Pandita Development Institute (Pandita) is a non-profit civic organization working to encourage and support a peaceful, harmonious and democratic society in Myanmar by promoting and strengthening civic participation. We believe that civic engagement and the meaningful involvement of well-informed, organized and active citizens is essential to successful political decision-making. Meaningful participation means that informed, organized and active individuals are able to participate peacefully in the democratic political process. For the diverse population of Myanmar to participate effectively in the political decision-making process, it is important to create what we call ‘civic capacity’ and ‘space’. We work together with our partners to make sure that this takes place. Our organization was founded in 2011, a critical time when a quasi-civilian government was installed and tasked to transition the country to a functional democracy after more than fifty years of military rule. We come from diverse social backgrounds and fields of expertise, and we have all participated in the struggle for democracy under Myanmar’s previous military governments. We have come together in unity to create a space and provide support for political and civic activists to come together to contribute towards the country’s transition from 50 years of military rule to democracy. Since its establishment, we has worked together with our partners to develop and strengthen civil society organizations, safeguard elections, increase interaction between citizens and public officials, influence policy reform and raise civic awareness.
