BASELINE STUDIES

Religious Freedom in Cambodia: Unpacking the Rankings
Coming Soon In Cambodia, positive global rankings for freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) often mask underlying structural challenges and growing state control over religious institutions. This affects a diverse range of communities, including rank-and-file monks, Muslims, Christians, and Indigenous Peoples (IPs). From political co-optation of the Buddhist Sangha to

Principled Caution: How AI Is Used in Public-interest Media in Asia
Download Full Report This report analyses the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within independent and public-interest media across eight countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Uzbekistan. It examines how media organisations engage with AI technologies, mapping current use cases, opportunities and structural constraints. The findings reveal that

Religious Fundamentalism in the Philippines: Women and GSM Advocates Under Catholic Pressure
Coming Soon In the Philippines, the enduring influence of Catholic fundamentalism and conservative religious networks has constrained civic space and intensified backlash against women and gender and sexual minority (GSM) advocates. This influence is embedded throughout institutions, local patronage and public morality, allowing anti-rights actors to present equality claims as

Religious Fundamentalism in Indonesia: Political Capture and Repression of Gender Rights
Coming Soon The fall of Indonesia’s New Order regime in 1998 and the resulting democratic transition created new opportunities for political participation and civic engagement. At the same time, it facilitated the re-emergence of political Islam as a powerful force within public life. Over time, and especially since the early

Religious Fundamentalism in Myanmar: Post-Coup Repression of Gender Rights
Download Full Report In Myanmar, the 2021 coup d’état led to the collapse of civic space and a rise in authoritarian control. At the same time – and less discussed – the authoritarian environment that followed saw the re-emergence of Buddhist fundamentalism, which uses military violence and a centralised Buddhist-Bamar

Climate Disinformation in Asia: A Deliberate Strategy Against Indigenous Peoples
Download Full Report Asia is home to more than 260 million Indigenous Peoples (IPs). At the same time, they are increasingly targeted by climate disinformation narratives that distort the causes of climate change, promote misleading solutions and obscure responsibility for environmental harm. Drawing on seven country studies from Cambodia, India,