Nobel Women's Initiative

Stand in solidarity with the women human rights defenders in Burma by supporting their campaign for a United Nations General Assembly resolution establishing a Commission of Inquiry on possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma. UN member states will meet this September at the sixty-fifth session of the General Assembly, where ongoing human rights violations within Burma will be discussed.

Burma's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, made her first political appearance outside of the main city of Rangoon this past weekend.

In a one-day visit that took place without incident, the Nobel Peace Laureate traveled 50 miles north to the towns of Bago and Thanatpin where she opened two public libraries and greeted local members of her party's National League for Democracy.

Burma pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has offered to assist in mediation between the government and ethnic groups as clashes continue in northern provinces.

In an open letter sent last week to the country's president, Thein Sein, the Nobel Peace Laureate urged swift action to bring an end to the fighting and warned that violence could spread.

Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi met with Burmese labour minister – Aung Kyi – yesterday in Rangoon. In a joint statement, both parties said they were satisfied with the meeting. 

Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi recently participated in the Reith Lectures, an annual series broadcasted by the BBC that features discussion and commentary on contemporary issues. Most notably, these lectures examine global political and cultural events.  Listen below.

In her lectures, Suu Kyi discusses the notion of freedom and what must be done to achieve and maintain freedom. She stresses the human need for social interaction, and the extent to which the right to communication with others is an essential and basic human right.

Aung San Suu Kyi, head of Burma's pro-democracy movement, has begun her tour outside of Rangoon for the first time since being released from house arrest since last November.   In June, the Burmese regime threatened that if Suu Kyi embarked on her tour, "There may be chaos and riots as evidenced by previous incidents."  

Women in northern Burma are living in fear as the Burmese military regime employs sexual violence in their offensive against the Kachin Independence Army.

Members of the Burmese Army gang-raped at least 18 women and girls between June 10 and June 18. Four of the women were killed after their rapes, while one later died from injuries sustained during the incident.

"These are not random acts of violence," said Shirley Seng, a spokesperson for the Kachin Women's Association Thailand. "The Burma Army is committing gang-rape and killing on a wide scale. It is clear they are acting under orders."

Read KWAT's press release on the rapes in Burma here.

The six women Nobel Peace Laureates have sent a message to fellow Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on her upcoming birthday on June 19. Read the greeting below.

We Nobel Peace Laureates would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our Sister Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, on her sixty-sixth birthday. While we are elated that she will not be celebrating this birthday under house arrest, we are also gravely concerned that there remain 2061 political prisoners in Burma. Democracy cannot exist in Burma until all political prisoners are released unconditionally.

Last week, European Union foreign ministers met and decided to maintain EU targeted economic sanctions against the dictatorship in Burma for another year since there has been no genuine change. Elections held in Burma last year have not led to improvement in human rights. In fact, the situation in Burma is getting worse with recent military attacks against civilians.

We often criticize governments when they do not take action they should. Now we have the opportunity to thank the EU for prioritizing human rights in Burma. 

Take action. Copy and paste the message below and send it through the website of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in the UK to express your thanks.