Democratic reforms in areas held by the opposition

The third component of our program pushes for democratic reforms in parts of the country that are governed by opposition groups. We are supporting civil society’s efforts to strengthen emerging local level governance institutions, not least in terms of human rights, gender and diversity. Through capacity building and advocacy, our partners are pushing for more responsive and accountable governance.

Our human rights partners are providing training and coaching in human rights and international humanitarian law for both leaders and technical staff at various levels and departments. We are particularly proud of what our partners have been able to achieve in Karenni State, where the coalition of women’s groups we are supporting have made great strides in securing women’s political representation and rights. We have supported this work for three years and are starting to see concrete progress. A gender framework was adopted in June 2025 and legislation against gender-based violence is about to be brought through the local parliament, which is a historic move towards the protection of women’s rights in Myanmar.

We are also proud to be partnering with a dedicated training institute that has a leading role in training and coaching alternative governance institutions in eastern Myanmar. This work is essential for establishing democratic and accountable governance actors that can respond to people’s rights and demands.