Asia Centre and National Human Rights Commission of Thailand Sign Cooperation Agreement
Sign Cooperation Agreement On 23 February 2023, Asia Centre and 4 other Southern Thailand academic institutions – Fatoni University, Thaksin University, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prince of Songkla University (Pattani Campus), Faculty of Law, Prince of Songkla University – each signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand (NHRCT). Held at the Science Park, Prince of Songkla University and coordinated by NHRCT’s southern region office, the joint signing ceremony was witnessed by Assistant Professor Suchart Setthamalinee, National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand and Professor Sirirurg Songsivilai, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science Research and Innovation. The event was attended by key stakeholders in the southern of Thailand such as students, faculty members, media, Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC) and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre (SBPAC). Asia Centre was represented by its regional director Dr. James Gomez, Centre Manager Patcharee Rattanarong, who was a witness to the MoC signing and Researcher Korbusol Neelapaichit who interpreted and coordinated the Centre’s participation at the event. All signatories, including Asia Centre, hosted a booth that showcased their work. After the signing ceremony and to kick-off the MoC implementation, a panel discussion was held with all the signatories to brainstorm possible ways of collaboration. All panellists agreed to utilise their strengths and capacities to drive the collaboration on promoting human rights works. Speaking for Asia Centre, Dr. James Gomez said the Centre can use its Southeast Asian expertise and networks to provide a regional perspective to addressing issues both in Southern Thailand and the country in general. Dr. Gomez, additionally announced that the Centre will be prepared to sign bilateral agreements with the other signatories to further strengthen cooperation in Southern Thailand. The MoC was signed following several years of prior collaboration between Asia Centre and NHRCT. In 2021, Asia Centre’s representatives participated in “The Official Launch of the Regional Center for Human Rights Study and Coordination” at the Faculty of Political Science, Ubon Ratchathani University. As a follow up, Dr. Gomez paid a courtesy call on Ms Prakayrat Tonteerawong, the National Human Rights Commissioner to exchange views on possible collaborations. As part of Asia Centre-NHRCT continued engagement, Ms. Pornprapai Ganjanarintr, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand spoke at the Centre’s report launch of “Infodemic and SDGs: Internet Freedoms in Southeast Asia”. In October 2022, Asia Centre held a consultation session with the Office of NHRCT Southern Region office to understand the key human rights issues affecting Southern Thailand. These activities led to the signing of the MoC between Asia Centre and NHRCT. Given the strong interest, it is expected that the Centre will also sign further MoUs with other partners in Southern Thailand. A video of the signing ceremony is available on Asia Centre’s Facebook Page. Asia Centre is a civil society research institute in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It serves as a knowledge partner and undertakes evidence-based research as well as provides capacity-building training for end beneficiaries. If you would like to collaborate with the Centre, please send an expression of interest to contact@asiacentre.org.
Asia Centre Leads UNESCO Media Assessment in Cambodia
On 3 February 2023, Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez presented the research plan for the project “Assessment of Media Development in Cambodia” to officials from the Royal Government of Cambodia, representatives and journalists from media organisations and representatives of civil society organisations who are part of a National Steering Committee (NSC) set up to support the assessment effort. The Assessment, led by Asia Centre, is being undertaken in partnership with the UNESCO Office in Phnom Penh and the Department of Media and Communication (DMC) of the Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP). It is an evaluation of Cambodia’s media development landscape that examines the legal framework and challenges media professionals face in their day-to-day tasks. The Assessment is supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Asia Centre will apply UNESCO’s Media Development Indicators (MDIs) for the assessment. The MDIs were developed to provide a framework to evaluate the role media contributes in good governance and the democratic development of a country. There are 50 indicators and hundreds of sub-indicators arranged into five categories that take into account all aspects of the media development environment. The five categories are (1) the system of media-related regulation; (2) the plurality and diversity of the media sector; (3) the role of media as a platform for democratic discourse; (4) professional capacity building and supporting institutions for media professionals; and (5) infrastructural capacities. Convened at the Hyatt Regency Phnom Penh Hotel, participants of the “Inception Meeting of the NSC” were welcomed by Sardar Umar Alam, UNESCO Representative to Cambodia and Camilla M. Ottosson, Minister Counsellor and Head of Section Office, Embassy of Sweden in Phnom Penh. This was followed by a presentation on the UNESCO Media Development Indicators by Toby Medel, Executive Director, Centre for Law and Democracy. As the Lead Expert for the project, Dr. Gomez