No Women, No Peace: Gender Equality, Conflict and Peace in Myanmar

By Transnational Institute • January 13, 2016

This briefing explores the gender dimensions and gender impact of conflict in Myanmar. Such information is relatively scarce, and there has long been a need for a deeper understanding of the intersections of gender, ethnicity and other identities in peace-building and democratisation. Progress on the rights of women and the participation by women’s organisations in conflict resolution and national reform are vital if sustainable peace and democracy are to be built within the country.

Decades of civil war and military rule have had a deep impact on the peoples of Myanmar, especially in ethnic nationality areas where most of the fighting has taken place. The reform process initiated by the government of President Thein Sein, a former general and member of the previous military government, has raised hopes that the country will finally move towards a more democratic and inclusive society, and that a sustainable peace can be achieved through a political agreement with ethnic representatives addressing key grievances and aspirations. However, at the beginning of 2016 fighting still continued in ethnic nationality regions in the north of the country, despite the partial signing of a Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in October 2015 and the landslide victory of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) in the November 2015 general election. The outcome of both processes is, as yet, unclear.

Download the full briefer in English here.

Tags: 2015 Elections, ASEAN, Ethnic Nationalities, Human Rights, National League for Democracy, Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, Transnational Institute, Women

This post is in: ASEAN, Ethnic Nationalities, Human Rights, International Relations, Law, Military Regime, Political Prisoners, Women

No Women, No Peace: Gender Equality, Conflict and Peace in Myanmar

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