From 23 to 28 October 2025, Asia Centre delivered a series of training sessions in Timor-Leste aimed at strengthening digital security and raising awareness on online safety. Supported by Google in Asia and the Pacific, together with national and local partners, the programme offered Timorese partners and participants a valuable opportunity to engage with experts, exchange experiences, and acquire practical digital protection skills. Many attendees emphasised the significance of the initiative, noting that such insightful, interactive, multi-stakeholder engagements are rare in Timor-Leste and play a crucial role in strengthening the country’s digital resilience. The programme commenced on 23 October with…

Between October and November 2025, Dr. James Gomez led Asia Centre’s engagements in Denmark to solidify existing partnerships and forge new ones. The focus was on building collaboration around human rights issues and positioning the Centre as a regional implementing partner. During this period, Dr. Gomez participated in three major conferences. The first was held on 28 October 2025, where Dr. Gomez attended the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in Practice conference in Copenhagen, organised by the Center for Church-Based Development (CKU) and Digni. The conference brought together Danish and Norwegian grantholders, international partners, and FoRB stakeholders to share…

On 8 October 2025, Kartini Sunityo, Partnership Manager at Asia Centre, represented the Centre at the inaugural New Southbound Policy+ (NSP+) Think Tank Summit on “Prospects for a Resilient Indo-Pacific Policy” in Taipei, Taiwan. Hosted by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the event marked a significant step forward for regional policy dialogue and civic diplomacy. The NSP+ Think Tank Summit serves as a platform for prominent institutions across the Indo-Pacific to engage in policy-focused dialogue and explore avenues for collaboration. Key themes included security resilience, democratic resilience, and the development of supply…

The negation of Indigenous Peoples’ (IPs) identities by climate disinformation in Thailand hampers their ability to counter climate change. Given that much of climate disinformation is disseminated via the country’s so-called trusted mainstream media, Indigenous media can be one pillar in countering such narratives. This was a suggestion made by speakers during the meeting to discuss the preliminary findings from Asia Centre’s forthcoming report, “Climate Disinformation in Thailand: Negating Indigenous Peoples’ Identity”. The event was held in partnership with International Media Support (IMS) on 30th September 2025 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The convening gathered 17 representatives from Indigenous organisations and…

On 30 September 2025, Asia Centre  extended its reach into East Asia, with a symbolic presence in Seoul, South Korea. This marks a significant step in expanding and strengthening the Centre’s regional cooperation on democracy and human rights. At the ribbon-cutting ceremony,  Dr. James Gomez represented Asia Centre, alongside Korea Democracy Foundation officials, members from IDEA, V-Dem and Indo-Pacific Democracy Forum to inaugurate Korea Democracy Foundation’s Center for Honorary Offices of the International Organisations. This step represents another milestone in the growing relationship between Asia Centre and the Korea Democracy Foundation that has evolved steadily over recent years. The partnership…

From 8 to 10 September 2025, Asia Centre’s representative – Mr. Sanjay Gathia, the programme manager – conducted a series of Digital Security Trainings (DST) in collaboration with partner institutions in Kolkata, India.In total six DST sessions were conducted over three days. Five were DST End-Beneficiary (DST-EB)  engaging 446 participants, where 169 participants expressed interest in becoming master trainers. One was a DST Training of Trainers (DST-TOT) conducted with Digital Empowerment Foundation, where 46 participants were coached as trainers. The expectation is that each Master Trainer will then go one to  train 30 end-benificiaries fulfilling their requirement as master trainers.The…

In early September 2025, Delhi, India,  Asia Centre representatives - Dr. James Gomez, the regional director, and Mr. Sanjay Gathia, the programme manager, conducted a series of Digital Security Trainings  in collaboration with our partners. While in Delhi, meetings were also set up with new interested partners who are interested in collaboration for DST delivery for their networks in Delhi. Three DST End-Benificiary (DST-EB) sessions were conducted reaching over 150+ participants belonging to the high-risk, digitally vulnerable groups. With 67 participants expressing interest in becoming potential master trainers after completing the training.The participants were youths, educators, members of  youth networks, community leaders,…

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to transform governance in Southeast Asia, but the uneven distribution of its benefits risks exacerbating inequality, disrupting labour markets and placing additional stress on the environment. To mitigate these risks, inclusive frameworks are crucial. The frameworks that protect digital labour, balance power between governments and technology companies and ground AI in local values and community-driven solutions. This was the core message delivered in a panel discussion hosted by The Asia Foundation (TAF) during Asia Centre’s 10th Annual International Conference “AI and Governance in Asia: Civil Society, Democracy and Media” in Bangkok from 21 to…

Artificial intelligence (AI)’s growing role in shaping elections, governance and civic participation presents both opportunities for democratic transparency, but at the same time, challenges of authoritarian misuse. To safeguard democratic resilience in Asia, governments, media and civil society groups must work together to ensure ethical frameworks and inclusive innovation that proves AI strengthens democracy rather than undermining it. This was the main message from a panel discussion hosted by International IDEA during Asia Centre’s 10th Annual International Conference, held in Bangkok from 21 to 22 August 2025 under the theme “AI and Governance in Asia: Civil Society, Democracy and Media”.In…