presented the research approach and work plan, including the significance of the MDI assessment in Cambodia and past Centre expertise and experience working on related issues in Cambodia and the region. Asia Centre’s MDIs Assessment for Cambodia builds on its previous media-related work on Cambodia. This includes Asia Centre’s baseline study Internet Freedoms in Cambodia: A Gateway to Control, an interview piece “Journalists’ Freedoms Can Be Re-Ignited” (March 2022) and an op-ed “Data Protection Can Address Online Self-Censorship” (September 2019) for Cambodianess, among many more. The Centre has also made an oral statement to the UN Human Rights Council (2022) on the human rights situation in Cambodia based on its evidence-based research. Following the presentation of the research plan, Asia Centre will commence research for the assessment. This includes initial desk research and will be followed by fieldwork in Cambodia – surveys conducted among the Cambodian public, interviews with key informants in the country’s media sectors and a number of focus group discussions with relevant stakeholders. The report will be launched in late 2023. As cooperation with Cambodian partners is essential in the Centre’s projects in the country, the Centre has also initiated a series of MoUs to collaborate on research outputs and capacity-building in Cambodia. Cambodian organisations with whom the Asia Centre is in discussion include the Cambodian Journalist Alliance Association (CamboJA), the Cambodian Center for Independent Media (CCIM), and Transparency International Cambodia. Asia Centre is a civil society research institute in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It serves as a knowledge partner and undertakes evidence-based research as well as provides capacity-building training for end beneficiaries. If you would like to collaborate with the Centre, please send an expression of interest to contact@asiacentre.org.
Report Summary — Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia: Deepening the Shrinkage of Civic Space
Foreign Interference Laws (FILs) have a legitimate use in safeguarding democracy. Authoritarian regimes, however, tend to abuse FILs and employ the rhetoric of ‘foreign interference’ to shrink civic space, control ideas and perpetuate regimes’ status quo. This is the case for Southeast Asia. The threat of international actors calling out Southeast Asian countries’ democratic and human rights lapses by supporting the work of national CSOs is leading to the introduction of FILs to counteract such efforts. In light of this, Asia Centre, in collaboration with Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC), released Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia: Deepening the Shrinkage of Civic Space. The report reviews developments in laws in Southeast Asia that seek to curb the role of international actors and their support for CSOs that work on democracy and human rights issues. FILs are emerging in Southeast Asia as part of a larger move among authoritarian countries to curb the activities of civil society working on democracy and human rights. Chapter 1 ‘Introduction’ of the report examines the rhetoric of ‘foreign interference’ and the global emergence of FILs and characteristics of FILs that are increasingly common in authoritarian countries. Several authoritarian countries in Southeast Asia already have in place laws that restrict the operation of CSOs that work on issues related to democracy and human rights. However, none of these laws explicitly makes most use of the rhetoric of ‘foreign interference’ like Singapore’s Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act 2021. Chapter 2 ‘Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia’ argues that the Act provides a blueprint for Non-Interference Laws that authoritarian regimes in the region are developing. It reviews the existing NGO laws and the ongoing legal developments of FILs in the region. The abuse of the foreign interference provisions and laws have impacted cross-border collaboration and partnership. The impacts are reviewed in Chapter 3 ‘Impact on Cross-border Collaboration and Partnerships.’ They include: shutting down INGOs and NGOs; blocking international funding; engaging in public rebuke of foreign governments, INGOs, CSO and individuals; the shift by international actors to government partnerships; and relocating their offices to other countries and adopting remote working. Overall such measures have led to a shrinking of civic space in Southeast Asia. To mitigate such impacts, Chapter 4 ‘Recommendations’ lists a number of recommendations to pre-emptively counter potential damage of these laws on the existence of cross-border collaboration. It suggests that governments should end unsubstantiated and negative rhetoric of ‘foreign interference’, repeal, amend, or clarify FILs. Additionally, UN human rights mechanisms should seek clarity from member states regarding FILs. INGOs and CSOs should call out transgressions of foreign interference laws and strive to become self-sustainable. Asia Centre’s report Foreign Interference Laws in Southeast Asia: Deepening the Shrinkage of Civic Space was produced in partnership with the Japanese NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) under the initiative ‘Defending Democracy and Civic Space in Asia’. This project includes partners from across Asia: Asia Centre, Pakistan Development Alliance, Voluntary Action Network India, Centre for Human Rights and Development Mongolia and INHURED International. To read the full report, click. For any inquiries regarding the report and collaboration on research, please contact research@asaicentre.org.
