Certificate program

Ohnmar Nyunt @ Alison holds an MA in International Development Studies from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. She has been with Heinrich Böll Stiftung as Democracy Program Coordinator of the Myanmar office since 2017 and works on promoting media developments, digital rights, digital security, and freedom of speech as well as gender and LGBTI* rights in Myanmar.

The current political crisis rolled back all the hard-fought gains in recent years. The situation has been getting worse as the space for civil societies is getting small and risky. The citizens, especially women and youth are starting to see their future fading before their eyes as the peace, political and economic rights they enjoyed for a decade are rapidly disappearing. However, under this tightened situation, civil societies and pro-democracy activists (including gender rights activists) are supported to fight back for the rights of the people in every possible way. Therefore, this is the right time for me to join Gender and Development Studies to learn decent theories and gender approaches to practice in her daily tasks and projects. Looking very much forward to learning from the studies and sharing with peers, and furthermore looking forward to expanding more networks for future collaboration.

Su Wai Myint is a student in the certificate program of Gender and Development Studies (GDS) at the Asia Institute of Technology. My study interest is gender equality in a political system or political economy. Before studying at AIT, I received master degrees in political economy from the University of Sydney and public administration from the Yangon Institute of Economics. I worked as a political and economic analyst at UNDP- Myanmar for over two years, where she contributed to assessment reports of UNDP- Poverty Report 2021 and Myanmar People’s Pulse 2021- monitoring the socio-economic situation of Myanmar after the military coup. Before that, I was part of a technical secretariate team of the Myanmar Peace Center, a semi-government organization supporting the ceasefire negotiation and peace-building of the government of Myanmar from 2012 to 2015. During her early career, she worked in humanitarian aid and agriculture value-chain development in Myanmar.

Recognizing the importance of gender issues in different development contexts, I have a great interest in promoting gender equality in public policymaking and analyzing gender situations in the political economy of my country under political and economic crises. I believe that this study is an opportunity to upgrade her knowledge and ability to become a gender-sensitive political economist.

Yinmon has served for over 15 years in the public sector in Myanmar with the primary responsibility for the research and regulation of labor laws towards a safe migration system, and also contributed for the protection and promotion of workers, and for the sustainable development and industrial peace. As an academic background, Yinmon has completed her Master Degree in Public Policy from Meiji University in 2014, and Bachelor Degree of Arts in English from the University of Mandalay in 2004, and Master Degree in English from University of Monywa in 2006. With the acknowledgement of encompassing issues of human rights, peace, and security, gender and equality, citizenship, ethnicity, justice, and democracy, Yinmon looks forward to the commitment and contribution in building a gender-sensitive public policy and constitution for Myanmar in future.