The First Inter-religious Women of Faith Network launched in Myanmar
(YANGON, MYANMAR, 2 December 2014)Â
Myanmar’s women leaders from Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities jointly launched Religions for Peace (RfP) Myanmar Women of Faith Network, the country’s first multi-religious women of faith network, to promote women’s empowerment, to enhance their role in peace building and to advance its campaign on restoring dignity: violence against women, at the Chatrium Hotel Royal Lake Yangon on 2 December 2014.
Senior religious leaders from four main religions, newly appointed officers and members of the RfP Myanmar Women of Faith Network, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), members of major women’s groups and faith-based organizations, as well as international guests including Rev. Kosho Niwano from Japan, Co-moderator, RfP International, and Rev. Kyoichi Sugino from New York, Deputy Secretary General, RfP International, joined the inaugural ceremony.
Within the areas of communal violence and armed conflict in Myanmar, women are hit the hardest by being left to fend for their community with no security, displaced with no access to social services, abused and raped with impunity, their children missed the opportunity of schooling and education.  Women extremely dislike conflict and hostilities and have come to realize that peace dialogue could not be effective without the involvement of women, whom nature has created for kindness, sympathy, patience and tolerance.  The women activists in Myanmar have voiced for women’s involvement in peace talks and to end violence against women.
Since peace is integral to development, RfP Myanmar has advanced its development programs through multi-religious cooperation in view of advancing inter-communal harmony and social cohesion that directly contributes to the achievement of peace and justice. RfP Myanmar Women of Faith Network is committed to building peace through development programmes, capacity building and empowerment of women, and the advancement of women’s involvement in the peace process at home, in the community and in the conflict affected areas through multi-religious cooperation.
At the launch, U Myint Swe, President of RfP Myanmar said that the development programme implemented through multi-religious cooperation includes child protection, child rights, sexual and reproductive rights that are crucial to women’s development.  “As the MDG target year 2015 is approaching, the RfP Women of Faith Network will intensify its efforts to raise awareness on women rights and empower women to help eliminate poverty.â€
In her statement, Rev. Kosho Niwano, Co-Moderator, RfP International, stated that “all men and women in our world come from mothers. The heart of mother, virtues of unconditional love and compassion, forgiveness, and perseverance, should be engaged by all men and women of faith to build peace and development.â€
Rev. Kyoichi Sugino, Deputy Secretary General, RfP International, congratulated women of faith leaders on their concerted efforts to build a sustainable instrument of collaboration for peace and development through interreligious collaboration. He stated that “this historic interreligious mechanism in Myanmar will further advance action-oriented multi-stakeholder partnerships with local and international partners to enhance the role of women in transforming conflict and building peace.â€
Daw Yin Yin Maw, newly appointed Chairperson of Women of Faith Network and former President of Myanmar Council of Churches, said; “ As a newly formed and the first interreligious women network in Myanmar, RfP Myanmar WOFN has great ideas and plans to build capacity building on women rights, peace and the advancement of women, in collaboration with the existing women’s groups and with the UN Women.† Daw Yin Yin Maw stated that “the strategic objectives of RfP Myanmar Women of Faith Network encompass: 1) empower women and end discrimination and 2) build capacity of the Women of Faith Network.  Future plan of the Network includes Development for Women, Multi-religious Prayer Sessions, Women and Business programmes, and Awareness Raising Programmes for Poverty Reduction.
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About RfP-Myanmar and Its Women of Faith Network
Affiliated to Religions for Peace International, Religions for Peace Myanmar is the country’s first full-fledged representative and action-oriented interreligious body for reconciliation, peace and development.  It consists of the country’s major religious communities and organizations, including Sitagu International Buddhist Academy, Ratana Metta Organization, Catholic Church, Myanmar Council of Churches, Hindu Communities and the Islamic Center of Myanmar. Its vision is that people from diverse religious traditions and ethnic communities live in peace and harmony and endeavor to advance inter-communal harmony and social cohesion through interreligious cooperation with the key being to harness each other’s strengths into a common vision.
Comprising of representatives from religious women’s organizations, religious bodies and institutions from four main religions, RfP Myanmar Women of Faith Network is the country’s first representative interreligious women’s network for mobilizing the already existing religious organizations and women’s groups as building blocks for multi-religious cooperation with a shared mission to build peace, advance human development and promote just and harmonious societies. Myanmar WOFN is guided by the principles of the RfP Global Women of Faith Network, which are; 1) Respect for religious difference, 2) Support locally led multi-religious structures, 3) Act on deeply held and widely shared values, 4) Preserve the identity of each religious community, 5) Honor the different ways religious communities are organized.