Internet Freedoms in the Asia-Pacific Region are Under Threat
On 14 January 2023, Asia Centre organised the Asia-Pacific Digital Rights Forum in partnership with EngageMedia to discuss the state of internet freedoms in Asia-Pacific and why they are shrinking as a result of legal and non-legal measures taken by governments and non-state actors alike. The forum was attended by 29 people – including participants and speakers – from various sectors, including online media organisations and journalists, lawyers, representatives of INGOs, UNDP representatives, researchers, and members of academic institutions. The forum kicked off with an Asia Centre panel Internet Freedoms in Southeast Asia and Thailand, moderated by Dr Marc Piñol, Research Manager at Asia Centre. The panellists included Asia Centre’s Regional Director Dr James Gomez and Korbkusol Neelapaichit, Researcher at Asia Centre. Dr Gomez pointed to a set of legal and non-legal mechanisms adopted by governments that are undermining internet freedoms in the region and, consequently, are making democracy backtrack in Southeast Asia. He also highlighted how some governments are increasingly using fake news laws to criminalise the actions of political opponents, human rights activists, journalists and media organisations, and how that leads to self-censorship. Focusing on Thailand, Neelapaichit added that the discriminatory measures introduced by Dr Gomez are also being used by non-state actors, such as private companies, to attack human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations. Neelapaichit predicted that the use of these measures will persist in 2023, and its impacts will increase. Saittawut Yutthaworakool, a PhD candidate from the Asian Institute of Technology, commented on Dr Gomez and Neelapaichit’s inputs, highlighting the impact that internet laws in Thailand, like the Computer Crime Act, Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and the non-legal military-led Information Operations (IOs), have on gender. The panel concluded with a fruitful Q&A session that triggered a lively discussion among participants in the session. Following the panel discussion, four short films or ‘tech tales’ produced by EngageMedia in collaboration with filmmakers across the Asia-Pacific were screened. The films touched upon digital rights issues in Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Thailand. After the screening, participants joined a regional virtual regional with participants from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Asia Centre’s Research Associate Ekmongkhon Puridej and danah boyd, a partner researcher at Microsoft Research, founder and president of Data & Society Research Institute, visiting scholar at New York University, joined the rapporteurs from the other four countries in sharing the outputs from the session held in Bangkok. They also discussed the future trends of digital authoritarianism in Asia. The event concluded with a networking session for all participants in the forum to exchange their views with one another and expand their networks. Asia Centre is a research institute in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was founded in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2015 and a second office was established in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, in 2018. Asia Centre serves as a knowledge partner and undertakes evidence-based research to publish baseline studies and policy toolkits. It also provides training and capacity-building programmes for end beneficiaries such as government officials and universities.
Asia Centre at Indonesia’s Parliamentary Seminar
On 27 January 2023, Dr James Gomez delivered a presentation at the “National Economic Prospects & Preparation for 2024 General Election in Indonesia Amidst Global Uncertainty” seminar hosted by the Parliamentary Expert Agency, Republic of Indonesia for its Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) stakeholders. Speaking on the topic “Southeast Asia’s Recovery Amidst Global Uncertainties: The Role of Tertiary Institutions”, Dr Gomez reflected on how tertiary institutions in Southeast Asia risk losing their relevance as they face a decline in quality and enrollment in a post-pandemic era today. A shift of approach is needed through active collaboration and innovation across all sectors of society in addressing the fundamental questions, “who contributes to the development of the individual? – Are we looking for an effective member of society or the economy?”. Asia Centre engagement with The Expertise Agency of The House of Representatives of The Republic of Indonesia is based on a 5-year MoU signed on 14 March 2022 to jointly undertake the publishing of research outputs, execute teaching and training programmes, develop course outlines and materials, and support each other to promote joint activities. The MoU was signed following some initial years of engagements between the two organisations. The current Head of Parliamentary Expertise Agency at the Nusantara, Dr Inosentius Samsul S.H, M. Hum, first participated in Asia Centre’s 3rd International Conference on Businesses in Human Rights in 2018 and later in Asia Centre’s 6th and 7th Conferences in 2021-2022 as a panel partner. To read more about the MoU Signing with The Indonesian Parliament’s Expert Agency, please visit the link here.
