"This report serves as a background and introduction to the 14 State and Region ?State of Local Governance” reports prepared by UNDP-Myanmar in collaboration with the General Administration Department (GAD) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. It aims to contextualise the state- and region-specific information provided in each of the individual reports and introduces a framework to look at local governance structures in Myanmar. It also aims to look at local governance comprehensively through various prisms such as historical context and legacies, the constitutional and legal parameters, and service delivery, participation and accountability. In addition, this report introduces and briefly describes the main institutions of local governance, as their specific composition, performance and interrelations are ?mapped? in the State and Region specific reports. The overall objective of the Local Governance Mapping is to generate a better understanding of how governance structures at the local level currently function in Myanmar. It also seeks to provide more clarity on the nature, scope and role of local agents, with a focus at the township level, and how the recent reforms have influenced or changed the interactions between citizens and local authorities. Notwithstanding the absence of an overall strategic or legal framework for decentralisation, the government has undertaken several initiatives that are trying to increase the space for citizens in local decision-making. The mapping is an attempt to understand how these initiatives have been perceived by local citizens and what progress has been made in terms of improved service delivery, as well as enhanced transparency and accountability..."