Global Fund for Burma
Committed to supporting the Burmese people
The Global Fund for Burma was established following the February 2021 coup to support the struggle for human rights, democracy, and justice in Burma. The Fund focuses on empowering Burmese organizations to build the connectivity between and among institutions of the democratic movement and historically marginalized groups, with a specific focus on supporting new and emerging voices. The Global Fund for Burma takes a field-forward partnership approach to its work, leveraging its network of diverse relationships across formal, informal, legacy, emerging, Bamar, and ethnic organizations and communities.
The Global Fund for Burma supports those both inside Burma and in the border areas, who are working tirelessly to support the growing democratic movement, as well as provides humanitarian assistance to Burmese suffering from the coup and armed conflict.
The Fund engages with a range of Burmese democratic and human rights stakeholders to develop programs for increased meaningful inclusion of new, traditional, and non-traditional actors within the broader movement to build a genuine federal democratic Burma.
About
PARTNERSHIPS
The Fund works to ensure programs are centered on the Burmese people and are designed as true partnerships with a wide range of Burmese stakeholders, including: ethnic civil and political organizations; the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and related groups; women’s and youth organizations; human rights defenders; and emerging democratic political institutions, including relevant members of the National Unity Consultative Council (NUCC). As an international organization that is singularly focused on enabling all elements of Burma’s democratic movement, the Fund is uniquely positioned to support Burmese civil and political organizations of all sizes and levels of capacity by meeting them where they are as they engage in the difficult work of building a more cohesive, effective, and equitable federal democratic society.
Our Work
CAPACITY BUILDING
The Fund emphasizes putting programmatic decision-making and responsibility for implementation into the hands of those working on the frontlines, using an extensive and deep network of key relationships while ensuring those leading the efforts on the ground have the tools and support necessary to carry out their important work. We believe in building on the ground networks of trusted partners, and providing them with the means to realize their vision, accomplish their goals, and build the movement together. The Fund utilizes its extensive network of external experts in fields necessary to support these efforts, including in the areas of expertise in psycho-social support, transitional justice, federalism, organizational management, strategic planning and communications, coalition building and management, and negotiations.
DEMOCRATIC VALUES
As an international organization established specifically to support democracy and human rights in Burma, the Fund works alongside the democratic movement and provides a range of assistance to Burmese who are resisting the military coup at all levels. In doing this, we work to model democratic values of inclusion, transparency, accountability and representation at every step of our engagement and programs. We work with partners who share our commitment to these values and share the goal of building an inclusive federal democratic Burma that provides opportunities for all its citizens to thrive.
Our Team
The Global Fund for Burma maintains a field staff who are forward deployed in areas where the Burmese democracy movement is working to reverse the attempted February 2021 coup. For security reasons, we cannot identify these individuals, but they are working directly with a diverse range of CDM, pro-democracy, ethnic nationalities, women’s, and other civil society grassroots organizations. They are delivering humanitarian assistance, telecommunications equipment, and other support to frontline actors, while ensuring that our programming reaches those most in need and most capable of effectively deploying program resources. They are supported by a small US-based administrative team and the GFFB board of directors. U Htin Linn Aung, serves as Global Fund for Burma’s special advisor.
Board of Directors
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Throughout her career in foreign policy, Ambassador Currie has specialized in human rights, political reform, development and humanitarian issues, with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region including Burma. She has more than two decades of experience running democracy and human rights programming in Burma.
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Daw Sann Sann Myint left Burma during the Saffron Revolution in 2007 due to her role in assisting activists and intellectuals while working as locally employed staff at the U.S. Embassy in Yangon (1993-2007), in the Political/Economic and Public Affairs. She has continued her work with Burma’s human rights and democracy movement since relocating to the United States.
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Michelle Onello is an international human rights attorney with a decade of experience working in Burma. Currently, she is an independent consultant on gender and human rights issues and Senior Counsel at the Global Justice Center, a New York-based non-profit dedicated to using international law to advance gender equality and human rights.
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Dr. Kyaw Moe is currently a practicing physician (Nephrologist) in Long Beach, California. During his junior years in medical school, he heavily participated in “8888 Uprising” or “1988 uprising,” as one of the supporting team members of the student union (“Ba Ka Tha”). In 2018, he led a team of about 45 volunteers for the “Myanmar Medical Mission,” which delivered free medical care to more than 1,800 villagers, while volunteering as president of the “Burmese American Medical Association” (BAMA).
Events
June 20, 2023
Venue
Washington, DC
The Global Fund for Burma organized a policy conference under the theme, “Supporting Burma’s Democratic Opposition: New Perspectives,”
in Washington, DC on June 20, 2023.
U Htin Linn Aung, Minister of Communications, Information & Technology of the National Unity Government (NUG) and Alex Berenberg, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs of the U.S. Department of State delivered opening remarks.
This Burma policy conference was divided into two panels and two fireside chats with distinguished panelists, including Dr. Zaw Wai Soe, NUG Minister of Health & Education and senior officials from the U.S. Congress, National Security Council and U.S. Department State. Panelists discussed the dire situation in Burma, urgent humanitarian needs, implementation of the BURMA Act in National Defense Authorization Act of 2023, U.S. assistance, and issues related to human rights, justice, peace and federalism.
Deputy Foreign Minister of NUG U Moe Zaw Oo, and participants from Washington-based NGOs, think tanks, and multi-ethnic Burmese diaspora took part in the conference.
“This is successful and the first ever Burma conference since the February 2021 coup in Washington, DC. So I am very honored.” A volunteer from Women of Myanmar said.
Donate now
Your donation to the Global Fund for Burma provides frontline support to democracy advocates, education, human rights activists, and peace building efforts for a free Burma.
