On May 23rd and 24th, the European Union funded SMART Myanmar project hosted a 2nd "Myanmar Buyers' Forum" to provide international brands and retailers with a platform in Myanmar to engage with local stakeholders on social and environmental performance topics within their supply chains. 175 participants joined the 2-day conference, including 42 participants representing 20 retailers and importers from Europe, 2 from the United States and 1 from Japan. Issues discussed especially focused on creating a facilitating environment for more effective industrial relations between workers and employers, improving vocational and professional skills training for workers and managers across the garment industry and identifying key priorities for improvement to support the growth of safe and decent work opportunities in Myanmar.

European Union Ambassador to Myanmar, H.E. Mr. Kristian Schmidt, provided welcome remarks for the 2nd day of the conference, along with U Myo Aung, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. In addition to the international retailer, representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and Ministry of Education were in attendance, as were over 50 factory managers, several trade union leaders, non-governmental organization representatives, business associations, representatives of the International Labour Organization and other industry stakeholders.