The Burma Project was established by the Open Society Institute in 1994 for the purpose of increasing international awareness of conditions in Burma and helping the country make the transition from a closed to an open society.

The Burma Project first expanded into the rest of Southeast Asia in the late 1990s. The fall of Indonesia's General Suharto in 1998 and the country's ensuing democratic transition compelled the project to devote more attention to Indonesia. The Burma Project began supporting local Indonesian organizations working towards an open society, most notably Yayasan Tifa (TIFA Foundation).

Aside from its focus countries, Burma and Indonesia, the Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative now primarily supports organizations with a regional concentration, but, where circumstances give rise to special concern, it may support more localized projects.

The Burma Project, established by the Open Society Institute in 1994, is dedicated to increasing international awareness of conditions in Burma and to helping the country make the transition from a closed to an open society.

To this end, the Burma Project initiates, supports, and administers a range of programs and activities around the globe including:

• Efforts by and for multiethnic, grassroots organizations dedicated to the restoration and preservation of fundamental freedoms, including political, economic, environmental, and human rights for all the people of Burma, regardless of race, ethnic background, age, or gender.
• Education and training intiatives for Burmese from a wide variety of backgrounds who will play a role in a democratic Burma.

In addition to Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative's work in Burma and Indonesia, OSI makes grants to organizations working in two or more Southeast Asia countries. Occasionally the Initiative funds localized efforts which promote human rights and foster civil society and democratic development. To date, Burma Project/Southeast Asia Initiative has supported programs in Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. While the Initiative provides resources for Burma on this site, it does not provide the same for Southeast Asia.

OSI primarily funds a partner foundation (Tifa Foundation), an indigenous organization that aims to help Indonesia consolidate its transition to democracy. Tifa, founded by a dozen Indonesians from the civil society sector who are committed to fostering open society in their country, focuses on capacity building, local government, human rights, media, and legal reform. The foundation works mostly in Java, though it is reaching out to outlying islands and regions in the Indonesian archipelago.

As the government decentralizes, democratic participation at the regional level is essential to ensure that local elites and government officials are not the sole beneficiaries of this new redistribution of power.

During a year of significant political setbacks in Southeast Asia—the collapse of East Timor’s young government, the implosion of the Arroyo regime in the Philippines, the culture of impunity in Indonesia, the continued intransigence of Burma’s military leaders, crackdowns on the press throughout the region, and a military coup in Thailand—OSI’s Southeast Asia Initiative and Burma Project worked in 2006 to fight corruption and reinforce democratic institutions by supporting activities to develop independent media, increase legal aid for vulnerable groups, and provide training for young leaders.

Read more about the Burma Project Southeast Asia Initiative 2006 activities.

Stuart Isett photographed the image that is used in the Burma Project / Southeast Asia website banner. It is reprinted on this site with his permission. ©2005 Stuart Isett / www.isett.com.