From 6th November to 10th November 2012 Dr. Wolfgang Bötsch, the former Minister of Post and Telecommunications of the Federal Republic of Germany, visited Nay Pyi Taw, the capital of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Yangon, the economic centre of the Southeast Asian country.

Dr. Bötsch with his profound experiences in economic development and infrastructural planning reflected in bilateral meetings and seminars about the German experience after the reunification in 1990. Dr. Bötsch initiated an exchange of minds as well as discussions on Myanmar’s current developments needs in the context of the current political, economic and social reform process.

Dr. Bötsch had a bilateral meeting with a Director at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunication. The dialogue focused on the recently published Telecommunication Law as well as the potential process of licensing, regulating and privatising the sector. Dr. Bötsch provided a review of developments in the post and telecommunications system in Germany in the context of privatisation of the economy in the eastern part of the country in the aftermath of the reunification process.

In Yangon, Dr. Wolfgang Bötsch was accompanied in a series of seminars by Prof. Dr. Markus Kaltenborn, Director of the Institute of Development Research and Development Politics (Institut für Entwicklungsforschung und Entwicklungspolitik – IEE) of the Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, and Dr. Matthias Meißner, an expert in the field of Social Protection, who has extended working and research experience in Southeast Asia at the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs (ILSSA) in Hanoi, Vietnam.

On 9th November 2012 the ‘Seminar on Economic and Social Challenges in the Reform Process of Myanmar: Investment Planning and Social Protection’ was jointly organised by the Myanmar Women Entrepreneurs’ Association (MWEA) and the Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF). Daw Wah Wah Tun, Chairperson of MWEA, gave the opening speech of the seminar. Dr. Wolfgang Bötsch provided in a keynote speech a review of issues related to infrastructure investments and strategic planning. The seminar included also an overview of international standards of Social Protection delivered by Prof. Kaltenborn and a presentation by Dr. Meißner about experiences and challenges of Social Protection of the informal sector of economy in Southeast Asian countries.

On 10th November 2012 another seminar on economic and social challenges in the reform process of Myanmar was jointly organised by the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the HSF. The topics presented at this seminar included legal frameworks for inclusive and sustainable Social Protection systems and international standards of Social Protection. After the presentations a panel discussion answered questions from the seminar’s audience. The delegation of Dr. Bötsch also had the opportunity to talk bilaterally with U Win Aung, President of the UMFCCI.