The videos below provide an overview of the initiative and the activities supported.


Tour the K4DM Knowledge Marketplace Event

Through eyes of leadership – K4DM Knowledge Marketplace, Bangkok 2023

In November 2022, the IDRC K4DM initiative launched its second phase in Bangkok with a Knowledge Marketplace event that brought together partners and stakeholders concerned about research and higher education in Myanmar to exchange ideas. The launch, which included a public photo exhibition at the bustling venue of Bangkok Art and Culture Centre, kick-started four years of online training, fellowship and support for research.


Cyberspace and Freedom of Expression in Post-Coup Myanmar

A team of young researchers, publishing anonymously, carried out a series of focus group discussions and key informant interviews in Aug-Oct 2021, to understand youth conceptions of ‘freedom of expression’ in the online world, and how this was being affected by the country’s chaotic political environment. In addition to the narrative report, three small creative grants were issued to artists who wanted to explore and bridge the domains of political expression, technology and art. 


Voices of Ethnic People In Shan State About Gender Equality Photo Essay

The Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID) has produced a beautiful photo essay, highlighting 16 case studies from their research to identify factors affecting women’s economic, political and social empowerment.
Watch the videos in English, Burmese and French and read the Report.


Doing Research in Myanmar Report

What does it take to rebuild a research culture? The Doing Research in Myanmar report by the Global Development Network and Centre for Economic and Social Development is a systematic study of how social science research is produced, distributed and used in the country. It explored historical context, as well as the main challenges and opportunities for restoring Myanmar’s once robust research culture. Find out more on GDN’s website


Understanding Myanmar’s Development Research Report Series

The report series with Chiang Mai University’s Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development seeks to enhance Myanmar’s knowledge development and promote academic dialogue within South East Asia. Download the free reports here: https://rcsd-cmu.bookcaze.com.


Heroes falling through the cracks

With the Centre for Economic and Social Development (CESD), a think tank in Myanmar, we produced short 1-minute videos in English and Myanmar to raise awareness about a research survey CESD was conducting to better understand the challenges facing Myanmar’s migrant workers during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. 


Tea Circle Blog

Tea Circle is a forum for new perspectives on Myanmar, highlighting analysis, research, opinions, book reviews, multi-media presentations and other types of submissions from a global community of contributors. Read the latest updates at teacircleoxford.com and email our editors to submit your post at  editor@teacircleoxford.com  or  teacircleoxford@protonmail.com.

Myanmar Speaker Series

A series of talks and videos supported by the Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar initiative.

All Video Content

IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement – Nyi Nyi Kyaw

Nyi Nyi Kyaw is IDRC's Research Chair on Forced Displacement at The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD) at Chiang Mai University in Thailand. Here he talks about his background and his work on forced displacement. Nyi...

IDRC Research Chair on Forced Displacement – Paula Banerjee

Professor Banerjee is IDRC's Research Chair on Forced Displacement at the Asian Institute of Technology’s Gender and Development Studies (GDS) Program in the School of Environment, Resource, and Development. Here she talks about her background and the research. With her...

Through eyes of leadership – K4DM 2022 Bangkok

IDRC’s Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar (K4DM) initiative launched its second phase in Bangkok with a Knowledge Marketplace that brought together partners and stakeholders concerned about research and higher education in Myanmar. This story is featured in the Asia Research News 2023...

Cyberspace and Freedom of Expression in Post-Coup Myanmar

A team of young researchers, publishing anonymously, carried out a series of focus group discussions and key informant interviews in Aug-Oct 2021, to understand youth conceptions of ‘freedom of expression’ in the online world, and how this was being affected...

Tea Circle Blog

https://youtu.be/2dVtYOavI-4 Tea Circle is a forum for new perspectives on Myanmar, highlighting analysis, research, opinions, book reviews, multi-media presentations and other types of submissions from a global community of contributors. Read the latest updates at teacircleoxford.com and email the editors to...

Understanding Myanmar’s Development Research Report Series

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn2557PpSys&list=PLxfceNfvkdj5n93udTYYqN50nCr8n9UWh&index=11 The report series seeks to enhance Myanmar’s knowledge development and promote academic dialogue within South East Asia.Published by International Development Research Centre's (IDRC), Knowledge for Democracy Myanmar Program (K4DM) and Chiang Mai University’s Regional Center for Social Science and...

Voices of Ethnic People In Shan State About Gender Equality Photo Essay

https://youtu.be/AomBRyxJRII The Myanmar Institute for Integrated Development (MIID) has produced a beautiful photo essay, highlighting 16 case studies from their research to identify factors affecting women's economic, political and social empowerment.Watch the videos in English, Burmese and French and read the Report....

Myanmar Speaker Series: Boosting Investment in Social Science Research in Myanmar

Over the last decade, Myanmar’s transition to democracy has faced multiple milestones and challenges. The country observed its first free elections in 2015. As Myanmar just comes out of its second democratic election this fall, the turbulence unleashed by COVID-19...

Myanmar Speaker Series: The road ahead on education reform: What comes next for Myanmar?

After gaining independence from British rule, the education system in Myanmar was a model of excellence in the Asia-Pacific. Many believed the country was heading the way of other Asian Tigers at the time. It did not. The protracted armed...

