Partnerships in Myanmar
In any given month, TNI staff can be found across the globe at workshops and meetings supporting local communities fighting for dignity. One of those countries, with which we have a particularly strong 20 year relationship, is Myanmar.
Our staff and researchers’ intimate knowledge of the country and the depth of their relationships with Burmese individuals and groups has been critical in the last few years as the country undergoes the most important time of political change in many decades. Having long worked to draw attention to the issues of ethnic conflict, TNI has played a constructive role in brokering dialogues, providing information and analysis, and sensitising international players to the dynamics of Burma’s transition from military dictatorship. Moreover, our expertise on drug policy, foreign investment and agrarian issues has provided invaluable resources for Myanmar’s nascent civil society as they struggle for an inclusive, sustainable and equitable form of development for the nation.
For example, in 2015, TNI facilitated, with partners, an unprecedented research project (+2600 respondents) on land grabbing and supported the creation of unique and new multi-ethnic, right-to-land network called Land In Our Hands (LIOH). This network has started to have an impact on national policy, as the new government included changes in drafts of the land policy concerning human rights and international tenure guidelines.
Similarly our research in 2010 and 2012 on the effects of Chinese opium-substitution programmes and the spread of rubber plantations within the country has also opened up critical conversations with Chinese government officials, Chinese academics as well as within the country.
Paung Ku, one of our partner organisations, says: “TNI is one of our closest and most knowledgeable international partners. Our organization is from Myanmar, and the context here is changing fast. The issues are difficult – from new land grabbing and consequences of irresponsible investment to old conflicts in ethnic areas that persist without true peace. Our struggle will be long term – and as much as anything, we need to learn from others’ experiences and build on similar struggles in other places. TNI is the place we often turn to for this.”