Beyond Transnational Advocacy: Lessons from Engagement of Myanmar Indigenous Peoples with the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review

On July 21, 2015, the Coalition of Indigenous Peoples inMyanmar/Burma (CIPM), a group representing 24 indigenous rightsorganizations in Myanmar, announced they were submitting a report to theUniversal Periodic Review (UPR) session on Myanmar. The use of the UPRrepresents an attempt by Myanmars indigenous groups to address avariety of issues not traditionally associated with human rights, among them: environmental grievances associated with alleged government seizure of land, deforestation, pollution, and suppression of land-use rights.The use of the UPR also illustrates an indigenous strategy of reaching up toan international level in order to address problems at a local one: theCIPM resorted to the UPR in hopes of mobilizing pressure to change thebehavior of the Myanmar government. This article explores the experiencesof the CIPM with the UPR to draw lessons for other groups that seek to usethe UPR to advance their interests.