IATSS Forum

Mingalarpar (Greeting in Burmese)! I am Zaw Tu Hkawng and from the city of Yangon, Myanmar. Currently, I am helping young people to become change-makers by nurturing them with knowledge and skills at the Harvest Rehabilitation Center which is based in Yangon. I sincerely believe that IATSS forum will empower my spirit of leadership and innovation. Of course, I am thrilled to be friend and connected with excellent participants from ASEAN as well. I am very excited to participate IATSS forum in Japan because the people of Myanmar have seen Japan as the king of quality and mission-driven country.. At the same time, Myanmar is in its transition from military rules for nearly six decades to democracy. In the process of genuine democratization and development of Myanmar, the role of Japan plays a crucial role as Japan has been a fantastic partner and helpful contributor. Therefore, it would be phenomenal to learn from Japan in terms of their business practice, the spirit of empowerment, educational programs and so on. Because of the bad legacy of the military government of Myanmar, the gap of knowledge is huge and the role of leadership is lack in all aspects and sectors. Because leadership requires certain amount of knowledge, skills, capacities, and more importantly actions and sacrifices. In this critical periods of Myanmar, it needs many people not only who can lead but also who knows where to lead with knowledge, skills, and missions. In fact, my whole life is all about leadership and it is why participating IATSS forum plays a crucial role to me. More importantly, I strongly believe that this forum will equip me with applicable knowledge, offer me unique leadership trainings and relevant problem-solving skills. Hence, I may become a dynamic and productive leader who makes the nations a better place.

58th IATSS Forum to me was above and beyond my expectation. My leadership skill, communication skill, team-building skill were developed. I came to more appreciate on my culture, identity and tradition through IATSS Forum. As many topics of 58th IATSS Forum were mainly based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of United Nations, I learnt how to balance between the economic growth and environmental protection strategically and systematically. As I sincerely believe that sharing is caring, I have shared about my IATSS Forum learning experiences with people around me and at the Harvest Rehabilitation Center in particular that I am currently working for. Many young people are at the Center in order to develop their soft-skill and be rehabilitated from using substances. Therefore, I have taught them how to develop their leadership skill based on my experiences. In addition, I have trained them to become a good facilitator. As Myanmar is in transition politically, socially, and economically, the people of Myanmar are fond of more on Western culture but less of their unique culture. Therefore, I encouraged people around me particularly young people to value and embrace our unique culture, customs and tradition. More importantly, I actively participated on the movements of preserving culture and heritage in Yangon. As Myanmar is well-known for its rich in natural beauty, it is crucial for the people of Myanmar to preserve them without effecting the rising economy of Myanmar at the same time. For instance, the tourism sector of Myanmar is growing dramatically and it has damaged its environment badly at the same time. Therefore, I earnestly promote the idea of harmonizing between the economic growth and environmental protection. In fact, I have talked to some of the business persons around me to be responsible business and set an example for aspiring young business persons. As Myanmar is in urgent needs of those three in particular, I am very happy to be a part of it by contributing my incredible learning experiences of 58th IATSS Forum.