ECDF is carrying out three main activities as below.
1) Community development projects at the township and village level,
2) Policy creation,
3) Advocacy and campaign
(a) Research and documentation Publication
(b) Advocacy trip of policy paper
4) Community empowerment
a) Capacity Building and community mobilizing
(b) Meeting, Seminar and information sharing
Why we do these project activities
- Civil war and mega-development projects have created massive displacement.
- Militarized, top-down society has deprived people of a role in decision making regarding the development of the country.
1) Community development projects at the township and village level,
ECDF implements alternative, community-led projects in rural areas aimed to address the needs of community. ECDF works to improve the community management skills of rural people.
Through this work we hope to build a social foundation for sustainable development of Burma. We are also hope to improve inter-ethnic cooperation and to foster understanding of relevant national development issues.
Our target areas include conflict areas, mixed administration zones, cease-fire areas, and poor communities in the major ethnic areas of Burma.
ECDF and it members implement four key activities at the village level: village needs assessments,
Participatory village meetings, facilitating local decision-making on projects, and helping to organize election process as democratic project committee which are going to run management of village development project. Our communities choose to implement a wide variety of projects.
2) Policy Creation
(a) Economic Social and Culture Rights
In 2004, community development organizations was organized 6th community development seminar formed ECDF and laid down 3 principles of people development 1) Grassroots ownership principle, 2) Community Participatory principle and 3) principle of Sustainable development management of community. In 2005, ECDF organized workshop with lawyers from Burma and international expert lawyers were processing legal implication of these 3 principles of people development. In 2006, (3) people development principals legal implication process were make a proposal as a title of “Economic Social and Culture Rights” and submitted to Federal Constitution Drafting Coordination Committee to adopt this chapter into draft Federal Constitution of Burma
(b) Agriculture Development Plan” (ADP) process
In 2009, ECDF and members organization were organized community exchange workshop in the field work of community development project area across ethnic state in Burma to get the input about draft agriculture policy recommendation paper from local people.
Seminar & workshop developing agriculture policy recommendation
In 2010, ECDF was organized a seminar on developing agriculture policy recommendation and laid down draft recommendations paper as the topic of “Agriculture Development Plan” (ADP) for future of Burma. ECDF was organize workshop and finalized the paper of “Agriculture Development Plan” (ADP) for future of Burma and advocate the paper to all state holders in Burma.
(c) Customary land management practice policy recommendation development
In 2013, learned about customary land management practice and the customary land tenure and preparation to start gathering information about customary land management practice around the world and organized fact-finding. In 2014, produced a report about “Customary Land Management and Legal Frameworks: Experiences from Around the World- A Report to enhance Discussion about Customary Land Rights in Burma.” In 2016, finalize a report of “Our Customary Land” in English and Burmese version and video documentary about “Customary land is our life” in Burmese version and organized a press conference and distributed the report and video documentary. In 2017, ECDF was organized workshop on drafting customary land policy recommendation paper with community and CSOs and come up with a draft policy recommendation paper about customary land management practice.
(d) Development of Indigenous/ethnic/local community/traditional forest policy recommendations
In 2019, ECDF was cooperated with Myanmar Indigenous People/Ethnic Nationalities Network, Promotion of Indigenous and Nature Together POINT, Chin Human Rights Organization CHRO are organized seminar and workshop on development of draft customary forest policy recommendation and produce a final draft of indigenous/ethnic/local/community/traditional forest policy recommendation paper. We plan to work together to develop this paper into legal term.
3) Advocacy and Campaign
(a) Research and documentation Publication
(b) Advocacy trip of policy paper
(a)Research, documentation and publication
Pamphlet of our customary land and FPEC
ECDF was produced pamphlet of our customary land and FPIC-free prior inform concern as a campaign tools to advocate and mobilize community people easy to carry, to read and easy to understand. ECDF distributed during field trip and during community mobilization.
Use Publication as campaign tools
Community mobilization of our customary land management practice to promote the practice and protect the customary land management rights and participate in the policy advocacy and campaign at national and state level.
Biofuel by Decree: Unmasking Burma’s Bio-energy Fiasco
In addition to community development, ECDF engages in research projects and mobilizes the people around problems facing their community.
Between 2006 and 2008, we trained 16 of our members from seven ethnic states in issues surrounding the cultivation of Jatropha biofuel by the Burmese government. These fieldworkers then returned to their areas and conducted research in 81 villages in 31 townships.
The resulting report, “Biofuel By Decree,” was released in 2008. It details the disastrous development practices of the central government in their quest to cash in on the international market in biofuel.
Advocate Policy recommendations to state holders
ECDF participated at WGEC
Since 2011 to 2013, ECDF is participated with Working Group of Ethnic Coordination (WGEC) to prepare the agenda of 21st Panglong Conference and included the “Road Map & Peace structure” and recommendations are going to discuss.
ECDF is participating at ENAC
From 2013 to 2016, ECDF participated in the policy development committee of Ethnic Nationalities Affairs Center (ENAC-Union of Burma) and present the input of local people as draft policy recommendations about agriculture, land, natural resources and environmental to political leaders and armed groups leaders. The result is ENAC was producing a report as policy guideline for future federal union of Burma.
ECDF is meeting with United Nationalities Alliance (UNA)
Start from 2018, ECDF was cooperated with members organization and network organizations together organized advocacy trip to Yangon and arrange meeting with United Nationalities Alliance (UNA) in Yangon and discuss about the final draft of customary land management practice policy recommendations and indigenous/ethnic/local/community/traditional forest policy recommendations in order to give the input and bring it into parliamentary and peace talk with government and military group who are in parliament included each ethnic state parliamentary
ECDF is meeting with Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs)
Since 2018, ECDF was cooperated with members organization and network organizations together organized advocacy trip to Yangon and arrange meeting with Ethnic Armed Organizations “EAOs” in Yangon and discuss about the final draft of customary land management practice policy recommendations and indigenous/ethnic/local/community/traditional forest policy recommendations paper in order to give the input into peace talk with government and peace & ceasefire talk with military group.
4) Community empowerment
Capacity building, community mobilizing, meeting, workshop and seminar
ECDF works to build the capacity of community members and empower them to improve their skills and follow up empowerment community to increase the skills of building village development project, improve knowledge of management and networking meeting in their local areas. Our field staff come directly from communities. They attend ECDF trainings on subjects such as community development concept, land rights, human rights, economic literacy, environment and mega development issues, and policy creation to protect community rights till future federal union of Burma. The alumni of our trainings meet regularly to discuss current issues in their areas, information sharing and compare common experiences to find out possible problem solving method in order to help each other in each of their field work areas.