By: CAS

Magway, 20 March 2025

Amidst intense fighting in the area, the human rights ToT training programme was successfully delivered in Ah Nyar. Organised jointly by Centre for Ah Nyar Studies and Ministry of Human Rights of NUG, the training was an important milestone with us, held between 4 to 14 March 2025. The 11-day training programme, delivered by a training team led by Human Rights Minister U Aung Myo Min, trained critical concepts on human rights and international humanitarian law for human rights practitioners from 19 townships of Magway, Sagaing and Chinland. 

The modules covered basic human rights concepts, gender-related issues, and international humanitarian law (IHL). The participants were also trained to develop human rights training modules, aiming to facilitate multiplier training and human rights talks in Ah Nyar.  

“This course is an important initiative for advancing human rights, freedom, and human dignity across Ah Nyar, alongside efforts related to justice. It also marks an essential step towards a stronger grassroots movement”

said Banyar Toee, Founding President of Centre for Ah Nyar Studies.

The training was conducted online due to security concerns. CAS’s senior member Ko Kyaw also shared that “We, who were organising the training, lived near a bomb shelter and had to conduct the sessions there. Due to frequent air raids in the region, the sound of aircraft sent us into the shelter repeatedly—both us and the trainees. There were situations where we had to take cover in secure locations multiple times as planes circled overhead. We even attended the training while fleeing from military offensives launched by the junta, with communication lines cutting in and out. No matter the circumstances, every trainee demonstrated unwavering commitment from start to finish. They participated actively and engaged in their learning throughout.”

Nwe Nwe, a trainee, recounted her experience,“I applied for this Human Rights Training of Trainers (TOT) programme after learning about it at a youth discussion event. After being selected for an interview, I didn’t feel particularly excited until I found out that the Union Minister himself would be teaching during the training. It was completely unexpected. U Aung Myo Min’s dedication to human rights and his life journey are truly inspiring. His passion for teaching, even while being strict, kept us motivated always. Every day, we learned new human rights concepts and facilitation methods. By the end of the training, I had gained facilitation skills and the ability to design training curricula effectively”.

The Union Minister for Ministry of Human Rights, U Aung Myo Min, has been a key figure in the fight against military dictatorship and promotion of human rights in Burma. With over 30 years of experience conducting human rights training, he has trained numerous educators.