Resolving the root causes of conflict = Peace

Inter Pares' Peace campaign - which seeks to raise $50,000 by December 31st - is now in its second week, and I want to share with you my thoughts on building peace in Burma.

Before I started working at Inter Pares, I spent more than two decades in Burma and neighbouring countries working for human rights. After the village where I was living was bombed by the Burmese military, I set up the Karen Human Rights Group - an organization Inter Pares has supported for many years. It is managed by Karen people, and has an extensive network spread throughout southeastern Burma.

The Karen Human Rights Group documents human rights abuses in southeastern Burma, including torture, executions, forced labour and seizure of people's land. Its documentation work helped to put these issues into people's awareness both internationally and domestically.

"A ceasefire is not peace. In most cases the only people who negotiate peace are the militaries who do the fighting, not the people who are actually affected by the conflict."

I hope you will help Inter Pares raise funds to support the work of organizations in Burma to:

• strengthen village-level strategies to resist human rights abuses;
• promote participation of women and Ethnic communities in the peace process;
• document and give testimony about forced labour, landmines, internal displacement and conflict; and
• work with refugees who are losing international support even though the situation is not yet safe for them to go home.

Our efforts are strengthened by international solidarity - gestures like making a donation and sharing this Peace campaign with your friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.

Please join us today.

Kevin Malseed
Program Manager