum, which includes courses and technical assistance in the areas of financial management, project cycle design, monitoring and evaluation, and report writing. These specialized courses are provided only to Project grantees and are designed to complement the USAID’s Civil Society and Media Project. Organizational development and management support has also been provided to A2JI, as discussed above.

Grants Program: Legal Aid Initiatives. During the reporting period, all 13 grants proposed under Request for Application (RFA) 2016-007 Legal Aid Initiatives received Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) approval and grant agreements were finalized shortly after (see table below for further details on each legal aid grant). Grantee partners under this initiative are focused on providing direct legal aid services (e.g., court representation, legal advice and counseling, and legal documentation) to vulnerable and marginalized populations in eight of Myanmar’s states/regions, including the criminally accused, displaced farmers, youth, women, TIP, and SGBV victims/survivors, disabled persons, and those otherwise unable to access representation. Some partners will also provide assistance to victims/survivors in the form of transportation support to attend court proceedings, safe house services, emergency support, and counseling.

On May 17-19, the Project delivered an initial training covering financial management and report writing for all 13 legal aid grantees, which was attended by 42 total participants. Each grantee sent at least three participants, one each from the management, operational, and technical program components, which the Project specifically requested to ensure grantees receive training across all elements of their staff. Pre- and post-test results confirmed the feedback provided by grantees in Financial Management and Report Writing Training for Representatives from 13 their training evaluations: these Legal Aid Initiatives Grantees trainings increased staff capacity but additional trainings and mentorship would be beneficial, particularly in project cycle management, program planning, organizational development, and facilitation skills. The Project structures in ongoing mentorship for all grantees, which is led by both grants and technical staff, and is also planning trainings to address the additional topics noted by the participants.

Legal aid grantees began implementation later in the quarter, mostly focusing on startup activities, including recruitment and training staff and establishment of program offices, with many also completing initial milestones. As grantees started to focus on technical activities, Project staff provided follow-up trainings and conducted site visits to increase grantee capacity in core areas and ensure grantees are properly supported and monitored as they undertake activities. On June 14, the Project’s CSO Specialist monitored and supported a community-based paralegal training led by Social Care Volunteer Group (SCVG), a grantee partner targeting legal aid services to women and youths in Sagaing Region. The SVCG training was attended by 20 community paralegals from across Sagaing and Magway Regions and focused on the concept and role of paralegals, appropriate codes of conduct when providing legal services, the roles of and services provided by formal and informal legal institutions at the community level, and approaches to engagement with law enforcement. On June 28-30, Project staff conducted site visits to Green Peasants Institute (GPI)

and Mahawthadha Legal Aid Association (MLAA), grantee partners based in Ayeyarwaddy Region. Both GPI and MLAA are targeting legal aid services to farmers in the region facing tenure and other land issues. During the visit to GPI, the Project’s CSO Specialist monitored a paralegal training-of-trainers and met with grantee staff to discuss implementation issues and assess milestone progress.

In order to maximize resources, the Project grants program always attempts to combine multiple objectives into site visits, for example, using a single trip to monitor activities, address grantee questions and implementation issues, and provide capacity-building trainings. Thus, in June, while visiting seven grantees in Yangon, Mandalay, Monywa (Sagaing), Ayeyarwaddy, Myitkyina (Kachin), and Taunggyi (Shan), the Project provided in-kind procurements to properly equip grantee offices and conducted training on inventory management and reporting, record-keeping, and fixed asset management. Similarly, while conducting site visits to six grantees in Mandalay, Sagaing, Ayeyarwaddy, and Magway, the Project addressed key technical and administrative requirements of implementation and also provided training in various topics including record- keeping, financial management, and paralegal skills. All legal aid grantees also received ongoing in-person and remote mentoring, particularly during these critical early stages of implementation.

RFA 2016-007 – Legal Aid Initiatives Grants Grant No. Grantee Name Grant Title Grant Location PRL-G-007-001 Myitmakha News Agency Legal Aid Centers – Northern Shan Northern Shan PRL-G-007-002 Sagaing Region Youth Network Justice House Sagaing PRL-G-007-003 Myanmar Justice Association Rule of Law Project Mandalay PRL-G-007-004 Social Care Volunteer Group Rule of Law for Children Magway PRL-G-007-005 Green Peasant Institute Ayeyarwaddy Peasant Legal Aid Center Ayeyarwaddy PRL-G-007-006 Jeepyah Civil Society Her Justice Mon Development Organization PRL-G-007-007 Phoenix Association Community Participatory Legal Aid Mandalay, Initiative Yangon PRL-G-007-008 Mahawthadha Legal Aid Legal Aid for Farmers and Rural People Ayeyarwaddy Association PRL-G-007-009 Genuine People’s Servants Assistance for Victims of Injustice and Yangon, Mon, Human Trafficking Sagaing PRL-G-007-010 Second Tap Root Organization Justice to Rule of Law Mandalay PRL-G-007-011 Legal Clinic Myanmar Justice First Project: Access to Justice Kachin, for Women, Children, and Ayeyarwaddy Disadvantaged People PRL-G-007-012 Humanity Institute Kachin Legal Aid Center Kachin PRL-G-007-013 Integrated Development Promoting Rule of Law by Community- Northern Executive Association Based Legal Service Initiatives in Shan, Northern and Southern Shan State Southern Shan

