The Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop (In-person + Online) on the Promotion of Meaningful Minority Political Participation in the Emerging Federal Democratic Union of Myanmar

The Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop (In-person + Online) on the Promotion of Meaningful Minority Political Participation in the Emerging Federal Democratic Union of Myanmar


Press Release 


The Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop (In-person + Online) on the Promotion of Meaningful Minority Political Participation in the Emerging Federal Democratic Union of Myanmar  


6 November 2023


1. Myanmar is a country with a rich cultural diversity, where people from various ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds coexist. The Minority Affairs Institute - MAI (Myanmar) is dedicated to promoting unity and understanding among and the fundamental rights of the different ethnic groups in the country. They work towards fostering cooperation and harmony among the various communities, and they strive to create a more inclusive and cohesive society. MAI plays a crucial role in addressing the concerns and needs of minority communities and promoting cultural diversity in Myanmar.


2. The Minority Affairs Institute – MAI (Myanmar), conducted the Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop with the aims of ensuring ethnic and religious minorities’ rights in the emerging federal democratic union of Myanmar, had conducted a workshop took place over two days, from the 14th to the 15th of February 2023 both in-person and online. The workshop facilitated discussions and provide awareness and insights for promoting unity and understanding among the various ethnic groups in Myanmar, and to address the concerns and needs of minority communities.


3. Members of CRPH, NUCC, NUG, EROs, CSOs, political parties, intellectuals, professionals, and experts from various fields have enthusiastically engaged in this workshop. During this workshop, the primary focus was on one of the three crucial components - 1. constitutional initiatives, 2. political institutional initiative, and 3. socioeconomic initiatives - for achieving meaningful political involvement of ethnic and religious minorities. Specifically, the workshop predominantly emphasized the first component, which relates to constitutional initiatives. MAI (Myanmar) presented a research paper titled "Analysis of the Minority Perspective on the Federal Democracy Charter I & II", which encouraged active participation from workshop’s audiences through both individual and group discussions.


4. The result summaries of two-day workshop are as follow – 

a. Capable of conducting effective advocacy aimed at securing political participation and inclusion for ethnic and religious minorities by analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of Federal Democracy Charter Parts I & II.

b. The workshop’s audience unanimously agreed that there were many deficiencies in achieving inclusivity in the creation of Federal Democracy Charter Parts I & II. They must be emphasized the need for a comprehensive review and the implementation of effective measures to ensure meaningful political participation of ethnic and religious minorities in the development of future Transitional Constitutions (TC) and the final version of the Federal Democratic Constitution.

c. The participants, including some key policy actors, pledged to carry the issues discussed during the workshop to their respective organizations and commit to formulating and implementing essential action plans. This includes addressing the insufficiencies in FDC, Article 25 & 26, which discriminate between indigenous and non-indigenous ethnic groups and run counter to federal democratic principles and values.

d. In regard to the ensuring religious and ethnic minorities political inclusion, MAI (Myanmar) has committed to implementing the remaining two initiatives related to political institutions and socio-economy, as well as any other necessary measures, in addition to the FDC and Constitutional initiatives endorsed by the participants of the MAI (Myanmar) workshop. 


5. We, MAI (Myanmar) extends our heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation to all those who participated in the workshop despite heavy workloads, and for their valuable contributions to the active discussions.


6. We, MAI (Myanmar) do believe that these two days Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop would be the first remarkable step for ensuring ethnic and religious minorities rights in the building of future federal democratic union of Myanmar. We, MAI (Myanmar) proudly issues this press release to inform that this workshop achieved remarkable success because we all were able to establish commitments and consensus of participants to continue necessary measures with concerted efforts to achieve just and stable society in future Myanmar.  


7. We, MAI (Myanmar), firmly believe that the Policy Review and Engagement Framework Workshop held on 14-15 October 2023 marks a significant first step toward securing the rights of ethnic and religious minorities in the development of a future federal democratic union in Myanmar. With great pride, we issue this press release to announce the remarkable success of the workshop, as it facilitated the establishment of commitments and consensus among participants to collectively pursue essential measures aimed at achieving a just and stable society in future Myanmar.


With Strong Revolutionary Loyalty 

Minority Affairs Institute (MAI Myanmar)

Email: mai.myanmar@protonmail.com