The Joint Peace Fund was set up by donors and diplomats in Yangon keen to make international support to the nationally owned peace process in Myanmar more effective. But what was the motivation driving the creation of the JPF and the thinking behind its unique design?
In 2014 the Nationwide Ceasefire negotiations were underway. Unlike the vast majority of peace processes around the world, which are facilitated by an independent third party, Myanmar’s process is nationally owned; this means the parties themselves are running their own negotiations. These negotiations involved the Government and multiple armed groups, 16 of whom were in the formal process. From the outset, international donors were keen to support in whatever way they could, with many of them providing a range of bilateral support to the different parties. Amongst them was the European Union (EU), which was supporting both the Government and Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs), including through a significant grant to the Myanmar Peace Centre, the quasi-government body set up to direct the peace process during President U Thein Sein’s administration.
As the NCA negotiation unfolded, peace donors were becoming increasingly aware that while progress was being made, there were significant limitations to bilaterally funding the peace process and its emerging complex mix of bodies and mechanisms. Manuel de Rivera of the EU, which became one of the main donors to the JPF, explains: “At that time we met together as the Peace Donor Support Group (PDSG). Each month, we’d share a bit about what we were each doing, but it was not an effective coordination mechanism. That’s why we started thinking about pooling our funding into what is now the Joint Peace Fund.”
A small group of donors, working closely with all its stakeholders established the Fund by November 2015. It became operational in mid 2016.
“In the process of establishing the Fund, we talked to everyone involved. We talked to the Government and to the EAOs and to a wide range of CSOs and political parties, and it was an idea that was widely supported. As we were starting to develop the design we kept them deeply involved. From the outset, it was very much a joint project,” explains Manuel.
Pooled funding is common to many peace processes. Coordination is a core tenet of international best practice in all donor approaches: in peace processes, it is essential to harmonize support around the peace process itself, and a pooled fund allows bilateral influences to be reduced, and makes receiving and managing funding much easier and more efficient for all parties.
“The reality is, peace processes don’t just need political will, they need money,” says Manuel. “And now with JPF funding to all sides, it means the negotiation teams and those supporting them should have access to what they need, when they need it – whether that’s technical, financial, or even just logistical support. This support can be as simple as enabling EAO negotiators to have access to the funds to buy plane tickets to attend a meeting with the Government at short notice, or bringing in an expert on constitutions. It also means the government can hold complex events like the Union Peace Conference without first having to find a budget. While progress in the peace process is up to the parties, at least now they can spend their time trying to move it forward rather than seeking donor assistance before they can do so.”
Technical support, that helps build the capacity of all sides to negotiate, is as important as the funding the JPF provides. As Manuel explains: “The JPF is not just a Fund. It is staffed by Myanmar and global specialists with years of experience in peace processes. They are able to provide advice and support along with the funding, or when needed find technical expertise on specific subjects such as ceasefires or federalism.”
Along with Manuel, Steve Ainsworth from the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) was a key member of the small group that established the JPF. He says setting up the JPF created “an incredible opportunity” to bring in both Myanmar and international expertise, as well as lessons learned from other processes that could then be adapted to be of relevance to Myanmar’s context.
“One of these core lessons was inclusion. Achieving a lasting peace is more than getting the top leadership to sign up to an agreement. For that agreement to be implemented and upheld requires changes in relationships at all levels of society. For this to happen, all peace stakeholders need to play their part.”
The JPF’s design captures this through its holistic approach. In addition to support to the formal peace process, it also has programmes in peacebuilding and research and innovation which support projects essential to helping sustain the peace process. These projects focus on a long term investment in peace. They support a broad range of peace stakeholders, including national CSOs, CBOs, research institutes, media outlets, youth groups and particularly, women’s organizations.
The vital role that the meaningful participation of women in Myanmar’s peace process can play in successfully bringing about sustainable peace was embedded into the JPF’s own design. The JPF aims to have at least 15 per cent of its project funding dedicated to addressing women’s needs, equality and empowerment, as active contributors to the peace process.
“The JPF funds much more than just the formal peace process. It is investing in peace actors at every level: from community support to peace training, to dialogues at state level to communications projects aimed at people who might think the peace process has nothing to do with them,” says Steve.
After an initial year of focus on supporting the formal actors in the peace process, the JPF has begun to roll out a full portfolio of projects aimed at supporting the many organizations and actors in Myanmar who are working towards peace.
“We are fully aware that the peace process itself faces many difficulties, and we know that resolving these difficulties is a matter solely for the parties,” says Manuel. “But the fact that the JPF exists is an expression of the strong international commitment to supporting Myanmar on the road to peace – however tough it gets.”