The 2010 general election introduced subnational governments in Myanmar in 2011. These structures of governance are new institutions for Myanmar, an historically centralized country. Although local legislatures are important pillars of a federal state, insufficient attention has been paid to their current performance and the challenges. Aside from protecting and asserting their position as federal institutions against the Union Government, the state and region hluttaws are in a challenging position to effectively apply checks and balances on the executive institutions of the states and regions. Structural constraints as well as organizational and individual limitations have inhibited local legislatures from taking significant strides towards thriving as effective federal institutions. These constraints and limitations hinder decentralization.

The report, “The Performance Analysis on State and Region Hluttaws (Local Legislatures) in Myanmar” aims to inform policy makers, political actors, civil societies and international donors, experts and academics on the performance of Myanmar’s state and region hluttaws, key federal institutions, during their first term from 2010 to 2015 and to provide recommendations to strengthen these institutions. This study further aims to provide baseline information on regional hluttaw performance. The report and its key findings are now ready to share through an event which will be attended by key stakeholders including leaders of fourteen local legislatures, representatives from Union Hluttaws, representatives from national and international NGOs, and the donor community. The event will be held on the following arrangements: