24. November.2018

To our stakeholders:

I am pleased to confirm that Pro Niti Travel reaffirms its support of the Ten Principles of the United Nations Global Compact in the areas of Human Rights, Labour, Environment, and Anti-Corruption.

In this annual Communication on Progress, we describe our actions to continually improve the integration of the Global Compact and its principles into our business strategy, culture and daily operations. We also commit to sharing this information with our stakeholders using our primary channels of communication.

Sincerely yours,

Min Than Htut

Chief Executive Officer

1. Pro Niti Travel is the ethical travel company who support for the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights".

2. We have Human Rights Policies and code of conduct for Human Rights.

The responsibility to respect human rights is a global standard of expected conduct for all business enterprises wherever they operate. It exists independently of States’ abilities and/or willingness to fulfill their own human rights obligations and does not diminish those obligations. And it exists over and above compliance with national laws and regulations protecting human rights. So, every company in every industry sector has human rights impacts and responsibilities. As there is a linkage between development and human rights, development without human rights cannot be sustainable. So, to get sustainable development in business we have to respect human rights. “Respect” reflects the responsibility of businesses to avoid infringing on the rights of others and to address any negative impacts caused by their enterprises. Respect for human rights in Business requires capacity building, innovation, collaboration, and leadership. As international human rights instruments are essential in ensuring workers’ freedom of association, their right to collective bargaining, the prohibition of discrimination and the protection of health and safety at work, we believe that businesses can benefit society and contribute to the realization of human rights.

Women and Gender Equality

While the world has achieved progress towards gender equality and women’s empowerment under the Millennium Development Goals (including equal access to education between girls and boys), women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence in every part of the world. Women have made great strides in the workplace, but inequality persists. The issue of equal pay is still a hot-button topic. The problem arises when young adults try to balance work and family, and women end up carrying nearly all of the caregiving responsibilities. If women put many more hours into these household activities than men, this greatly disadvantages women in the workplace. It is unrealistic to expect gender equality if workplaces demand that women be available all the time. There is clear evidence to demonstrate that better outcomes are achieved across the spectrum of priorities when women are represented in the top tier of organizations. Women bring a different and unique perspective to business and we need to celebrate and integrate it. Instead of trying to shove women into the roles that men have been doing for decades, we should be more interested in hiring savvy women to develop new roles and benchmarks for how success is created.

Children's Rights

We support that children also have the right to special protection because of their vulnerability to exploitation and abuse. As we believe Children must be treated with equality, respect, and dignity, not because they are "the future" or the "adults of tomorrow", but because they are human beings today. All humans are born inherent with fundamental freedoms and rights. However, children are afforded a low status in most societies. For example, in almost every country children under the age of 18 are denied political power because they cannot vote, and most countries allow parents to hit their children even though they would be prosecuted for assault if they hit an adult.

Indigenous Peoples

We believe that Indigenous Peoples are ethnic groups who are the original inhabitants of a given region, in contrast to groups that have settled, occupied or colonized the area. We recognize also that respect for indigenous knowledge; cultures and traditional practices contribute to the sustainable and equitable development and proper management of the environment. And we emphasize also the contribution of the demilitarization of the lands and territories of indigenous peoples to peace, economic and social progress and development, understanding and friendly relations among nations and our guests.

3. Goals of Pro Niti Travel - 2018 ~ 2019

We are planning to create the company policies (Code of conduct) on respecting Human Rights and will add the new page on our website.
We will make proper policy and procedure for business partners and suppliers to adhere to the Global Compact principles on Human Rights.
And then to share these policies with our guests, our business partners, and suppliers to follow the policies to prevent the potential abuses.

1, From 2019 January, we will make the yearly online survey about Human Rights.

2. We will make budgeting for the employees' training about Human Rights in the Low season (from April to September).

3. We will hire "one HR consultant" and make the proper procedures and policies for the HR department supporting Human Rights and Labour Laws.

- Objectives and Goals for Human Rights Performance
- KPIs for Human Rights
- Easy access with Asana
- External Audits of Human Rights Performance

Pro Niti Travel

We have the below contracts with our employees.

1). Employment Contract based on the labor laws with employee rights and benefits, and promotions
2). Position Agreement for their clear responsibilities, safety concern and level of authority for the employees
3). Life Long Learning Project - Pro Niti Travel allowed the employees to learn new things and sponsor the training for the employee's improvements such as Sales training, customer service training, HR training, and management training.

Goals & Mission for the Labour Rights of Pro Niti Travel - 2019
1). Health care planning for employees and their family
2). Educational planning for the family of the employees

1. All the employees have the same rights and benefits that provided by the company.

2. We have one on one personal coaching time per months for their goals and results and performance and suggestions. We give the "Evaluation Form" and fill the goals, results, personal thoughts, why they achieve the goals or not, what is their suggestions for the management to improve.

3. We purchased Asana Application for job and duties easy management for employees and also other necessary application such as slack for communication.

4. For the health, the medical prescriptions can be claimed at the finance department for partially and fully support. For the safety, all the employees have life insurance which is purchased by the company from GGI insurance.

5. All the employees have been informed about the Organization chart and their promotion plans.

6. All the rules and disciplines, benefits for the employees are based on Myanmar Labour Laws.

1. For the performance, we set monthly goals, quarterly goals and biannually and annually goals. Then, we mentioned in Asana for them and they noticed their related goals.

2. At the end of the month, one on one coaching session with all the employees and suggest the performance which evaluates by themselves. We have 3 stages such as Green, Yellow, and Red. We give the chance to evaluate the performance of the employees by themselves.

3. At the end of the year, will have the reward system for all of the outstanding employees.

We agree with the definition by the World Commission on Environment and Development that sustainable tourism means “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,”. The World Tourism Organisation goes a step further to explain it as the “management of all resources in such a way that economic, social, and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity, and life support systems.”

At Pro Niti Travel we also believe that sustainable tourism benefits everyone involved and not just one-half of the equation. Therefore, tourism in Myanmar should not be a one-way street, but everyone involved in tourism, directly or indirectly, should be benefiting from it in one way or another.

We often hear the words “eco-friendly” and “eco-tourism”. Not only has this term been abused and over-used due to the marketing power behind the term “eco”, but the term is also mainly focused on the environment and its protection for the next tourist behind us. We fully support the notion that our commitment to sustainable tourism also includes current and future needs of the local community, their culture and traditions, way of life, economic welfare and their personal development.

Pro Niti Travel believes and supports the “three pillars” of sustainable tourism, namely Environmental Sustainability, Economic Sustainability, and Socio-Cultural Sustainability.

Everything we as tour operators and our guests do, will have an important role in any, or all, of these three pillars. We have choices on how to spend the tourist money, where to spend it and to make sure our money is used to support the three pillars of sustainable tourism. Its all about making wise and informed choices to bring about positive changes to Myanmar.

Sustainability.

Everything we as tour operators and our guests do, will have an important role in any, or all, of these three pillars. We have choices on how to spend the tourist money, where to spend it and to make sure our money is used to support the three pillars of sustainable tourism. Its all about making wise and informed choices to bring about positive changes to Myanmar.

PRO NITI TRAVEL SUSTAINABLE TOURISM MISSION

We are committed to providing adventure travel services to leisure and business travellers, whether for solo, couples, family or small-groups, in sustainable ways to ensure less impact on the environment while respecting and protecting local culture and traditions, and support local economies where we operate. We are recognized for our excellent service, integrity, and innovation that culminates to satisfy guests with memorable experiences. We are committed to creating a life-long-learning culture in our organization to improve human talent and self-enjoyment.

INITIATIVES OF PRO NITI TRAVEL TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE TOURISM

Here are a few initiatives which Pro Niti Travel and our guests should support to create and maintain sustainable tourism in Myanmar. While we may not yet be successful in each of our endeavours, we are working on it every day! Please think about each item and how the choices we make can have an effect on the local people.

A) Environmental Sustainability

The objective here is to protect the environment. Think about “green tourism” and “eco-friendly” tourism.

When snorkelling or scuba diving, don’t touch or step on the corals or unnecessarily stir up sediment as it damages the reef’s fragile ecosystem.
When hiking, stay on the marked trails to avoid harming the native fauna and flora.
When hiking, bring along a small reusable bag and pick up any trash we spot along our hike. If nobody picks up the trash, then let us hikers pick it up and stop passing the bucket to someone behind us.
When doing grocery shopping, be an example to the shoppers around us and bring along a reusable bag for our purchases. Plastic bags are so harmful to the environment and should be phased out.
Travel with small group tour operators as they tend to have less of an environmental impact.
Insist on visiting wild animals in their natural habitat or in well-managed animal sanctuaries rather than visiting animal parks where tamed wild animals are used for tourist entertainment such as playing football in front of a paying crowd. Never go on elephant rides. Never!
Avoid any wildlife tours that promise close encounters or hands-on encounters with animals. Choose tour operators that don’t disturb wildlife. This means: Do not ride on elephants, do not get in the enclosures of tigers to walk and pat them.
Never feed wildlife for any reason. Feeding wild animals make them habituated to, and reliant, on humans and may lead to attacks and likely the subsequent putting down of the animal.
Keep a respectful distance from wildlife. If you are close enough to attract a wild animal’s attention then it means you are way too close.
Don’t buy anything made from endangered plants or animals, and that includes buying anything made of unsustainable hardwood forests and ancient artefacts.
Do not buy souvenir photos from anyone exploiting wildlife such as performing bears or elephants. Never have your photo taken by someone with a performing monkey or snake or any wild animal. Never support anyone using these animals as a means of income.

B) Economic Sustainability

The objective is to make wise decisions about how our tourist money is spent to ensure its benefits are spread across local communities rather than to only benefit large hotel chains or even out-of-country suppliers.

Get off the beaten tracks and away from tourist crowds to help to spread the economic benefit of tourism to places that get less than the tourist hotspots.
Show preference to locally produced products that support the local communities. Whether you buy food, clothing, souvenirs, or arts and crafts – buy locally produced products rather than imports.
Support indigenous artisans and try to buy directly from these artists to help them support their families and it helps to preserve their culture.
Carefully select tour operators who give back to the local communities, who hire local guides and take a leading role in preserving the area’s natural resources and cultural heritage.
Give more than you take from the local communities you visit and take photos of. This can include signing up for volunteer work, sharing your culture, sharing your tourist money, and just sharing your good heart and respectful behavior.

C) Socio-Cultural Sustainability

Tourism can have a profound impact on local culture and lifestyles. The objective is to leave only positive influences on the local people with little, or no change, to their way of life.

Don’t support any businesses who solely cater to tourists (in particular foreign tourists) as over time such businesses will take over the retail landscape of the local community and have a significant impact on the local community.
Support local artists and do not buy from vendors who peddle tacky souvenirs made in foreign countries.
Support restaurants who prepare local cuisines rather than those who offer foreign food that some tourists may prefer.
Be open minded and foster a more engaging travel experience by respecting the local cultures and traditions regardless of how different they may be from what you are used to. Embrace our differences so you encourage others to hold on to what makes them unique.
Before you arrive, do a little research on the local customs and traditions so that you can talk and behave appropriately. It also helps to learn a few local phrases so you can show your interest in the local language.
Be very discreet when taking photos of people. If you are taking a close-up portrait, politely ask for permission before taking a photo.
Have no boundaries to immerse yourself in the local cultures. Part of the travel experience is getting an opportunity to step outside our comfort zone and experience different foods, different music, and different cultures. Never openly show disapproval.
None of the above is difficult to comply with and we know most travellers will have no issues with following these objectives during their travels. The choices we make can have a significant impact on the local people today, tomorrow, and in the long term. Lets make smart choices and protect the local people and the environment while leaving a positive impact on everything and everybody were come across directly or indirectly.

