Note: This event will take place on 8/18 at 10:00 AM UTC+8.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a severe blow to economies across the globe, whether advanced or developing. Myanmar has not been spared. From its promising forecast of a 6.8 percent economic growth in Fiscal Year 2018/19 for Myanmar, the World Bank now estimates that this could drop to as low as 0.5 percent in Fiscal Year 2019/20. Further downside effects can only be expected for Myanmar’s economy considering socioeconomic consequences, especially rising poverty rates from income and job losses.

The Myanmar government has responded to the multi-faceted threats of the pandemic by developing a COVID-19 Economic Relief Plan (CERP), which includes an array of measures including tax relief, credit for businesses, food and cash assistance to households, as well as policies to facilitate trade and investment. Introduced in late April 2020, the CERP aims to “flatten the curve without flattening the economy.”

In this ISEAS webinar, speaker Sean Turnell will share insights from the inside on Myanmar’s plan to tackle the impact of the pandemic and recover its economy amidst continuing COVID-19 concerns, now three months into the CERP’s implementation. Sean Turnell has been the Special Economic Consultant to Myanmar’s State Counsellor, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, since 2015. He has been a researcher focused on Myanmar’s economy for over twenty-five years. 

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