Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Luther in Myanmar With a team of German, French and Myanmar lawyers in our office in Yangon, Luther Law Firm Limited and Luther Corporate Services Limited have the competence and expertise necessary to comprehensively assist and advise on all relevant legal and tax aspects as well as the regulatory challenges of this rapidly developing country. Our lawyers are complemented by more than 30 professionals, accountants and tax advisors with knowledge and experience in all aspects of corporate and regulatory compliance, including:

▪

Incorporation services;

▪ Corporate services;

secretarial

▪ Bookkeeping accounting; ▪

and

Tax compliance;

▪ HR administration and payroll; and ▪ Cash, fund and payment administration. Luther is dedicated to a practical and efficient approach with highest demands towards quality, integrity and responsiveness. Our clients in Myanmar comprise of private investors, international SMEs and MNCs, Myanmar enterprises and conglomerates as well

as embassies, state-owned enterprises and non-governmental organizations. Luther Law Firm Limited Luther Corporate Services Limited Uniteam Marine Office Building 8th Floor, Unit #1 84 Pan Hlaing Street Sanchaung Township, 11111 Yangon Republic of the Union of Myanmar Phone:

+95 1 500 021

Fax:

+95 1 502 852

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

15 years Malteser International in Myanmar This year, Malteser International is celebrating15 years of humanitarian and development assistance in Myanmar. Malteser International is providing development and humanitarian assistance in Myanmar since 2001. Our work aims at ensuring communities have access to primary health care services as well as comprehensive water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH) and disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation solutions. More than 350 national staff in Rakhine, Shan and Kayin States strive to enable and empower the most vulnerable communities.

help them to prepare for extreme weather events and significant changes to their environment through the creation of community based disaster preparation plans, early warning systems and mangrove plantations.

Rakhine State: Adaptation to climate change. Since 2005, Malteser International has been working to protect especially vulnerable communities against the effects of climate change – and to

Shan State: Improving health and nutrition for mothers and children in rural areas and HIV/Aids. Malteser International follows a comprehensive approach – working with and supporting gov-

Rakhine State: Basic medical care, combatting malaria and TB and ensuring access to water. Malteser International is supporting 220,000 people in Maungdaw and Buthidaung by strengthening and improving access to local primary health care services and strengthening communities’ self-help capacities

ernment health staff like midwives, while promoting good health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene within the communities at the same time.

Kayin State: Preparing the ground for refugee return. Malteser International is conducting a comprehensive program in Kayin State that combines a variety of measures to prepare villages on the border with Thailand for the return of the refugees. We would like to thank our main donors, the German Federal Foreign Office and Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Global Fund, World Food Programme and UNOCHA.For further information please visit www.malteserinternational.org.

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

As an integrated professional services firm, Rödl & Partner is active at 106 wholly- owned locations in 49 countries. We owe our dynamic success in the service lines audit, legal, management and IT consulting, tax consulting as well as tax declaration and BPO to our 4,200 entrepreneurial minded partners and colleagues worldwide. Our success has always been based on the success of our clients: Rödl & Partner is always there where its clients see the potential for their business engagement. Rather than create an artificial network of franchises or affiliates, we have chosen to set up our own offices and rely on close, multidisciplinary and crossborder collaboration among our colleagues.

We established our office in Yangon in 2014 and are happy to announce, that we are moving from our former location at 6.5 mile on Pyay Road to Myanmar Center next to Myanmar Plaza in October 2016 due to further expansion in the coming year. From our Myanmar office, we render - inter alia – the following services: Legal and Tax consulting Our experienced national and international attorneys and tax advisors assist companies in all legal and tax matters on a global scale. Our team provides comprehensive advice and support throughout various types of projects on any kind of scale. Company formation Our attorneys assist in the formation of companies (e.g. 100% foreign-owned companies, Joint Ventures, Branch offices and Representative offices) under the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) as well as the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC). We work closely with our clients and competent institutions to ensure to have all the required licenses in place. Financial accounting

and

payroll

From our Yangon office we

handle the entire accounting and payroll accounting process for our clients in Myanmar, so we can guarantee a proper accounting and reporting system is in place fully compliant with local and international standards. Compliance, Labour Law, Expatriate Consulting We are also specialized in Labour law and expatriate consulting as well as legal and tax compliance checks and on-going monitoring. Website: www.roedl.com; Your contact: Ursus.negenborn@roedl. pro

[email protected] m Roedl & Partner Co. Ltd. No. 10, 8/F Myanmar Center Tower 1, 192 Kaba Aye Pagoda Road, Bahan Township, Yangon, Myanmar

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

A Legal and Cultural Point of Intersection Between Myanmar and Germany. The transitional period Myanmar is experiencing and the free and fair elections held in November 2015 result in far reaching and numerous changes. The process of adjusting manifold rules and regulations are challenging for foreigners and locals likewise. In this rapidly developing market German qualities like structure, order and efficiency are indispensable to cope with the fast and fundamental changes.

