The Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting (JICM) for the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA), which includes the top government leaders and NCA signatories, is scheduled to take place on January 8th, 2020.
The government peace delegation and the ten Ethnic Armed Organizations that signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA-S EAO) met at the National Reconciliation and Peace Center (NRPC) in Yangon on December 22nd to discuss the implementation agenda at their 8th Joint Implementation Coordination Meeting.
Nai Aung Ma Ngae a member of the JICM (NCA-S EAO) told the media that “we have scheduled the JICM meeting for January 8th. We have discussed plans to strengthen political dialogue and the ceasefire process.”
This meeting is significant for the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC), and the Joint Ceasefire Monitoring Committee (JMC), both of which are linked to continuing the union peace conference, known as the 21st Century Panglong – fourth session.
“We discussed the military JMC issues in detail. We talked about the definition of the NCA and its further implementation as well as further discussion on how to prepare a framework by 2020 and move forward,” said Nai Aung Ma Ngae.
The December 22 meeting produced eight mutual agreements related to the peace process according to the U Hla Maung Shwe, an adviser to the Myanmar Peace Commission.
“There is work to be done after the JICM meeting. After that, the Union Peace Conference needs to be convened early in the new year. The rest of the details will continue after the JICM meeting and will negotiate with each other through UPDJC and NCA process,” said U Hla Maung Shwe.
The upcoming JICM meeting will involve government delegates, Hluttaw, ten representatives from Tatmadaw, and ten ethnic armed organizations that signed the NCA.
The JICM meeting was initially scheduled for October 28, 2019 however, it was canceled when Peace Process Steering Team (PPST) leader General Yawd Serk could not attend due to a misunderstanding of military security concerns.
