Supporting Inclusive Dialogue in Myanmar

To date the programme has:

• Established a new network for peace & interreligious dialogue in Myanmar (PMI) in 2016, which has become one of the largest and most inclusive interreligious networks in the country, organizing high-impact activities 

• Officially opened an IRD Training Centre, led by the PMI, which is the first of its kind in Myanmar– the Centre provides skills in religious literacy, countering hate speech and preventing conflict through social media

• Organized an interfaith harmony expo on the International Day of Peace in Yangon, with more than 300 participants which was televised on the official TV channel

• Trained 443 religious leaders and civil society activists on promoting peace and interfaith harmony in Myanmar, through the PMI network and pool of “Peace educators” (2017)

• Developed and published an Interfaith Study Guide on Peace and Dialogue, which is used by PMI Peace Educators in Myanmar

• Conducted a needs assessment study to map out the current IRD landscape and key stakeholders and issued recommendations for further interaction

• Launched three large scale PMI led interfaith dialogue events in Myanmar, including the Myanmar Interreligious Dialogue Forum, in Yangon, which brought together religious leaders from all States and Divisions of the country

• Launched PMI social media pages to promote peace & interfaith work in Myanmar with over 14,000 followers

The Peaceful Myanmar Initiative (PMI) is a multi-religious and inclusive network composed of 50 prominent religious leaders from various faith traditions (Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims) and civil society organizations who promote peaceful dialogue across Myanmar, including in Rakhine State. PMI and its partners aim to serve as sustainable networks and platforms. Through them, these Burmese-led activities aim to build bridges between diverse religious, ethnic, political and regional communities.