Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement


The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement was a landmark ceasefire agreement between the government of Myanmar and representatives of various ethnic insurgent groups, officially known as "ethnic armed organisations" by the government. The draft was agreed upon by a majority of the invited parties on 31 March 2015, and the agreement was signed by President Thein Sein on 15 October 2015. The signing was witnessed by observers and delegates from the United Nations, the United Kingdom, Norway, Japan and the United States. A ceremony is held by the government annually on the anniversary of the signing of the agreement.
The government of Myanmar originally sent invitations to 15 different ethnic insurgent groups, inviting them to participate in long-term peace negotiations. However, seven of those invited declined or dropped out during negotiations due to perceived unfairness.
The Lahu Democratic Union and the New Mon State Party later joined the ceasefire and signed the agreement on 13 February 2018.