NEW YORK, September 21, 2016 — The Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi delivers an address at Asia Society in New York on her country's political and economic development. Following her remarks, she engages in a wide-ranging discussion with Kevin Rudd, the president of Asia Society Policy Institute and the former prime minister of Australia. (52 min., 58 sec.)

PLEASE NOTE: This event is invitation only. For inquiries, please email GlobalInitiatives@asiasociety.org.

The Asia Society Policy Institute is pleased to announce that Her Excellency Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counselor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of the President’s Office of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar will give an address at Asia Society in New York about Myanmar’s development and continued way forward.

In recent years, Myanmar (also known as Burma) has undergone significant political and economic reform, allowing it to open and democratically develop after roughly 50 years of repressive military rule. While there are many actors who have been integral to the success of this Southeast Asian nation’s transition, there are none who have been as strong and unwavering as Daw Aung San Suu Kyi—a renowned voice for democracy worldwide.

While Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has long been seen as the voice of the opposition in Myanmar, she took a seat in Parliament in 2012. In November 2015, her National League for Democracy (NLD) party swept the polls in Myanmar’s parliamentary elections. The results were accepted by the military and former-military leaders, and a peaceful transition of power took place.

Speaker Bio

H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is State Counselor, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of the President’s Office of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. She is also the Chair of the National League for Democracy (NLD). She is the daughter of the late General Aung San, who is considered the founding father of Myanmar’s independence movement. She entered Myanmar politics in 1988, co-founding the NLD and advocating for democracy. Although the NLD won elections held in 1990, the ruling military power refused to recognize the results and placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. She spent much of the following two decades in detention and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 for her lifelong struggle in support of democracy. In 2010, she was released from house arrest and continued her work to bring forward democratic change to Myanmar.

This program is presented by: