The JUSTYouth Programme, an initiative designed by Asia Centre with support from the ASEAN Foundation in partnership with Maybank Foundation, brought together nine passionate young volunteers from across Southeast Asia between July and October 2024. These volunteers collaborated with community-based organisations in Chiang Mai, Thailand, addressing critical social issues such

Spanning a day and a half, the End-of-Programme Meeting for the “Digital Rights Programme for Civil Society Organisations” was held from 25 to 26 October 2024 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It marked the culmination of a year-long initiative focused on enhancing the understanding and advocacy of digital rights among Civil

On 17 October 2024, Dr Marc Pinol Rovira, Research Manager at the Asia Centre, and Somaly Kum, Research Associate at the Asia Centre, participated in the Phnom Penh Internet Forum (PPIF), held in Phnom Penh spanning from 17-18 October 2024. The forum sought to address digitalisation in Cambodia, the regulatory

Structural challenges to civic spaces caused by laws, policies and other hindrances, particularly the critical role of media in fostering information integrity, must be examined to ensure civic spaces in Asia remain well-functioning. Towards that end, the civil society sector must build and sustain a cross-sector coalition to support one another.

Radio Taiwan International (Rti) served as a new title partner for Asia Centre’s 9th Annual International Conference, “Shrinking Civic Space in Asia: Stories of Resistance and Pushback,” held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 21 to 23 August 2024. Through its participation in the conference, Rti underscored the importance of fostering global

Learning how governments managed the COVID-19 is crucial for protecting civic spaces and enhancing resilience and preparedness for future emergencies in Asia. This central theme emerged from all three-panel discussions hosted by the International Center for Not-for-profit Law (ICNL) – a Tier 1 title partner – during Asia Centre’s 9th

Counterpart International (CI) was a new title partner in Asia Centre’s 9th International Conference, held from 21 to 23 August 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand, under the theme “Shrinking Civic Space in Asia: Stories of Resistance and Pushback”. CI’s contributions throughout the Conference centred on the need to develop a comprehensive blueprint

Indigenous communities across Asia are denied equal treatment and face significant challenges related to rights, representation and safety. Despite official legal recognition, these communities often feel powerless as the civic space to advocate for their rights and needs is diminishing.  This was the core message delivered via the panel titled

From 21 to 23 August 2024, Asia Centre convened its 9th International Conference on “Shrinking Civic Space in Asia: Stories of Resistance and Pushback”. Held on-site at the Pullman G Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, the event brought together 120 participants from 27 countries, including members of INGOs, civil society organisations

Asia Centre hosted the 2024 Oxfam Young Leader Fellowship Programme from 1st to the 5th of July 2024 in Bangkok, Thailand. This is the second cohort (read about the first cohort here), in which the fellowship aims to equip eight youths from eight different countries in Asia with the tools,

CSOs in the region are confronting significant surveillance and privacy threats, but there are actionable steps they can take to mitigate these risks. This consensus emerged from the Asia Centre’s event on 18 July 2024, titled “Surveillance & Privacy: Safeguarding CSOs in the Age of Digital Threats”.  32 attendees, including

On 17 June 2024, nearly 50 representatives from local civil society organisations (CSOs) in Cambodia participated in the event “Digital Technology in Cambodia: Challenges and Opportunities” held in Phnom Penh. During the event, panellists and participants highlighted that, given the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping Cambodia’s society, the

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the region can play an important role to strengthen media literacy for underrepresented groups – this was the thrust of the online panel discussion held on 16 May 2024 convened by Asia Centre. The event is a part of the Digital Rights Programme for Civil

Around 50 individuals from CSOs, diplomatic missions, media, think tanks, and universities gathered at Taiwan National University on 16 April 2024 to discuss concerns related to disinformation—the biggest digital threat facing the country. During the session, seven panellists shared their observations that there is a need to go beyond fact-checking

Asia Centre’s Training Hub will enhance capacity in Cambodia by undertaking research and implementing customised training programmes for community organisations, government agencies, media organisations, non-governmental organisations, and universities. The Centre will deliver its capacity-building activities by: undertaking evidence-based needs assessments; design training programmes and curriculum, provide trainers to deliver ‘train-the-trainer’

On April 5, 2024, the Asia Centre held a briefing for Bangkok-based diplomatic missions accredited to Cambodia. The briefing covered Asia Centre’s work in Cambodia, introduced its new Training Hub in Phnom Penh, and provided some preliminary findings from its research on electoral integrity in Cambodia. The briefing was attended

From 14 to 19 March 2024, Asia Centre’s Regional Director, Dr. James Gomez visited Seoul, the capital of South Korea, to speak at three separate panels during which he called for a stronger partnership for democracy in Asia.  These panels were either organised or supported by the Global Democracy Coalition

On 21 March 2024, Asia Centre hosted a virtual panel discussion titled “Fact-Checking: Is it Working?” as part of the Digital Rights Programme for Civil Society Organisations, jointly organised by Asia Centre and Google Asia Pacific. The event attracted over 40 participants, including members of academic institutions, representatives from civil

CSOs across Asia discussed ideas on how to unite as a collective force to advocate for digital rights, enhance their influence and forge a unified front to respond to legal and technological challenges that impact their work.  Convened by Asia Centre with the support of Google, the Regional Meeting on

On 18 February 2024, Asia Centre organised the Project Conclusion Meeting for 8 Oxfam Fellows at the sidelines of the World Social Forum 2024 in Kathmandu, Nepal, held from 15 to 19 February 2024. The meeting, held at the Yellow Pagoda Hotel, was part of the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship

To inform Asia Centre’s research on democracy and human rights, the Centre hosted its inaugural roundtable discussion on “China’s Global Influence: Perspective from the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific” on 1 February 2024. As an inaugural meeting, the aim was to examine and discuss the different perspectives on China’s influence in the

On 24 January 2024, Asia Centre manned a booth at the University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM) Career Fair 2024. The fair, which featured more than 40 companies and organisations across Malaysia, consisted of booths and career talks by experts to help students make informed decisions for their future career paths. 

On 18 January 2024, Asia Centre held a virtual launch and discussion of its latest report, “Online Content Regulation in the Asia Pacific: Limiting Civil Society Capacity to Hold Government Accountable.” The report launch is part of the Digital Rights Programme for Civil Society Organisation, jointly organised by Asia Centre

On 12 January 2024, Asia Centre organised a roundtable discussion titled “Safe Internet Usage in Thailand,” which brought together representatives from political parties, government agencies, civil society organisations, and the media. The objective of the roundtable was to lay the groundwork for advocacy initiatives focused on digital rights and promoting

Asia Centre concluded its media assessment research by presenting the findings of its assessment of Cambodia’s media landscape to a multi-stakeholder advisory board during a validation meeting held on 18 December 2023 in Phnom Penh. A group of Cambodian stakeholders, inclusive of representatives from the government sector, media industry, and