Grants Program: Anti-Trafficking in Persons Initiatives. In the previous quarter, the Project short- listed five organizations for awards under RFA 2017-008 Anti-Trafficking in Persons Initiatives. The selected organizations proposed programs involving TIP awareness-raising and prevention activities, protection and assistance for victims/survivors, legal advice, and court representation, with activities being targeted to border and transit areas where there is the greatest need and potential to affect change. At the start of the period, the Project teams conducted pre-award risk assessments with the selected organizations, meeting with both program management and operations staff to assess internal capacity and develop baseline data to guide organizational development priorities in the build-up to and during grant implementation. While in all cases the Project teams identified gaps in organizational capacity, all of the selected organizations showed strong potential to effectively implement proposed activities if given appropriate training and support. Additionally, the Project intends to compare the baseline data collected during these assessments to data gathered at the end of each program, in order to evaluate outcomes and impact of Project funding in terms of organizational development and program sustainability.

Later in the period, the Project grants team began the grant negotiation process, meeting regularly with the selected organizations to refine proposed activities, review proposed costs, and begin to draft agreements and other necessary grant documents. With negotiations still ongoing, the Project began providing the selected organizations with foundational training in USAID rules and regulations, while also addressing key grant implementation issues, including reporting requirements, financial and budget management, inventory tracking, and monitoring and evaluation. After completing negotiations and required internal reviews, all five grants were submitted for COR approval during the quarter, and one grant was approved, with three others being approved shortly after and one approval still pending (see table below for further details on each TIP grant). While few initial program activities occurred this reporting period, the Project grants and technical teams continued preparing grantees for implementation, responding to questions and providing mentorship in the build-up to the commencement of milestone activities.

RFA 2017-008 – Anti-Trafficking in Persons Initiatives Grants Grant No. Grantee Name Grant Title Grant Location PRL-G-008-001 Thwee Community Prevention of Human Trafficking Kayin Development Network Project PRL-G-008-002 Mawk Kon Local Prevention of Human Trafficking in Eastern Shan Development Organization Children, Youth and Women PRL-G-008-003 Genuine People’s Servants Prevention and Protection from Kachin, Northern Shan Human Trafficking PRL-G-008-004 Htoi Gender and Promoting Rule of Law for Anti – Kachin, Northern Shan Development Foundation Human Trafficking Project PRL-G-008-005 Karuna Mission Social Reducing Human Trafficking in Mandalay, Sagaing, Solidarity Myanmar Magway, Eastern Shan

IV. Grantee Trainings, Workshops, and Conferences

GRANTEE TRAININGS, WORKSHOPS, AND CONFERENCES (THROUGH JUNE 2017) Achievement this Quarter Cumulative Achievement Number of Number of Topic / Event Number Participants Number Participants of Events of Events M F Total M F Total Human and LGBT rights 13 193 138 331 training Basic legal research skills 1 8 10 18 training Capacity-building training for 8 28 39 67 junior lawyers & paralegals Community-based paralegal 2 36 25 61 33 403 503 906 training LGBT rights and paralegals 1 18 5 23 training Advanced paralegal training 8 24 58 82 Referral system strengthening 1 5 25 30 training Community-based legal 326 3810 5797 9607 awareness training / workshop National mock trial workshop 4 37 119 156 National CLE summer school 1 4 56 60 training / workshop Domestic/gender-based 35 1017 1664 2681 violence campaign / workshop Training on SGBV, CEDAW, women’s rights, and 31 148 337 485 human rights issues Communication / presentation 5 28 57 85 / facilitation skills training Legal skills training (case analysis / management, 1 32 53 85 13 142 217 359 interviewing, counseling) Human rights / advocacy 3 14 47 61 training Investigative journalism 2 8 5 13 training Citizen journalism training 2 14 8 22 Law review workshop 16 439 238 677 Lessons learned conference 1 22 21 43 1 22 21 43 CSO marketplace conference 1 42 90 132 1 42 90 132

Total 5 64 189 253 506 6404 9434 15838

The Project is investigating both options, and plans to have the database developed and testing started in the next quarter. Tel: (202) 712-0000

U.S. Agency for International Development 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20523 Tel: (202) 712-0000 Fax: (202) 216-3524 23 www.usaid.gov