Refusing to wait for international intervention, women in Myanmar are actively constructing local judicial systems, training judges, and establishing grassroots governance to sustain conflict-affected communities, rights leaders said at a regional forum in Manila.
Speaking at the event focused on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda on Aug. 3, Naw K’nyaw Paw, chairwoman of the Karen Women’s Organisation (KWO), emphasized that women have become the primary architects of local administration and humanitarian response under military rule.
"Myanmar women are not waiting for someone to come and save us," Naw K’nyaw Paw said. "We are building courts, training judges, drafting constitutions, and providing assistance to internally displaced people. What we are asking the world is just to stand with us."
The forum, co-organized by the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines alongside Myanmar and Philippine civil society groups, gathered roughly 80 diplomats, regional experts, and advocates.
Representatives from the Women Advocacy Coalition Myanmar (WAC-M) urged international donors to provide direct financial support to local women's organizations, calling them the backbone of both community survival and the broader resistance movement.
Meanwhile, rights groups condemned the military junta's escalating use of airstrikes, forced conscription, conflict-related sexual violence, and the weaponization of aid blockades against civilians.
Speakers stressed that these worsening conditions highlight the complete failure of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus peace plan to deliver tangible results.
Daw Khin Ohnmar, founder of the advocacy group Progressive Voice, called on the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar to bypass regime restrictions and deliver humanitarian aid through locally led, cross-border channels.
The forum concluded with participants submitting policy recommendations to the Philippine Foreign Secretary—who serves as the ASEAN Special Envoy on Myanmar—demanding stronger civilian protection frameworks, direct aid delivery mechanisms, and formal engagement with local civil society networks.
