The government of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organizations are key parties to a formal Peace Process. They are negotiating ‘basic federal as well as democratic’ principles for the country. In October 2015, all parties agreed that these principles would constitute the Union Accord, the basis to amend all laws–including the 2008 Constitution. Under the current government (2015-2020), no major constitutional change has taken place. The Peace Process remains the most plausible path to amend the constitution, end the armed conflict and lead to a multi-ethnic, federal and democratic Myanmar.
The talk will address questions such:
- Latest situation on Peace Process: Can the Union Peace Conference – the 21st century Panglong – be held before the upcoming elections in November 2020?
- Current government perspectives on Peace Process: Is there any significant achievement by the current government led by the National League for Democracy (NLD)?
- Peace Process beyond 2020: What is the future of the process after the next general elections? How would the outcome of the next general elections affect it?
Zaceu Lian is a long-time advocate for democracy, federalism, human rights, and peace in Myanmar. He is an advisor to the Centre for Development and Ethnic Studies (CDES) in Yangon, funded by the K4DM Initiative. He is currently a doctoral candidate at U of Toronto and holds a M.A Degree in political science from the U of Toronto (2010), B.A (Honors) in political science and communications from the U of Winnipeg (2009). He is also a fellow of the Prestigious 2017 Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program on Democracy and Development at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.
Suggested reading : See CDES Analysis Papers such as “Important Developments in the Peace Process” (2019) https://www.cdes.org.mm/publications/…