Andrés Pastrana shares his experience on peace negotiations in Myanmar

Sharing lessons learnt, experiences and best practices with the Myanmar authorities and civil society organizations was be the main objective of this mission. It started the 30th of October and extented its actitivies untill the 3rd of November.

This was the seventh Club de Madrid mission to Myanmar in the framework of the project, “Towards Democratic Transition and Shared Societies”.

During this visit, Andrés Pastrana focused on building on the relational and substantive foundations laid during previous missions to explore Club de Madrid member’s role in Myanmar’s national reconciliation and to support constructive next steps in the peace process. Mr Pastrana also addressed during his meetings the role of the multiparty system in a democratic and peace process:

Member @AndresPastrana_ talked 2day about role of multiparty systems in democratic transitions with USPD, main opposition party #Myanmar pic.twitter.com/Sv4BHKygTb

— CLUBdeMADRID (@CLUBdeMADRID) November 2, 2016

The agenda included:

1. Participation at the Roundtable co-organized with Euro-Burma Office on negotiation and peace process experiences.

2. Meeting with representatives of the Government, the leader of the National League for Demoracy party (NLD), UtinOo, and the Minister of Ethnic Affairs, NaiTheLwin, to assess current challenges and the situation in relation to the Peace process with ethnic armed organisations, to share experiences and to explore how the Members can support that process.

Paz y democracia, eje principal de la conversación entre @AndresPastrana_ y el líder de la NLD #UTinOo en #Myanmar pic.twitter.com/VFvTmJdE9N

— CLUBdeMADRID (@CLUBdeMADRID) November 1, 2016

Pres of #Colombia @AndresPastrana_ & #NaiThetLwin, #Myanmar‘s Minister Ethnic Affairs discussed 2day about both countries peace processes. pic.twitter.com/9uJiSMS9Au

— CLUBdeMADRID (@CLUBdeMADRID) November 2, 2016

3. Meet with key political actors, including those involved in the negotiations, political parties and ethnic groups to share experiences and provide an understanding and nonpartisan ear or sounding board as well as space in which they can talk through their options. By doing so, helping them to appreciate the value of such engagement.

Ex Pres of #Colombia @AndresPastrana_ met diplomatic community in Myanmar during a frank discussion about democratic & peace challenges pic.twitter.com/HELd4jS8Xp

— CLUBdeMADRID (@CLUBdeMADRID) November 1, 2016

Consensus, key step of peace processes, @AndresPastrana_ shares his experience in meeting wth Myanmar ethnic leaders, parties & government pic.twitter.com/XN6psM36Ni

— CLUBdeMADRID (@CLUBdeMADRID) November 1, 2016

4. To meet with the Rakhine State Commission to assess the current situation related to the Rohingya population and potential collaboration of Club de Madrid Members.

Other Club de Members, all of them democratically elected former Prime Ministers or Presidents, that have shared his political experience on democratic transitions to help Myanmar’s process towards democracy and shared societies include, Kjell Magne Bondevik (Norway), Alfred Gusenbauer (Austria), Ricardo Lagos (Chile), Han Seung-soo (Korea), Boris Tadic (Serbia) or Jigme Yoser Thinley (Bhutan)

Related Members

Andrés Pastrana

President of Colombia (1998-2002)

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