Ethnic activists have opened a study and research center in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, that will help ethnic armed groups, NGOs and political parties gain a better understanding of Burma’s ongoing peace process and support the ethnic groups as they negotiate with the government.

The center, called the Pyidaungsu Institute, was opened on Thursday and its director Khuensai Jaiyen said the project would help Burma’s ethnic groups come together and share ideas and resources, so that the groups can develop a common approach to the decades-old ethnic conflict.

“It is set up to create ‘a common voice’ for the [upcoming] political dialogue, instead of ethnic groups having different demands in the ceasefire process,” he said.

Khuensai Jaiyen, who also is an adviser to the Restoration Council of Shan State, a Shan rebel group, said the Pyidaungsu Institute would help provide the 14 ethnic armed groups develop a shared political vision and present political demands during their negotiations.

“It seems the ethnics’ institute is similar to the government-affiliated Myanmar Peace Centre, but they are distinctly different. While the MPC is the driving force for [only the] the government, this institute is not for just one group, we work for all different ethnic groups,” Salai Lian Hmong Sakhong, a board of directors’ member at the institute said.

The Pyidaungsu Institute, which receives funding support from Norway and Sweden, also plans to open an office in Rangoon this year. Khuensai Jaiyen added that the MPC had officially recognized the Pyidaungsu Institute, although the centers will not share information at this stage of the peace process.

The new institute will initially focus on supporting Burma’s various ethnic armed groups with information that can be used during the peace process, but it will expand to provide research, training and discussion opportunities to all ethnic students, activists and anyone interested in the peace process.