Clean Cooking in Myanmar: Progress and Opportunities

Clean Cooking in Myanmar: Progress and Opportunities

Firewood and charcoal account for around 80% of total fuel consumption in Myanmar – one of the highest shares of any Asian country. This is due largely to the widespread use of firewood (and to a lesser extent charcoal) for cooking. Cooking using inefficient firewood and charcoal stoves has many negative impacts. These include health and safety risks due to household air quality; productivity and education losses (due to the significant time spent collecting wood); localised deforestation, which can cause habitat loss, increase soil erosion and contribute to global climate change if firewood is unsustainably harvested; protection risks due to increased exposure to landmines and potential gender based violence while collecting. Women and children are the main groups affected by these many negative impacts.

Progress on clean cooking has been slow as while all the cross-cutting negative impacts are known, leading bodies have many other priorities. The development of a National Clean Cooking Strategy could help to accelerate progress on clean cooking by raising the political profile of the issue, improving co-ordination of the various actors involved and facilitating funding of clean cooking programmes.

Already much is known about what needs to be done to deliver the long term outcomes needed. Changes in behaviours and increased knowledge and awareness amongst government, the private sector, civil society organisations and the general public, as well as access to finance and technology, will be needed to achieve lasting results.

Additionally, continuing to ramp up areas of good progress gives a practical and incremental way forward in the midst of the troubled times Myanmar is experiencing. People still need to cook – so ensuring that progress continues well in ways likely to fit with future national clean cooking directions is a pragmatic way forward. Showcasing practical steps forward is the purpose of this webinar.

Webinar Overview



Many stakeholders have interest in this area and four have joined forces to help coordinate an update on the topic and assist coordination on steps forward. Cooking is complex as well as essential. "Perfect" solutions do not exist due to the complexity and interaction of many factors. For today's webinar, Spectrum, Modern Energy Cooking Systems (MECS), Good Briquette Company (a JV led by ICM and funded by InfraCo Asia and Good Neighbors) and the British Chamber of Commerce join together to bring some of the perspectives contributing to the topic.

Date: Tuesday 23rd November, 2021

Time: 15.30 - 17.30 (Myanmar Time)

Venue: Online (Zoom Webinar)

Cost to Members: FOC

Cost to Non Members: FOC

Access and Cancellation

You will be sent the link to attend 24 hours in advance, then again one hour before. If you are no longer able to attend please cancel your place 24 hours in advance via email to events@britishchambermyanmar.com.