Over 70 years of civil war
Burma’s military has violently oppressed Burma’s diverse ethnic nationalities for over 70 years. Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forcibly displaced in the past decade alone. International and local fact-finders have documented horrendous patterns of human rights violations. Military offensives and violations are ongoing, as are other forms of abuse against civilians.
Ethnic communities seek a political solution to achieve peace, equality, justice, and a genuine federal democratic union.
We support negotiators and communities to more effectively achieve equal rights, democracy, and sustainable peace.
Our activities include:
One-on-one advising, mentoring, and capacity building
Demand-driven research, analysis, and action-oriented memoranda
Rapid response to assist decision-makers
Development of creative options and negotiation alternatives
Consensus-building support
Communication strategy and advocacy assistance
Support for more inclusive processes and participation
Key Personnel
Jason Gelbort
Executive Director & Founder
Jason Gelbort is an international lawyer specializing in negotiations, constitutional change, and human rights. He has been involved in work focused on Burma for over 10 years and since 2013 has worked full-time assisting a diverse array of ethnic nationality organizations’ ceasefire and peace negotiations efforts. He regularly supports peace and human rights advocacy initiatives. Jason is a Lecturer at Law at the University of Chicago Law School. He also conducts trainings and presents invited lectures for civil society organizations and universities. His publications include commentaries for The New York Times, Transnational Institute, Frontier Myanmar, International Constitutional Law Blog, and Virginia Journal of Constitutional Law-Online. Jason has previously worked in the private, public, and non-profit sectors in Vietnam, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Turkey, and the United States. He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and his Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School.
Upland Advisors is immensely grateful to Harvard Law School’s Public Service Venture Fund for awarding us a seed grant. This support has been vital for our initial and future work.