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| Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee | |
|---|---|
| Name | Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee |
| Abbrev | UPDJC |
| Formation | 2013 |
| Founder | Thein Sein |
| Type | Advisory body |
| Purpose | Peace negotiations among Myanmarese parties |
| Headquarters | Naypyidaw |
| Region served | Myanmar |
| Language | Burmese language |
| Leader title | Chair |
| Leader name | Aung San Suu Kyi |
| Parent organization | Union Peace Conference |
Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee
The Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) is a negotiation and coordination body formed to facilitate dialogue among Myanmarese ethnic armed organisations, political parties, and central authorities following the 2011–2016 reforms under Thein Sein. It was created as part of the framework that led to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (2015), intending to guide the Union Peace Conference (commonly called the 21st Century Panglong Conference) and subsequent talks involving stakeholders such as the Tatmadaw and multiple ethnic organisations. The committee has been central to interactions among figures like Min Aung Hlaing, Aung San Suu Kyi, and leaders of groups such as the Kachin Independence Army and the Karen National Union.
The committee emerged during political transitions associated with Thein Sein's reform agenda and ceasefire initiatives influenced by earlier efforts such as the original Panglong Conference of 1947. It was established after negotiations that involved international actors like the United Nations and regional bodies including the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Chinan government, which hosted some mediation contacts with organisations like the United Wa State Army and the Shan State Army. The UPDJC was institutionalised to operationalise the aims of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (2015) and to provide a forum for recurring Union Peace Conference sessions that bring together representatives from entities such as the National League for Democracy and the Union Solidarity and Development Party.
The committee's structure reflects negotiated representation among signatories to the ceasefire process, comprising members drawn from the Tatmadaw, the Government of Myanmar, and ethnic armed organisations including the Kachin Independence Army, Karen National Union, Ta'ang National Liberation Army, New Mon State Party, and Arakan Army. Political parties such as the National League for Democracy and regional authorities like the Rakhine State administration have had delegates, as have civil society figures linked to organisations like the Myanmar Peace Centre. Leadership has rotated with involvement from national figures including Aung San Suu Kyi and military leaders such as Min Aung Hlaing, and meetings have taken place in venues like Naypyidaw and border areas near China and Thailand where groups like the Shan State Progressive Party operate.
Mandated to prepare agendas for the Union Peace Conference, the committee is tasked with mediating negotiations, drafting working procedures, and recommending mechanisms for political dialogue among stakeholders such as the United Nationalities Federal Council and the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee. Its functions include convening technical subcommittees addressing matters raised by parties like the KNU and the KIA, coordinating ceasefire monitoring with groups such as the Mon National Liberation Army, and proposing frameworks for political measures debated by representatives from entities like the National Democratic Force.
The UPDJC played a key role in advancing the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (2015), facilitating rounds of the 21st Century Panglong Conference, and arranging bilateral and multilateral talks that involved groups including the United Wa State Army, Karenni National Progressive Party, and Shan State Army-South. It helped broker technical understandings on ceasefire implementation, prisoner exchanges involving factions like the All Burma Students' Democratic Front, and confidence-building measures that underpinned discussions on constitutional change with stakeholders including the Amyotha Hluttaw and Pyithu Hluttaw representatives.
Critics linked to organisations such as the International Crisis Group and various United Nations envoys have argued that the committee's composition favoured establishment actors like the Tatmadaw and the Union Solidarity and Development Party, marginalising non-signatory armed groups including the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army and civil society activists from entities such as the Rangoon University. Controversies include disputes over transparency noted by groups like Fortify Rights, accusations of slow progress on power-sharing raised by the United Nationalities Federal Council, and tensions during sessions when military leaders such as Min Aung Hlaing clashed with civilian leaders including Aung San Suu Kyi.
The committee has contributed to institutionalising dialogue mechanisms that allowed multiple rounds of talks among actors like the Kachin Independence Organisation and the Karen National Union, producing procedural advances even as substantive political settlement on issues such as federalism and resource sharing remained elusive. It enabled coordination on humanitarian access in conflict zones involving organisations like Médecins Sans Frontières and local relief groups, but persistent clashes in areas controlled by groups like the Arakan Army and limited participation by some parties constrained transformative outcomes.
International actors including the United Nations, Norway, Japan, and the European Union provided facilitation, technical assistance, and funding to processes linked to the UPDJC, while neighbouring states such as China and Thailand hosted or supported shuttle diplomacy involving entities like the United Wa State Army and the Shan State Army. Multilateral institutions and NGOs, including the CICR and International Crisis Group, offered monitoring and policy recommendations, and bilateral partners like Australia and United Kingdom engaged in capacity-building for interlocutors such as the Myanmar Peace Centre.