Myanmar Speaker Series: How to support sub-national parliaments effectively? 2020 Elections

November 5, 2020. Ms. Myat The Thitsar, Mr. Ivo Balinov & Mr. Thomas (Tom) Cormier. Decentralization as mandated by the 2008 Constitution re-introduced state/region governments and legislatures across Myanmar. This represents a central issue for the country’s long term development....

Myanmar Speaker Series: Bottom-up decision making? The Importance of Women as Local Leaders

November 3, 2020. In Myanmar, despite limited moves towards decentralisation over the last decade, formal legal, policy-making and budgetary powers remain highly centralised at the union level. However, in practice, decision making at ward/village tract and village level has a...

Myanmar Speaker Series: Working Pathways to Women’s Political Participation

October 29, 2020 The World Economic Forum's 2020 Global Gender Gap Report assesses women's empowerment across four dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity; Education Attainment; Health and Survival; and Political Empowerment. The latter one tends to be a very critical dimension...

Myanmar Speaker Series – Towards Gender Equality: Implications for Myanmar’s 2020 Elections

October 27, 2020. It is now 25 years since the UN World Conference on Women was held in Beijing (1995). This meeting of global leaders spurred an unprecedented push for gender equality in a number of areas. Specifically, the conference...

Myanmar Speaker Series: What is the road to improving health services in ethnic states?

October 21, 2020. Myanmar is undergoing a transition from military to civilian rule since 2011 and government expenditure on health has increased from 1% in 2010 to 3.4% in 2015, still one of the lowest in the Asia-Pacific region. Though...

Myanmar Speaker Series: How to equip sub national parliaments for evidence based policy making ?

October 7, 2020. Decentralization as mandated by the 2008 Constitution re-introduced state/region governments and legislatures across Myanmar. This represents a central issue for the country’s long term development. The 14 sub-national legislatures have the responsibility to debate and pass local...

Myanmar Speaker Series: Can Decentralization Improve Education in Myanmar ?

October 1, 2020 Following the start of the country’s various reforms in 2011, public funding for education has significantly increased, leading to an important rise in access. The primary net enrollment rate increased from 88% in 2009-10 to 93 percent...

Myanmar Speaker Series: What Does the Latest Peace Conference Mean for Myanmar? An Update

September 23, 2020. The Government of Myanmar and the Ethnic Armed Organizations are key parties to a formal Peace Process. They have been negotiating ‘basic federal as well as democratic’ principles for the country. In October 2015, all parties agreed...

Myanmar Speaker Series: How can policing improve in ethnic states under the new government of Myanmar?

September 16, 2020. Myanmar’s challenges regularly make headlines. The efforts to reform the Myanmar Police Force remains a hopeful step forward in the transformation of the country's security. The 2008 Constitution states that the Commander-in-Chief of Defense Services is the...

Myanmar Speaker Series: How is Myanmar responding to COVID 19? Insights from policymaking

Compared to many countries, the virus has been slow to gain a proper foothold in Myanmar. As of mid-May 2020, the Ministry of Health and Sport website reported 181 cases of COVID-19 and 6 deaths nationwide. Although Myanmar has not...

Myanmar Speaker Series: Will More Women Join Politics in the 2020 Myanmar Elections?

https://youtu.be/Sd4k8GmDCL0 In 2020, the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap continues to find the largest gender disparity is—once again—the Political Empowerment gap. While countries across the board are making efforts to reduce the gap, Myanmar is behind all countries in ASEAN....

Myanmar Speaker Series: Women and Conflict in Myanmar Can elections bring a relief?

https://youtu.be/q5oY1h2YBXY Myanmar is home to several minority ethnic groups seeking political, economic, cultural, and social recognition. In these pursuits, conflict has erupted and sustained for decades--as one of the world’s longest--manifesting in a variety of forms. Within these conflicts, the...

Doing Research in Myanmar Report

Linking science with policy is difficult in countries with top universities and well-funded research programs, but what about in developing countries? In this Asia Research News Podcast, we delve into Doing Research in Myanmar: a systematic study of how social...

Myanmar Speaker Series: Will 2020 Elections Increase Myanmar’s Decentralization?

June 17, 2020. Dr. Alex Pelletier & Dr. Jacques Bertrand. Myanmar’s 2008 Constitution established a more decentralized structure, with partially elected sub-national governments with new financial and administrative functions. Since the 2011 transition and the 2015 civilian-led rule, the Myanmar...

Myanmar Speaker Series: Will 2020 elections increase Myanmar’s inclusivity ?

What is the role of political representation by ethnic parties in a multi-ethnic state? What is the role of women as part of a society-wide transformation? https://youtu.be/x09Cihhgqyc?list=PLOalXawycQbOsf-6z_GqD7k3D18zZ31Wp (more…)

Myanmar Speaker Series: What does the Peace process mean for Myanmar Elections?

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...

Heroes falling through the cracks

Migrant workers are heroes of Myanmar's economy, but are facing extreme challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Myanmar's Centre for Economic and Social Development recommends policies to address the crisis. Video created in English and Myanmar to promote a CESD survey...