The International Labour Organization (ILO) has initiated employment-intensive infrastructure rehabilitation to help communities recover from the devastating earthquake that Myanmar in March 2025.
The earthquake, which hit the Inle Lake area of Southern Shan State and the Mandalay Region, caused extensive damage across 58 townships, affecting more than 17 million people and leaving over 9 million in need of immediate assistance.
The initiative, which is funded by the ILO and the Government of Japan under the ILO-Japan Social Safety Net (SSN), uses ILO's employment-intensive investment approach to help rapidly restore essential community infrastructure and generate income-earning opportunities, while leveraging decent work principles.
An Early Recovery Needs Assessment done in August 2025 showed that in the Inle Lake area alone, 3,454 households were destroyed or damaged, while the Mandalay Region recorded 76 per cent of cities destroyed. Thousands remain displaced with limited access to safe water, sanitation and income opportunities. The destruction of shelters, community buildings, water points and latrines continues to pose significant public health and protection risks, particularly for women, children, elderly people, and persons with disabilities. Livelihoods have been severely disrupted, prolonging recovery needs in the affected areas.
The ILO initiative aims to generate over 27,300 decent workdays, benefitting at least 1,500 crisis-affected households across the two target areas. It prioritizes equitable access to livelihoods for the most vulnerable, including households facing critical hardship, such as homes with single mothers, persons with disabilities and internally displaced persons, ensuring equal pay for work of equal value for all. Occupational safety and health (OSH) requirements are mandatory across all worksites.
To ensure community ownership, local Village Development Committees (VDCs) have been established in 25 target localities. The Committees, composed equally of men and women from the respective villages, oversee the repair or reconstruction of at least 24 priority community assets, such as educational facilities, multi-purpose community buildings, footpaths, rural access roads and water facilities including more than 150 latrines.
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The ILO has provided training to all the Committees on project planning, procurement, oversight, and financial record-keeping, preparing them for the activities to run autonomously.
"By prioritising local labour, inclusive participation and community-driven decision-making, this initiative not only restores essential services but also strengthens local systems and creates pathways for future livelihoods. Strong local ownership is central to building resilience that will endure beyond the project," says Yutong Liu, ILO Liaison Officer for Myanmar.
During the implementation, the Committees will document worker attendance, wages, material usage, grievance reports and community audits. A grievance redress mechanism established to enable safe reporting of concerns, reinforcing transparency and accountability.
"The construction of this village road is very important for our community. The daily wages allow me to save and reinvest in my tomato farm, which was damaged during the earthquake and floods. The road will provide safer access for children to reach school and enable villagers to continue their work, even during the rainy season, says Aung Soe from the Tha Lae U Inn Village.
To strengthen individual employability beyond the project's lifespan, at least 220 workers will receive technical skills development training, including construction-related skills, as well as weaving and sewing techniques as indicated by women in the villages as priority means of livelihood. Additionally, twenty community contractors will be trained in contract management, budgeting and quality control.
"Local workers are earning decent wages and we are ensuring their safety while also providing construction skills training to support both the quality of the work and future maintenance of the road. ," says Nandar Oo, village contractor.
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The initiative, part of the ILO Initiative on Decent Work for Peace, integrates key elements of Recommendation No. 205 on Employment and Decent Work for Peace and Resilience. By addressing key drivers of fragility, including limited social cohesion, constrained livelihood opportunities and unresolved community grievances, the project shows how decent work provides a sustainable pathway linking immediate humanitarian response to longer-term development. It supports the UN's Myanmar Early Recovery Cluster's coordination framework, positioning decent work as a key element of the humanitarian, development and peace nexus.
Designed as catalytic support, the initiative aims to demonstrate tangible results that may mobilize further development partner investment into sustainable and inclusive reconstruction and livelihood support in crisis-affected regions.
