The Chamber is a not-for-profit organisation which aims to promote responsible bilateral trade and investment between Australia and Myanmar and promote closer economic ties between the two countries.

The outcomes the Chamber aims to achieve are four fold:

1. Knowledge Sharing. Regularly hosting various events at which businesses, regulators, NGOs and others inform and educate members on investment, trade and commerce, laws, regulations, processes and procedures, CSR and other issues relevant to the conduct of business operations.
2. Advocacy. Serving as an effective vehicle for its members to voice their comments, concerns and regulatory proposals through its connections to decision makers in all branches of government.
3. Networking. Providing its members with quality events which afford ample opportunity for making useful connections, strengthening collaborations and forging friendships.
4. Capacity Building and Responsible Investment. Promoting responsible investment in Myanmar by sharing Australian best practice and assisting in capacity building in the private and public sectors in Myanmar.

Since 2013, the membership growth allowed the Chamber to expand substantially and to deliver more benefits and strategic opportunities for our members. Outcomes delivered included strengthening and growing our organisation as follows:

• Growing our membership base by over 50 per cent to almost 140 members including both Australian and Myanmar companies;
• Having more than 2000 attendees at our Chamber events and initiatives;
• Growing the Board of Directors to 10 including both Australian and Myanmar professionals with a diverse range of corporate background;
• Growing the Secretariat to 7 across Myanmar and Australia;
• Growing our social media presence and communication channels including 2,500 subscribers to our weekly newsletter, more than 55,000 likes on Facebook and over 400 LinkedIn followers.

Further opportunities, benefits and strategic opportunities we were able to provide our members include:

Events & Networking Opportunities

• Hosting the President of Myanmar with the Australian business community at a dinner in Brisbane during the G20;
• Hosted the Inaugural Women in Business Leadership and Development Conference, attended by over 620 people who had the opportunity to listen to over 30 inspirational speakers. This was funded in part by the Australian Government and attracted national media coverage;
• Co-hosted the first Myanmar Women’s Week, including an event which provided more than 250 women the opportunity to attend job readiness training. This event attracted national media coverage;
• Held member briefings on the following topics, amongst others, in Myanmar:
• Myanmar Labour and Taxation Law
• Myanmar Investment Law Rules and Regulations
• Draft Foreign Workers Law
• Careers in Communications
• The implications of the lifting of the US Sanctions (Part 1 and 2)
• IFC Briefing on the Investment Environment
• Continued Phase 2 of the Responsible Investment Working Group
• Driving Sustainable Energy Seminar with the World Bank
• Building Resilient Managers training
• Launched English Training Programs with several large Myanmar companies
• China’s One Belt One Road briefing seminar
• Held a Myanmar Market Update including a briefing on the new Investment and Companies Law with U Aung Naing Oo (Director General DICA) in Melbourne and Sydney; Myanmar’s Political and Business Environment
• Held social networking events in collaboration with other foreign chambers in Myanmar throughout the year;
• Held social networking events to celebrate Australia Day and ANZAC Day;
• Held social networking events in collaboration with Myanmar Young Entrepreneurs Association.
• Attended meetings with the Mandalay Chamber of Commerce in Mandalay to start arranging Mandalay delegation visit to Chamber members in Yangon

Shaping Policy & Engaging with Government

• Launched Phase 2 of the Responsible Investment Working Group which has over 18 Australian and Myanmar businesses, government and NGO leaders. The Group developed a Policy Paper titled “Incentivising Shared Value”, which profiles member companies best practice as well as providing a submissions paper to Myanmar Parliament setting out proposed amendments to the draft Occupational Safety and Health Law as well as a recommendations paper relating to the Environmental Impact Assessment process in Myanmar;
• Co-hosted with Austrade and the Australian Government a Myanmar Mining Delegation to Australia consisting of 7 Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) government officials, including the Minister of MONREC and 6 other senior government officials. The delegation, which also comprised of Myanmar organisation representatives as well as Australian mining expert delegates, travelled to Perth, Melbourne and Brisbane in May 2017;
• Held briefing sessions on the form and implications of the proposed draft Foreign Workers Law and joined together, with other foreign chambers in Myanmar to advocate for the draft law, in its proposed form, to be removed from Parliament. We were successful and the proposed draft Foreign Workers Law was shelved.

If you have any queries about the Conference or AustCham Myanmar, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@austchammyanmar.com