ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the authors present the findings of their research, in the form of numbers and narratives on women’s participation in ethnic armed organizations (EAOs). In October 2015, the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement was signed by the government and eight of the EAOs. The agreement stipulated that a ‘reasonable’ number of women were to be included in the peace process. As of 2016, the National Ceasefire Coordination Team included one woman out of sixteen, while the EAO Senior Delegation included two women out of fifteen. None of the eleven members of the Union Peace Dialogue Central Committee were women. A key issue in the case of the Myanmar peace process is whether women’s more active participation is feasible as long as the military and armed organizations dominate the negotiating table, and the parties are free to choose their own delegates.
