We are a diverse and inclusive network of more than 130 civil society organisations, national and international NGOs, and Technical Resource Persons working to bring about gender equality and the fulfilment of women's rights in Myanmar through: building the evidence base in the new emerging context in Myanmar; advocacy in national, regional and international forums; and innovations in communications; and capacity building initiatives. We believe that addressing gender inequality and respecting women's rights is critical to equitable and people-centred development, to building peace and democracy, and to meet the unique challenges and opportunities Myanmar faces today. Our membership is both inclusive and strategic: it encompasses members with a sound understanding of situations and needs at the grassroots level, and with access to information, expertise and opportunity. We are member-driven and member participation is essential to our work. Our diverse membership base, drawn from across the country: represents the interests of multiple stakeholders including marginalised populations; possesses technical capacity on various rights issues with a focus on gender and; most importantly, is able to mobilise a range of stakeholders to contribute to change processes. Our key means of carrying forward initiatives is through specific Working Groups, which use a collective action approach to bring about targeted and effective gender equality initiatives through campaigning, advocacy and research.

Over the past eight years, GEN and its member organisations have been able to significantly strengthen the evidence base around key aspects of gender inequality and discrimination in Myanmar. The Gender Equality Network (GEN) has undergone significant transformation and growth since its inception in 2008.

The organisation was first formed in response to Cyclone Nargis, under the name the Women’s Protection Technical Working Group with an original focus on addressing multi-sectoral and cross-cutting issues faced by women in cyclone-affected areas. During this time, our programming and advocacy efforts included: advocating for and contributing to the inclusion of women’s needs in national assessments and strategic planning documents, drafting of the referral protocols and pathways for Gender-Based Violence response, and developing and disseminating key guidance documents, including codes of conduct, key gender messages, gender guidelines, the Women’s Livelihoods assessment, and the Women’s Protection Assessments: Post-Cyclone Nargis.