Since our establishment in 2013, SKRK offers legal advice and consultation in close cooperation with our affiliated partner offices in Thailand and Germany.

A combination of a specialized legal and cultural point of intersection

The dynamic and dedicated SKRK Team and especially our German advocates stand for trust and reliability. This not only attracts foreign clients and investors but also Myanmar citizens and companies enjoy the accessibility of corporate lawyers with a renowned German educational background.

With our experts in regional science and the profound understanding of the Myanmar culture we face the challenges rooted in cultural differences for our clients from different continents. The combination of a specialized legal and cultural point of intersection encourages our local clients in their efforts of entering the international business community. We train and guideline our committed local staff to achieve their full potential. As doing so, Capacity building in an active work environment as well as the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility form the basic understanding of our philosophy.

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Sparkassen (Savings Banks) support Microfinance Sector in Myanmar Some 200 years ago, Europe experienced an economic and social turning point. Catchwords such as population explosion, mass poverty, hunger, urbanisation, exploitation and child labour characterised this era. Even traditional society structures dissolved and many traditional welfare institutions disappeared. At this time, the foundation of Sparkassen (savings banks) was an innovative approach to improve the population`s living conditions. The aim was to particularly give the poorer strata of the population the opportunity to invest their savings on safe and interest-bearing terms. The savings banks invested the collected savings in granting small loans to local craftsmen, traders and farmers as well as in financing the set-up of local infrastructures.

Microfinance – important for economic and social development.

Back then and now, the tool “savings bank” – or as it

is called today: microfinance – is an important and successful module of economic and social development. Since more than 50 years the German Sparkassen support microfinance institutions and regional banks with regard to institutional structure and development: Sparkassenstiftung pursues the objective to enhance the professionalism of its partner institutions, thus enabling them to offer their customers a permanent access to financial products. In particular small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) contribute essentially to the economic development and the creation of new jobs. But also small and medium income earners, poor people and social fringe groups are targeted by Sparkassenstiftung`s partner institutions. At the end of 2015 Sparkassenstiftung executed 34 projects in 36 countries, thereof currently in Myanmar: 1. The objectives of the “Regional Project Indochina/Myanmar” are to create a sustainable network of Asian microfinance institutions, which would allow individual partners to learn from and strengthen each other whilst benefiting from international experience. Currently six partner institutions have

joined the Regional Project in Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. In Myanmar the microfinance institutions Myanmar Development Partners (MDP) and CARD Myanmar Co. Ltd have been selected as project partners. 2. In 2012, GIZ has launched a Financial Sector Development Programme in Myanmar which aims to improve the access of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME) to formal, demand oriented and sustainable financial services (“SME-Lending in Myanmar”). Sparkassenstiftung together with ICON were selected in 2014 by GIZ to support three partner banks of the Myanmar banking industry to develop adequate strategies, products, processes and organizational structures for SME lending. Sparkassenstiftung has focused on the development of adequate SME finance trainings and qualification measures at these banks. Until today, the overall SME credit portfolio of the three banks could be increased by 300% to more than 13.000 SME and MMK 750bn.

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Uniteam Group of Companies – A German-Myanmar Connection Uniteam Group of Companies, established and held by German interests, is a multinational and diverse group active in several industries including ship management, training and hospitality.

The group attributes its successes in Myanmar to the long-established and close relationships between multicultural teams made up of German and Myanmar people. The high-performance culture is built on trust and understanding and is driven by a passion for delivering excellence. Operations in Yangon started in 1988 with Uniteam Marine, a renowned company

involved in all aspects of ship management and currently handling a crew pool of 5,000 Myanmar seafarers.

Uniteam Training is active in the marine, oil & gas and industrial sectors. It is considered the leading training centre in Myanmar with state of the art training facilities.

The group’s hospitality division includes The Savoy Hotel Yangon, a colonial boutique hotel famous for its ambience and quality of service; Bayview – the beach resort, is another boutique hotel that boasts the best location at Ngapali Beach; Mahlzeit Restaurant and Café offer a true taste of modern German cuisine and the upcoming Atlas Rooftop Bar offers some of the most breathtaking views in Yangon.

