Conclusion: "What have been presented in this report are the views of members of civil society inside Myanmar, not the perspectives of CPCS. The Centre has chosen not to draw any specific conclusions from this report, allowing the voices of those inside Myanmar to stand on their own. Nevertheless, the Centre believes there are some principles which might guide international engagement with Myanmar?s 2010 election. While it is almost certain that the 2010 election will not meet international standards, it is an opportunity to expand the space and roles for civil society. Statements condemning the election should not be made without meaningful attempts to engage domestic civil society throughout the election process. The international community should not rely solely on the perspectives of outsiders. In this respect the international community should make every effort to visit Myanmar to monitor what is happening on the ground. It is suggested that dialogue with local civil society be maintained as a means of monitoring the process in its entirety—not just vote observation and monitoring. This engagement with civil society should serve as the basis for policy formation. Further, governments and organisations should find creative ways to engage the election process without endorsing it. Examples of engagement include voter conscientisation, technical and financial support to Myanmar civil society groups engaged in non-political election activities and exchange visits between political parties and MPs in other countries to widen the experience of candidates. Importantly, the international community should not allow the election to distract from efforts to address the variety of critical and pressing issues challenging Myanmar today. These include a country-wide humanitarian crisis, ongoing ethnic armed conflict and widespread human rights violations and poverty. The international community should use the election as an opportunity to refocus their energy on these specific areas which desperately need to be addressed."