About Ananda

To the Ananda, democracy means more than just holding elections every five years. It enshrines the principal that every citizen has an equal stake in decisions affecting our country, and a right to participate in public affairs.

In order to exercise this right, citizens are entitled to access all information produced and held by the state. It is for this reason that the right to access information held by public bodies is viewed as a fundamental human right, integral to the freedom of expression. Information held by the state is an asset which, like roads, bridges, schools, hospitals and parks, is in public ownership. It therefore belongs to us all.

“Leveraging democracy through open data.”

In Myanmar, our democracy is young, and our state institutions are only just beginning to recognise their role is to serve the public. This is change from the past of ultimate, unaccountable authority.

Our vision is that one day the state’s obligations to explain their decision-making, share public information, and involve citizens, is fully recognised. In the meantime, our mission is to empower citizens and civil society with the data, analysis and practical support to engage in democracy.

What we do

The Ananda conducts activities in the following three areas:

  • Research into political and government institutions and processes

  • Innovations in civic technology
  • Campaigns supporting the right to access information


Our current areas of focus are government budgets and Myanmar’s Hluttaws (parliaments). These are two areas where we believe greater transparency has great potential for improvements in the level of citizen engagement in public affairs.

Brief information about our current projects

Research

  • New legislation summaries, policy briefings and bill analysis
  • Articles and blogs on governance budgets, political institutions, international cases studies, and other relevant topics
  • 2016-2020 legislation review research

Innovations

Campaigns

  • Local governance – public exp tracking budget support
  • TMF Governance & Inclusion Programme technical support
  • Ad hoc support for civil society organisations’ advocacy
  • Transparency campaigns…

Who we are

The Ananda was established in March 2018. We are a not-for-profit social enterprise, registered as a private company limited by shares.

We organised in three teams:

  • Open Budgets Programme Team
  • Legislation and Policy Research Programme Team
  • Civic Technology Team (supporting both of our programmes on a project-by-project basis)