Burma Global Action Network - Achievements

Achievements

• In conjunction with the Burma Campaign UK, Canadian Friends of Burma, the US Campaign for Burma and Avaaz.org, as well as countless local partners, a Global Day of Action for Burma was held on October 6, 2007, in cities worldwide. The London demonstration alone had more than 10,000 participants; tens of thousands participated in events worldwide. It remains one of the largest simultaneous events coordinated primarily over the internet, and can be a considered a significant milestone in the history of internet activism for its novel usage of social networking technology.

• It also coordinated a global day of action with the emphasis on freeing Burma’s political prisoners. “Aung San Suu Kyi Day” was held on October 24, 2007, which marked the date on which Aung San Suu Kyi had spent 12 years under house arrest.

• Its most significant user-uploaded media campaign is the website Don’t Forget Burma. Designed to combat the lull in Burma-related coverage in the international media following the crackdown on demonstrators in October, Don’t Forget Burma was designed as a viral campaign where concerned citizens can upload messages of support for the Burmese cause and try to keep Burma in the media spotlight and public consciousness.

• It also launched a campaign urging consumers to boycott oil companies Chevron Corporation and Total S.A., and encouraging those companies to divest of their substantial assets in the country, which provide a direct pipeline of support to the military dictatorship at the expense of the Burmese people.

• Berkman Center for Internet & Society At Harvard Law School invited BGAN to its "Berkman in Turkey: Internet And Democracy Digital Activism Event" in Istanbul, Turkey in February 2008 to speak about BGAN's "Support The Monks' Protest In Burma" group on facebook.com's success in globally spreading and mobilizing democracy activism using social networking.

• In conjunction with the Burma Campaign UK, Canadian Friends of Burma, the US Campaign for Burma, Info Birmanie, as well as countless local partners, a Global Day of Action for Burma a call for Humanitarian Intervention was held on May 17, 2008, in cities worldwide. A response to Military Than Shwe and the junta's blockade of aid to the Cyclone Nargis aftermath victims, the international community called for a Humanitarian intervention to get aid into the hardest hit areas of Burma.

• Facebook, Google, YouTube, MTV, Howcast, Columbia Law School and the United States Department of State invited BGAN to its three day “Alliance of Youth Movements Summit” in New York City, New York at Columbia Law School in December 2008 to speak about BGAN's success in mobilizing a global movement for Burma and its success with their "Support The Monks' Protest In Burma" group/page on facebook.com in globally spreading and mobilizing democracy activism using social networking. Only ten organizations from around the world were invited to attend such as Save Darfur Coalition and Invisible Children. Major figureheads such as Whoopi Goldberg of ABC’s The View, Dustin Moskovitz, Co-Founder, Facebook, James K. Glassman, Undersecretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Oscar Morales, Founder, One Million Voices Against the FARC, Luke Russert, MSNBC, Matthew Waxman, Associate Professor of Law, Columbia Law School. The event was hosted at Columbia Law School with MTV hosting a red carpet party for the attendants at their time square New York location.