Myanmar’s peace process is dominated by its core stakeholders – the Government; EAOs and Tatmadaw. But to achieve sustainable peace it needs to be inclusive, and the stakeholder that is key to bringing in the voices of people into the process – CSOs (Civil Society Organisations) - is being marginalized according to the findings of a recent report, according to the Joint Peace Fund website.

The report by the Enlightened Myanmar Research Foundation (EMReF), which was supported by the Joint Peace Fund, drew on extensive interviews with a wide range of CSOs. It found that i) Civil Society is being marginalized in the mainstream peace process, although CSOs have managed to find some ways to influence the process; ii) CSO support to peacebuilding activities is largely appropriate for the current situation in Myanmar; iii) CSOs’ peacebuilding work can be improved through greater collaboration among CSOs; and iv) Some CSOs are struggling to engage with donors.

The report, titled ‘The Role of CSOs in Myanmar Peace Process’, involved interviewing 160 people from 123 different organizations. It provides an analysis of civil society actors supporting peace in Myanmar, how they contribute to the official and unofficial peace process, the types of peacebuilding activities they perform, and the factors that enable and constrain their activity.