Myanmar Civilian Monitoring Initiative Learning Phase Report: Navigating Opportunity and Risk in the Digital Age

The Nonviolent Peace Force and The Policy Lab worked together to explore the potential of mobile conflict-monitoring in northern Myanmar. The project had a particular focus on documentation and verification of conflict-related incidents to improve humanitarian project outcomes.

As part of this work funded by the HIF, they provided a learning report outlining the existing practice in Myanmar, the opportunities to improve this and the current gaps in knowledge. They considered whether, given the success of current civilian ceasefire monitors, improving the functional and technical capabilities of community peace support (CPS) networks might enable them to contribute much-needed information about conflict-related incidents and displacement through their monitoring work, for peacebuilding and humanitarian actors.

The research finds that before contemplating how CPSs could adopt new tools in order to help address information gaps experienced by peacebuilding and humanitarian actors, it is crucial to address the serious implications for the safety, security, and well-being of those involved in the monitoring network created by the present situation.

In concluding the learning phase described in this report, the project team developed a Design Brief to guide ideation. This will serve as the foundation for an innovation process to address the challenges and vulnerabilities identified in improving civilian ceasefire monitors.

Read the report to find out more.