For the goals of 2019,

- Zero Waste at the office with the help of Recyglo
- Sustainable partner with Travelife to get the proper training of the protections of the environment
- No plastic in marketing material and promotion materials
- Refill not Landfill project with Thant Myanmar and Refill Myanmar

In order to make a better contribution to the local community, we have to collaborate with other organizations. We make the partnership with both local and international organizations. We are a proud partner and member of
Travelife for sustainable tour operator partnership
The Code to protect child abuse and child sexual harassment
Refill not Landfill to produce refillable water bottles for our clients
Recyglo sustainable training and waste management
For better interaction among local tour operator and government, Pro Niti is a proud member of Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and Union of Myanmar Travel Association.

Contribution to the local community

Since Pro Niti commits as a sustainable tour operator, we always try to make the contribution the community as much as we can. We make donations to the local community and non-profit organizations whenever possible. Last year, we made the donation to Yangon General Hospital and Yankin Children Hospital. When visiting around Yangon, we take our clients to the local based community groups such as helping hands; an organization which supports the local community. And when having lunch in Yangon, we always take our tourists to the responsible and sustainable restaurant such as Linkage which makes donations to the orphanage from their profit.

Biodiversity Conservation

To be a responsible tour operator in Myanmar, we added sustainable activities in tour packages wherever possible. We add fish releasing activities as an itinerary in Inle trip. With the intention to reduce the use of plastic water bottles, we collaborate with Refill no Landfill Myanmar to make refillable water bottles which we will give our clients as gifts. And we are proud to partner of Recyglo for sustainable training and waste management. Every month they come to our office and give basic training on sustainable waste management. They take the wastes which we disposed with sections and calculate the amount of waste and give the report how much waste we disposed of.

Customer Communication

When a customer inquiries in our tour company, we only communicate via email. If the phone number of the customer is included in the mail, we communicate with social media such as Whatsapp for more convenience. And we don’t ask any personal information until they confirm the tour. We just ask to send the passport copy when they confirm the tour and we always make to ensure that our customer information is kept safely with us.
Souvenir
At the beginning of the tour, we give sustainable promotional gifts such as handmade local bags, painting, refillable water bottles and traditional longyi to our customers. All these promotional gifts are 100% local made and not harmful to the environment. When the guest wants to buy another expansive souvenir such as gems and jewelry, we take them to the government certified place- Gems Museum. And we do not promote exotic souvenir.

Training and Certificates for Staffs and Education for community

Pro Niti Travel believes in education and training for our staffs in order to create a better future and world we like to live in. One of our core ideas is “our staffs are our strength.” So, We, Pro Niti commit to making a contribution to not only our office but also to the local community as much as we can. That’s why we provide education plan and training for staffs, guides and local community whenever possible. Thus, we have implemented our education plan. We can categorize our training as follow.
Company’s wide Training
Customer service and Sales Training
Product Knowledge Training
Necessary Training for the position
Sustainability Training
Spontaneous knowledge sharing
Public Seminar and Training

Ethical Promotion of Product

Our products are our keys to win to market but we never over promise to our clients and always try to meet our customer’s satisfaction level. By doing this, on the other hand, we conserve our environment. We don’t add any activities during the tour if it is harmful to the environment. And we also remind the tourist to avoid any unsustainable or inappropriate activities and behavior during the tour.

- The baseline assessment report from Travelife
- Waste management report from Recyglo
- Survey results of refill bottle use in Myanmar from Refill not Landfill project
- Feedback from local community

We don't have the proper company policy of zero-tolerance for corruption, bribery and extortion but we follow the rules and regulation of "Myanmar Corruption Laws" and support UN Convention Against Corruption and other acitvities which support Anti-corruption, bribery and extortion.

Goals for 2019

1). We will write company policy of zero-tolerance for corruption, bribery, and extortion by 2019

2). We will share our business partners and suppliers to adhere to the Global Compact anti-corruption principles

3). Awarness Training for the employees for anti-corruption

1). We will make awareness raising or training of employees about the company's policies regarding anti-corruption and extortion by email and Facebook Groups

2). We will actively participate in Travel industry initiative action on anti-corruption.

3). we will allocate responsibilities for anti-corruption within the company

1). We will hire Internal audits to ensure consistency with anti-corruption commitment, including periodic review by senior management.

2). Records of Specific progress made in the area of anti-corruption during the last reporting period