Non-paper-20 August 2017 Myanmar's Democratic Transition Forum

·        Challenges and Opportunities for Myanmar’s Economic Growth

The Myanmar Democratic Transition Forum was organized by the Ministry of Information with support from a host of global and local partners. It was held at the Myanmar International Convention Center 2 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, and opened by State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The State Counsellor set the tone for the forum when she stated in the opening speech that, without peace, there can be no development, and without development, democracy is rendered meaningless. The National League for Democracy-led government has been putting peace and development on top of the agenda, hoping that the twin goals complement each other and strengthen the country’s resilience and long-term stability.

Information Minister Dr. Pe Myint stated that Myanmar’s democratic transition is like a half full bottle, which could be better in terms of quality and quantity if there are more timely actions, coupled with active participation by all stakeholders. Participants at the forum agreed that Myanmar’s political development is on the right track, but there should be more tangible actions in implementing state policies, especially those related to the peace process and economic development. These two intertwining priorities must be carried out in parallel and in earnest. All stakeholders, military and civilian, must be part of the nation-building process with nobody left out. These strong sentiments were echoed throughout all sessions of the three-day forum on Myanmar’s democratic transition. Discussions related to civilian-military relations, the peace process and conflict-prevention, economic development and the role of media were lively and dynamic, indicating the interests of stakeholders on the state of Myanmar’s national development.

For further information, please click: Non-paper - 20 Aug 2017 -Myanmar's Democratic Transition Forum.pdf

​