Asia Centre signs MoU with 5 Thai Universities
On 12 January 2023, Asia Centre and 5 Thai universities including Maejo University, Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, Chulalongkorn University, Prince of Songkla University and Uttaradit Rajabhat University signed an Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen their cooperation on ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme and explore opportunities for future collaboration including other joint activities and research outputs. The signing was witnessed by Google’s Asia-Pacific Information Policy Lead, Jean-Jacques Sahel and the Head of Programme at ASEAN Foundation, Mahmudi Yusbi. The MoU was signed following the completion of the first part of ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme which was launched in partnership with ASEAN Foundation and with the support from Google.org since August 2022. In December 2022, the Centre and the 5 university partners successfully held in-person Master Trainer Trainings across Thailand and trained over 120 master trainers of diverse backgrounds on information disorder and tools to combat disinformation. (Details of these in-person Master Trainer Trainings can be accessed in this article on the Centre’s website.) Following the signing of the joint MOU, and to achieve the prorgamme’s objectives, the Centre and the universities will be working closely to deliver media and information literacy training for 8,000 end beneficiaries. With the partner institutions’ expertise, strategic location and strong connection with local communities, the end beneficiaries will comprise not only their undergraduate students and staff but also high school students and vulnerable individuals across the country. A photo album of the signing ceremony is available on Asia Centre’s Facebook Page. If you are interested to collaborate with the Asia Centre or access its expertise in the area of disinformation and media literacy, do send an email to contact@asiacentre.org.
Asia Centre Delivers Digital Literacy to over 100 Master Trainers
In December 2022, Asia Centre successfully delivered 5 training sessions to over 100 Master Trainers in Thailand. The thrust of the training involved helping Thai participants to go beyond click-bait disinformation, recognise other types of disinformation that encompass hate speech, political and state-sponsored fake news and use the appropriate tools (fact-checking, quality journalism, media literacy and ethics) to deal with them. To this end, Asia Centre, in collaboration with ASEAN Foundation and with support from Google.org, formed a consortium with Uttaradit Rajabhat University, Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi, Prince of Songkla University, Maejo University, and Chulalongkorn University to deliver the “ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme (ASEANDLP). The Programme is part of a region-wide effort to produce capable trainers who can raise awareness and take action against disinformation and fake news. The first training (see TikTok and Photo Album) kicked off on 9 December 2022 at Uttaradit Rajabhat University in Uttaradit province in northern Thailand, joined by 23 participants that included academic staff of the university, teachers from neighbouring primary and secondary schools, government officers from provincials public health office and Uttaradit Shelter for Children and Families under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and youth leaders. The following week on 12 December 2022, the second training session (see TikTok and Photo Album) was held at Rajamangala University of Technology Suvarnabhumi(RUS) and attended by 24 participants from the institute of research and development, department of student affairs and various faculties, including agricultural, education, engineering and architecture, liberal arts and science and technology. Few were based in Rajamangala University of Technology’s other nearby campuses, such as Wasukri, Suphanburi and Nonthaburi. The overview of the training was also reported in the news section of RUS’ official website. The trainings picked up pace from 20 December when the third training session (see TikTok and Photo Album) was convened by Prince of Songkla University (PSU) (Pattani). Comprised of 18 people, 15 onsite and 3 online participants from Phatthalung and Narathiwat provinces. They included lecturers, primary school teachers and heads of student organisations and heralded largely from PSU’s Faculty of Education and Walailak University. A number of participants were Muslims reflecting the religious demographic of the Thai South. On the next day, on 21 December, the fourth training session with 23 participants (see TikTok and Photo Album) was held at the Central Library of Maejo University (Chiang Mai) and joined by academic staff from the Faculty of Information & Communication, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Fisheries Technology and Aquatic Resources, Faculty of Liberal Arts, and Faculty of Nursing. The training session also attracted academics from Maejo University’s other provincial campuses, such as Maejo University Phrae Campus and Maejo University Chumphon Campus. 