MANDALAY, Myanmar — A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signing ceremony between the Myanmar-China Friendship Association (MCFA) Central Committee and Mandalay Branch, and the Myanmar Youth Development Association (MYDA) Central Committee and Mandalay Branch, was held at 10:00 a.m. on July 21, 2026, at the Jingdao Buddhist Temple Hall located at the corner of Strand Road and 31-B Street in Mandalay.
The ceremony was attended by U Sai Aung Kyi, Vice Chairman of the Mandalay Region Youth Affairs Committee and Shan Ethnic Affairs Minister, who delivered the opening remarks. U Kyaw Min, head of the MCFA Mandalay Branch, also addressed the gathering and presented the association’s ongoing activities.
Subsequently, U Han Htun Oo, head of the MYDA Mandalay Branch and a central executive member, explained the establishment of the Myanmar Youth Development Association, its registration and official recognition by the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the organization’s contributions to national development efforts. He also outlined MYDA’s initiatives aimed at strengthening the five key qualities of youth development and discussed future plans for nurturing the younger generation.
Following the presentations, representatives of both organizations signed the MOU and took commemorative photographs.
According to organizers, the MOU includes cooperation in organizing friendship and cultural exchange programs between Myanmar and Chinese youth; jointly conducting leadership development, capacity-building, civic engagement, and personal development training programs, workshops, seminars, forums, and conferences; collaborating on educational, language, cultural, technological, and digital skills knowledge-sharing initiatives; implementing youth volunteer programs and community service activities; carrying out research and social-benefit projects that promote friendship, economic cooperation, and development between Myanmar and Chinese youth; and jointly implementing mutually agreed youth development and Myanmar-China friendship programs.
Among those attending the ceremony were U Sai Aung Kyi, Vice Chairman of the Mandalay Region Youth Affairs Committee and Shan Ethnic Affairs Minister; MYDA Central Chairman U Zaw Myo Aung; Central Secretary Daw Kyi Sin Shwe; MYDA Mandalay Branch Head and Central Executive Member U Han Htun Oo; regional executive members U Thar Pyae Htun and Daw Thanda Myint; executives from both MYDA and MCFA; representatives from KBZ Bank, CB Bank, and AYA Bank; delegates from MCFA-affiliated organizations; representatives from Yunnan, Guangdong, Fujian, and various Chinese community associations in Mandalay; members of the Jingdao Women’s Charity Association; U San Htut Ko, Regional Director of the Directorate of Industrial Supervision and Inspection; Professor Daw Sandar Win, Head of the Painting Department at the National University of Arts and Culture; and invited guests. In total, approximately 150 people attended the event.
During the second session of the ceremony, officials from the MCFA Central Committee and Mandalay Branch briefed attendees on preparations for the Ayeyarwady–Yangtze Traditional Culture and Regional Development Festival 2026, which is scheduled to be held on November 1, 2, and 3. They outlined plans and arrangements aimed at ensuring the successful organization of the festival.
