The Civil Society for Peace and Development Holds a Forum in Mawlamyine

July 22, 2014

WCRP: A forum for The Civil Society for Peace and Development was held July 6-8, 2014, and welcomed around 100 attendees to the Shwe Myint Moe Tun Hotel in Moulmein, Mon State.

According to Mi Kun Chan Non, one of ten people nominated for the N-Peace Award Untold Story, “Peace can’t be sustained without women[‘s] participation [in] decision making. [Currently] we need more women’s participation in the peace process.”

Specifically, Mi Kun Chan Non notes that women must feel confident to participate, opportunities must be created for their participation, and women must take responsibly for this work.

“Our peace work needs to be [done] with networking, accountability, [and] transparency,” she adds.

During the forum, attendees discussed issues surrounding peace and development, justice, drug problems, and women’s role in Mon State.

In the Women and Peace section of the workshop, participants discussed a variety of issues affecting women in Burma, including the need for gender awareness training for both men and women, amendments to the constitution, the importance of taking into account Burma’s commitment to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the need for the government to provide education about the law to its citizens, and to take action for the protection of women as well as protection against child sexual harassment and domestic violence.

During the Women and Peace section, focus was highlighted on the need for gender equality and the education of women about the law and their rights. Women should be able to gain the skills necessary to become involved in leadership, and men should help women in obtaining a secure life. Attendees talked about the need for a women’s peace center to advocate for women’s right to education, social and administrative leadership, as well as for women to attain 30% of the decision making in Burma’s peace-building process. The Myanmar’s Women’s Affairs Federation, for example, does not really include women’s involvement from the ground-level; it is essential for women to be involved from the ground level to be able to represent all women.

Mi Cherry Soe joined the forum and said, “People want development… [Myanmar] needs to first build peace with important civil society and women’s participation.”

In a statement released from the Civil Society for Peace and Development, the aim of the forum was get rid of the law that acts as a barrier to the peace building process, to raise issues surrounding health, drugs, gaming, land confiscation, corruption, and taxing, and to provide a chance for women to become involved in education and the security of their lives.

The forum was funded by the BNC, and organized by the Mon Youth Education Organization (MYEO).

Written by HURFOM · Filed Under News