Protecting Gains in Myanmar Democracy

The project aims to support the development of a strong and well-informed civil society that will contribute to an inclusive and pro-democratic vision of a Myanmar federation and preserve the democratic gains achieved prior to the coup. It seeks to nurture public and evidenced-based policy discussions within civil society for a federal democracy to provide a safety net to scholars and activists to support their work on democracy and decentralization and promote research on the role of digital communications on democratic aspirations while addressing gender disparities in digital spaces. Project activities include: (1) offering training and mentoring young scholars and activists from Myanmar to promote gender equality and democratic governance; (2) providing fellowships and scholarships for young ethnic scholars from Myanmar; and (3) conducting research projects on gender and digital civic engagement in Myanmar as well as on ethnicity and digital governance. The project will reach Myanmar individuals from different backgrounds including human rights defenders and civil society actors.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) increased gender equality through regional engagement by civil society on topics related to gender and democratic governance in Myanmar; and (2) greater gender equality through the use and uptake of gender-sensitive research in digital and democratic governance in Myanmar.