In April 2022, Asia Centre launched its Research Hub in Bangkok to consolidate its role as a civil society research institute and publisher of all the Centre’s knowledge products in the Asia-Pacific region. The establishment of the Hub reflects the Centre’s commitment to strengthening its role as a producer of evidence-based knowledge, particularly in the areas of democracy and human rights. The Research Hub focuses on delivering a range of knowledge outputs, including baseline studies, policy briefs, needs assessments, strategic plans, perception studies, programme evaluations and submissions to UN human rights mechanisms, among others. The Research Hub undertakes one-off research…

On 10 December 2024, the Asia Centre hosted the online launch of its latest report, Digital Security for High-Risk Users in the Asia-Pacific: Needs Assessment Report. The event attracted about 50 participants and featured insights from experts in digital security, citizen participation, and technology. Dr James Gomez, Regional Director of the Asia Centre, delivered the opening remarks, highlighting the crucial importance of digital security for rights defenders. He also addressed the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in human rights advocacy, noting its potential to enhance the digital knowledge and operations of civil society organisations (CSOs).  To this end, he…

Launched in 2018, the Asia Centre Media Hub was established to enhance the visibility of the Centre and its partners’ work by producing and disseminating digital content that highlights their activities and research outputs. As a dedicated media unit, the Media Hub plays a vital role in amplifying the voices of civil society, particularly amid limited mainstream media coverage and an increasingly crowded digital landscape. The Media Hub's wide range of digital content includes podcasts, videos, infographics, and written commentaries, as well as tools that not only support the Asia Centre’s advocacy work but also empower CSOs to promote their…

IntroductionUnder the theme "#NoFilter: The Asian Youth and Emerging Realities of the 21st Century," the Assembly provided a platform for young leaders to discuss and strategise around pressing social issues, including intersectional inequalities, climate change, civic space restrictions, and digital justice.The 2025 Oxfam Asia Youth Assembly, held on 6-7 March, 2025, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, brought together 47 in-person youth participants from Sri Lanka and 30 virtual attendees from across Asia. Co-organised by Oxfam, Asia Centre, and DevPro, the event marked the culmination of the 2024 Oxfam Asia Young Leaders Fellowship Programme.The event was structured over two days:Day 1 was…

Strengthening youth engagement in politics, governance, and civil society requires a concrete action plan spanning short-, mid-, and long-term goals. This was the central message of the “Asia Global Democracy Coalition Regional Forum 2025: Youths, Democracy & Electoral Legitimacy in Asia”, co-hosted by Asia Centre and the Global Democracy Coalition. Held on 4 April 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand, the hybrid forum brought together 33 on-site participants and 62 online attendees, aged 18 to 65, from across Asia representing students, academics, CSOs, diplomatic representatives and research institutes.Sanjay Gathia, Programme Manager at Asia Centre, opened the event by reflecting on key insights…

On 18th March 2025, during the 8th Yushan Forum, Asia Centre signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation (TAEF) in Taipei, Taiwan.The signatories were, for the Asia Centre, its Regional Director, Dr. James Gomez and for the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation, its Chairman, Dr. Michael Hsiao Hsin-Huang. During the MoU signing, Prof Michael Hsiao announced that the Asia Centre, in collaboration with TAEF and the Advanced Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at National Chung Hsing University are jointly planning a conference entitled “The Evolving Crisis of Democracy in Asia: Challenges and Resolutions”. The planned conference…

RecruitmentFrom 2016 to January 2025, Asia Centre’s Internship Programme has hosted 56 interns, with a 1:2 male to female ratio for a total of 187 months. The interns were either undergraduates or postgraduates enrolled at universities in Australia, East Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, East Asia, Southern Africa, and North America.There are three locations that the Asia Centre offers for internships: Phnom Penh (Cambodia), Johor Bahru (Malaysia), and Bangkok (Thailand). Interns will be placed in various locations according to their skills and the project needs of the Centre.Interns applying to Asia Centre begin the process by filling in the…

Providing a platform for 28 youth representatives to share their insights and challenges surrounding young people’s representation in democratic systems across the Asia-Pacific region was the key achievement of the Asia Centre-led regional dialogue “Youth Voices, Strong Choices: Political Participation in the Asia-Pacific”. Co-convened with the Global Democracy Coalition and Club de Madrid on 26 November 2024, the event brought together two youth networks:  speakers from the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme and the Women and Youth in Democracy Initiative (WYDE) Network of Young Decision-makers, who joined in a hybrid manner. Additionally, representatives from IGOs, INGOs, and CSOs based in Thailand…