The 2021 coup has unleashed new waves of conflict in Myanmar and dramatically weakened the military-controlled central state. Amid this violence, ethnic armed groups – both established and emerging – have carved out territory and expanded their administrative capacity. Often working alongside civil society, these groups have become important providers of public services, with millions of people in the country’s borderlands now turning to them for health, education and justice. This event brings together analysts and prominent civil society members to discuss the evolution of governance in Myanmar and what this means for stakeholders inside and outside the country.

Panellists: 
Thomas Kean, Senior Consultant Myanmar and Bangladesh, International Crisis Group, and editor-at-large Frontier Myanmar 
Ying Lao, Executive Director Salween Institute for Public Policy, and board member of the Shan Women’s Action Network and founder of Burma’s Manels Watch
Khu Klaw Reh, Director General of the Interim Executive Council of Karenni State, and chairperson and founder of Kayah State Youth Network
Naw May Oo Mutraw, Senior Policy/Technical Advisor to Karen National Union and Women’s League of Burma 

Moderator: Gwen Robinson, editor-at-large Nikkei Asia