22 December was the last MT training session in Thailand, and it was held at Chulalongkorn University (Bangkok) (see TikTok and Photo Album) for 27 participants. Hosted by the Faculty of Communication Arts, apart from its own academic staff, others included participants from other universities and academic institutes in Bangkok and other provinces such as Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Si Thammarat (Southern Thailand) and Nonthaburi. Rangsit University, Dhurakij Pundit University, Phranakhon Rajabhat University, Nakhon Si Thammarat Rajabhat University, Panyapiwat Institute of Management, Thammasat University, Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University, Suan Sunandha Rajabhat University, Mahidol University International College, Ramkhamhaeng University. The training also attracts attendees from the governmental Digital Economy Promotion Agency, media sectors such as the Thai Journalists Association and Thai PBS, and the business sector, especially tech companies. With these on-site training sessions completed, the Master Trainers will move on to deliver training for approximately 100 end beneficiaries each to complete the programme and receive their certificate of completion. An outcome of this consortium approach to delivering the training sessions is that Asia Centre and the five universities will sign a joint MoU on 12 January 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. The aim is to explore further partnerships to undertake joint media literacy and other related activities. If you are interested to collaborate with the Asia Centre or access its expertise in the area of disinformation and media literacy, do email contact@asiacentre.org
Asia Centre and International IDEA Sign MoU
On 8 December 2022, Asia Centre and International IDEA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU established a formal partnership between the two organisations and facilitated a specific agreement to be partners for Asia Centre’s International Conference on Democracy and Elections in Asia, to be held in Bangkok, 23-25 August 2023. Click here to learn more about the 8th International Conference. Nalinrat Tingoum, Programme Coordinator of Asia Centre, and Seema Shah, Head of Democracy Assessment Expertise of International IDEA, exchanged the agreement for the two organisations to co-partner for Asia Centre’s 8th International Conference. The “exchange” took place during the 8 December 2022 Asia Centre and International IDEA closed-door consultation on ‘Digital Authoritarianism in Southeast Asia’. The consultation gathered more than 20 participants from diplomatic missions, UN agencies, INGOs, CSOs and new media experts who track digital authoritarianism in the region. Among the issues discussed were the trend towards segregating the internet, the type of digital attacks authoritarian regimes mount on the internet, the weaponisation of internet-related laws against individuals and CSOs and the increasing surveillance of online activities. The consultation members also noted that the issues of digital authoritarianism through the use of internet laws, internet shutdowns, single gateway and state-sponsored disinformation have become more critical in Southeast Asia as the region heads toward elections in 2023 and 2024. One key recommendation was the need to build a coalition of stakeholders from different sectors to devote more effort to keeping the internet as a “free space”. Hence, it was noted as timely that both Asia Centre and International IDEA are partnering for the Centre’s 8th International Conference on Democracy and Elections in Asia, 23-25 August 2023. This partnership was seen as the starting of future collaborations and the expansion to include more partners. One of the activities leading up to the MoU was Asia Centre’s Dr. James Gomez’s participation in the Democracy in Asia and the Pacific 2023 Outlook Forum held by International IDEA and the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) on 5-6 December 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. In the Forum’s Session 5 ‘Disinformation and Media Integrity’, Dr. Gomez delivered a presentation on the rise of disinformation and its relation to the distrust in media. The idea to explore collaboration between the two organisations began when Leena Rikkila Tamang, Director of Asia and the Pacific Programme of International IDEA visited Asia Centre on 7 October 2022 to discuss plans for possible joint projects including baseline studies, seminars and partnering on Asia Centre’s 8th International Conference. International IDEA is Asia Centre’s 2nd title partner to co-convene the 8th International Conference. During the 7th International Conference, Asia Centre signed a co-convening agreement with the Faculty of Political Science and Public Administration, Chiang Mai University. Click here to read the write-up of the MoU with Chiang Mai University. If you would like to collaborate with Asia Centre and sign an MoU, email us at contact@asiacentre.org.
