Democracy in the making: Grassroots governance in Burma

As civil war rages in Burma, people are laying the foundations for a future democracy.

In Karenni State, activists, civil society groups, local political parties and the local governance body formed a consultative council shortly after the 2021 military coup. Their goal: to build an inclusive state government from the ground up.

With support from Inter Pares, the council began drafting an interim constitution for the state. From the start, they prioritized grassroots participation, including from youth and women, to ensure the policy represented the will of the people. Today, the Karenni council includes youth, women and former civil society leaders.

Whether a military dictatorship or a nominally civilian regime, Burma's government has long excluded and oppressed Indigenous peoples. This has been a major, recurring cause of conflict for decades. Those leading the state-level efforts to build inclusive new systems know they must succeed for any future peace to be sustainable. States and the people in them must shape their own destinies. 

Other states in Burma are at varying stages of building their own new structures. In Chin State, where we support counterparts working on new democratic institutions, including a new ministry of health, local leaders are pursuing an approach to governance focused on local representation and autonomy.

To ensure self-determination, our counterparts across states in Burma are working toward federal democracy, wherein a civilian national administration and state governments share power. The national interim civilian government and state councils are already coordinating to plan for this eventual transition.

Today, the junta controls an estimated one-fifth of the country’s territory. Desperate to cling onto control of major cities and centralized organs of the country, it relies heavily on airstrikes, often bombing Indigenous civilian areas, including hospitals and schools. In addition to the staggering human costs, these attacks devastate livelihoods and tax revenue, making it hard for local and state governance bodies to access resources to govern as they envision.

But amid destruction, hope persists. Through collaboration and a shared vision, people in Burma are building the foundations of a future that respects the will of its people—one that puts power in the hands of communities, not military generals.