THE second-day workshop themed “Building a Peaceful Future of Myanmar” marking the 10^th anniversary ceremo­ny of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) took place at the Jade Hall of MICC I in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday.

The workshop started with the topic “A Review of the Role of Political Parties in Mobi­lizing Public Participation in Conflict Resolution Activities and Elections”. The experts from Thailand, Malaysia and India discussed different top­ics: “elections, regional gov­ernance and post-election pro­cesses,” “the roles of civilians, political parties, civil society organizations, and peace facil­itators in the peace process,” and “humanitarian support, trust-building, third-party mediation, and facilitation pro­cesses”.

After the discussions, State Security and Peace Commis­sion Member, National Solidar­ity and Peacemaking Negotia­tion Committee Chairman, and Union Minister for Border Af­fairs and for Ethnic Affairs Lt- Gen Yar Pyae presented gifts to the participants.

At noon, the two groups discussed the peace processes, and the group 1 discussed “en­hancing the capacities of non-armed communities, civilian ethnic leaders, social organiza­tions, women, youth, and future generations for peacebuilding,” and “identifying the current situation of the country and the practical peace processes that should be carried out to build a peaceful and prosperous future of Myanmar”.

In business sector, the group 2 discussed “identifying geo-economic opportunities in Myanmar’s peace process, pro­moting the role of businesses in peacebuilding and national rec­onciliation, and exploring ways to cooperate with neighbouring countries, regional countries, and international organiza­tions,” and “identifying the cur­rent situation of Myanmar and the practical peace processes that should be implemented to build a peaceful and pros­perous future for the country”.

The workshop will continue to be held on 17 October. — MNA/KTZH