On August 1, 2025, the Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) at Hitotsubashi University hosted a webinar titled “Local Governance in NUG-Controlled Sagaing Region,” featuring Mr. Khine Win, Executive Director of the Sandhi Governance Institute, Myanmar.
Mr. Khine Win began his talk by identifying the geography and strategic significance of the Sagaing Region in northwestern Myanmar. Economically, the region relies on agriculture, forestry, and small-scale trade, producing rice, sesame, peanuts, and beans. It is also rich in natural resources, both renewables and non-renewables. However, the conflict has devastated local economies displacing farmers, disrupting transport, and closing markets due to military attacks even though local administrations at the township level and the National Unity Government (NUG) can extract rents from natural resources. Then the speaker highlighted the institutional arrangements of local governance under the NUG, which are grassroots driven and community based. He also pointed out the issues and challenges in holding local actors accountable to both NUG and communities.
[Event report prepared by]Billal Hossain (Doctoral student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)
