The University of British Columbia’s Myanmar Initiative and Chiang Mai University’s School of Public Policy is holding the Myanmar Emerging Leaders: 2025 Policy and Leadership Program, a three-day intensive training program held July 11–13, 2025 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This program is supported by the Knowledge for Democracy – Myanmar (K4DM) initiative of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

This event is part of K4DM’s annual Knowledge Marketplace. Learn more about the K4DM Knowledge Marketplace 2025.  

Note the Call for Participation is now closed.

Details of the location and agenda are given below.

Location: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Date: July 11th – 13th
Organiser: University of British Columbia’s Myanmar Initiative and Chiang Mai University’s School of Public Policy

• Day 1 – July 11th | @IBIS Styles Hotel | https://maps.app.goo.gl/EmXA7UN13hzBYdfh7
• Days 2 and 3 – July 12th–13th | @ Ang Kaew Villa, Chiang Mai University | https://maps.app.goo.gl/28hPmD6B6yCvB6vj9

Program Overview

The program provides a dynamic learning experience combining lectures, group discussions, and hands-on exercises. Participants will deepen their understanding of critical governance and conflict issues relevant to Myanmar’s evolving political landscape. Sessions are led by a diverse group of scholars and practitioners with regional and global expertise.

Further details available in the Call for Participation page.

For further information contact myanmar.sppga@ubc.ca

Agenda

Trainer Profile

Kai Ostwald is the HSBC Chair in Asian Research and an Associate Professor at the University of British Columbia, jointly appointed in the Department of Political Science and the School of Public Policy & Global Affairs. He also serves as Director of UBC’s Institute of Asian Research and as Associate Editor (Southeast Asia) for Pacific Affairs. He was trained in the subfield of comparative politics and focus on issues including democratization, governance, ethnic politics, and the political economy of development, with a primary emphasis on Southeast Asia. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California at San Diego.

Steven Oliver is Senior Lecturer of Political Science at the National University of Singapore. Before joining the NUS Department of Political Science, he held appointments at Yale-NUS College. His teaching and research is oriented towards questions and topics within the subfield of comparative politics. His recent work is focused on Southeast Asia with special attention to Singapore and Malaysia. He earned his Ph.D. in Political Science from University of California at San Diego.

Terence Lee is Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. He was previously a tenured Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, National University of Singapore. He specializes in the study of civil-military relations, Southeast Asian politics and international security. He earned his Ph.D. and M.A degrees in Political Science from the University of Washington, Seattle.

Kyaw Yin Hlaing is the executive director at the Center for Diversity and National Harmony. He has taught at the City University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore. He is a former Advisor to President U Thein Sein, a former member of the National Economic and Social Council, and a former director of the political dialogue program at the Myanmar Peace Center. His research and teaching interests include state- and nation-building, authoritarian polities, democratization, state-society relations, social movements, communal problems, and peace building. He earned his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Cornell University.

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