Can Myanmar’s peace process learn from international experience?

"Peace agreements are not ends in themselves. We often neglect the importance of implementing our agreements, which is arguably even more difficult than negotiating them."

The 21st Century Panglong Conference represents an important milestone in Myanmar’s long march to peace. But it is only one step in a much longer process to end to the violence that has long limited this country’s great potential.

The pathway forward is outlined in a framework for political dialog that has been negotiated following 2015’s Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. This framework is geared to eventually produce a Union Peace Accord – a comprehensive peace agreement – which for many is linked to the need to develop a mutually agreeable constitution and a federal democratic union.

Based on global experience, comprehensive peace agreements take several years to negotiate and several more to fully implement, as the stakeholders navigate through multiple phases, complexities, and setbacks. The length of time that will likely be required to reach a sustainable end to the country’s conflicts will provide little consolation to the people, soldiers and civilians alike, who continue to suffer its immediate burden…

Lederach, John Paul, Stephen Gray, and Madhav Joshi. “Can Myanmar’s peace process learn from international experience?” Frontier Myanmar, May 24, 2017.

Originally published by and shared with the permission of Frontier Myanmar.