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Grassroots Advocacy: Empowering Rural Communities for Change Su Paung Arr Mann (Collective Force in English) is the name of a new association of Village Development Committees (VDCs) in Htan Tabin Township, Yangon Division. Not only the name is powerful, but the members of the Association are strong and energetic, their eyes bright with enthusiasm. It is as well the first registered association in the township, a new concept to both the citizens and local government officials. Established in 2013 by community leaders representing VDCs, its primary goals are poverty reduction, local capacity building and sustainable development of Htan Tabin Township. The association grew out of a food security project implemented by the German NGO Welthungerhilfe (WHH). Su Paung Arr Mann now has over 3,700 members in 45 villages, with membership

growing every month. It provides important services to members and their families in the form of micro emergency health insurance, capacity building, vocational training and financial support to small business development. The Su Paung Arr Mann association, follows a democratic method of management. Electing new leaders or making decisions for important issues have to pass a voting process. “Every member has the right to vote and the right to express his/her opinion and their suggestions and opinions are always taken into consideration.” U Win Htut, the Project Coordinator of Su Paung Arr Mann, explains.

Support for the micro emergency health insurance program

The success in achieving the official registration gave the association confidence to use their new status to advocate to the local government on issues important to their member villages. Advocating for the repair of irrigation channels in a number of previously overlooked villages was their first attempt, and it was significantly successful. The association currently has plans to advocate to the government to support the micro emergency health

insurance program with matching funds. Ma Hla Hla Win explains that a better understanding of the responsibility of governments to serve the citizens has made them feel confident to claim their rights. “From capacity building training by WHH, we have learned that elected governments are responsible for fulfilling the needs of its people. As far as I understand, we people have the right to have a say in the decision making processes that affect our lives.” For Welthungerhilfe, supporting community based organizations (CBOs) for rural development has as well an important secondary higher function. “Being involved in a group/association is the first step to understanding democracy and the concept of participation. CBOs are in fact micro-democracies. By participating in CBOs, communities are better equipped to understand and participate in the new democratic government, which is critical to the overall development of Myanmar as a whole” comments Bryan Berenguer, Project Manager at WHH. With now thousands of members, the Su Paung Arr Mann Association will surely be a Collective Force in the development of Htan Tabin Township, as well as contribute to the overall advancement of Myanmar and its citizens.

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

A reliable partner for Myanmar Farmers CLAAS. At home in fields all over the world.

The German company CLAAS is a world-leading agricultural manufacturer with a workforce of over 9,000 people and a total annual turnover of around three billion euros. Numerous subsidiaries, including fourteen production sites located around the globe, ensure close contacts with our customers.

CLAAS is the European market leader in combine harvesters and the world leader in forage harvesters. The company’s product range also includes tractors, balers, forage harvesting machinery, telescopic loaders, and innovative agricultural information technology. In addi

tion, the CLAAS Group is an engineering technology provider to the aviation and automative industries as well as other sectors. Known around

the world for its tried and tested products, such as the MARKANT baler and the DOMINATOR combine harvester, CLAAS offers professional harvesting technology which adapts to any local.

Authorized CLAAS Distributor (Myanmar): Chindwin-Ayeyar Confluence Trading Co., Ltd. Yangon: No. 472, Bo Hmu Ba Htoo Road, 48 Ward, Dagon (North) Township, Yangon, Myanmar. Taunggyi : No. 41/42, Pyi Daung Su Main Road, Ward (3), Taunggyi (Aye Tharyar), Shan State, Myanmar. Phone: (959) 250022537, 250685502, 974925627 Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Celebrating 26 years of German Unity

The German Embassy Yangon Gazette Yangon, October 2016

Henkel delivers worldclass laundry solutions to Myanmar Celebrating its 140-year jubilee this year, Henkel holds globally leading market positions in both the consumer and industrial businesses, with well-known brands such as Dixan, Schwarzkopf and Loctite. In 2013, Henkel’s Laundry & Home Care business unit, together with its strategic partner DKSH, launched its laundry detergent brands Dixan and XTRA in Myanmar. Dixan and XTRA are heavy-duty powder detergents that are available in more than 24,000 outlets across Myanmar. Both products, created based on Henkel’s world-class innovation and technology, offer superior cleaning for its users. With more and more consumers switching to Dixan and XTRA, Henkel has become the second largest powder detergents brand in the country in terms of total market share[1]. To date, Henkel is the

only international company in the powder detergent market to establish manufacturing operations in Myanmar. Besides technological know-how and best practices from Germany, Henkel also transferred quality safety, health, environmental standards to its local production partner. With a commitment to leadership in sustainability being a key driver of Henkel’s business, the laundry detergent plant in Myanmar pays great attention to the safety and health of its employees, its environmental impact, as well as ensuring that Henkel’s laundry products are manufactured at consistently high standards. “We are proud to be able to provide superior washing performance to our con-

sumers with our brands that are produced locally in Myanmar. Over the past three years, consumers have come to recognise the quality of our laundry detergent products that are developed based on German technology. As such, Dixan and XTRA have become trusted household brands in Myanmar,” said Jens Knoke, General Manager of Henkel Laundry & Home Care in Myanmar.

[1] Based on independent market research institute determining value market shares.