Asia Centre Kicks-off Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Trainings in Malaysia
Asia Centre has begun convening Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Trainings for Master Trainers in Malaysia. In collaboration with Google and ASEAN Foundation, these trainings, which make up the “ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme (ADLP)”, seek to build resilience against disinformation among underserved communities in Malaysia. Aiming to train around 200 people, the first training session was held on the 23rd of November 2022 for 32 academic staff of the University of Reading Malaysia (UoRM), followed by another joint session with the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM), UniKL and Taylor’s University Malaysia for its 15 students and lecturers. The training were led by Asia Centre’s regional director Dr James Gomez, who is a communication academic and policy expert and supported by the Centre’s team that included Nalinrat Tingoum, Program Coordinator, Korbkusol Neelapaichit, Research Coordinator and Lina Sakina Salim, Asia Centre Malaysia Coordinator. The Master Training comprises two parts: part 1 constitutes a total of 20 hours of instruction and learning, and part 2 constitutes the delivery of 3 hours of training to 100 end beneficiaries per master trainer. The 20 hours of instruction are delivered both online and on-site; Fourteen hours are online including the prerequisite 3 hours of pre-training readings, 1 hour of pre-evaluation, followed by 5 hours of online self-study, 3 hours session of preparation for EB Training and last 2 hours of evaluation as well as 6 hours of onsite training. The 6 hours on-site allows Master Trainers to acquire insights and skills in tackling disinformation through two instruction sections: Media and Information Literacy Evolving perception of mass media and the rising popularity of social media Malaysia’s statistics on social media presence and usage Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet and Social Media Platforms Types of information disorders, with a special focus on Disinformation Online Safety Types of Disinformation Tactics of Disinformation; algorithms, filter business, coded messaging and deep fakes Ways of Tackling Disinformation The on-site training also includes interactive sessions where participants identify real-life examples of disinformation in Malaysia, examine how such incidents impact the public, assess any weakness in current measures to combat disinformation and propose solutions to improve the situation. During the training, participants from the University of Reading Malaysia, in their interactive sessions, cited examples of the false ‘Melaka Disneyland news’, ‘Poodle and Romance Scams’ and conflicting reports by Astro Awani and CNA regarding the appointment of Anwar Ibrahim as the new Malaysian Prime Minister’. Meanwhile, the joint session between IIUM, UniKL and Taylor’s University cited examples of the Tiktok viral videos circulated during the 15th General Election and false COVID-19 testing methods and reflected upon strategies political parties and their supporters used for campaigning through social media, particularly in reaching out to the younger demographics. The training sessions ended with a briefing on the delivery of End Beneficiaries Training, informing participants of the expected deliverables post-training, mainly to conduct a 3 hours programme for 100 end beneficiaries, consisting of 1 hour Pre-Reading, 1 hour online training and 1 hour post evaluation. Following the two trainings and to pitch more master training sessions, the Asia Centre team visited Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TAR UMT) and INTI International University & Colleges (Nilai Campus) on 25 November 2022 to discuss potential partnerships for the MIL (ToT) training. TAR UMT has expressed interest in partnering with Asia Centre to provide MIL training for Trainers to its (i) academic staff under the Centre for Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) and (ii) student leaders through the Student Career Development Centre (SCDC). Meanwhile, INTI has indicated its preference to partner with Asia Centre in hosting the MIL training for Trainers for the university campuses within Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, such as the Islamic Science University of Malaysia (USIM) and Manipal International University (MIU). Both institutions have also offered to connect Asia Centre to their respective branches around Malaysia to assist in expanding the outreach. Asia Centre looks forward to delivering more master training sessions in the next few months and supporting these trainers to deliver their End Beneficiaries Training within their communities. If you are personally interested in this training or want to bring this training to your institutions, sign up to indicate your interest here, or visit our Facebook page.
Regional Parliamentary Network on BHR ‘Important’, Say Lawmakers
A regional network where lawmakers and political party representatives could undertake research, coordinate advocacy, exchange best practices and develop capacity among one another will contribute to the duty of the state to protect human rights as set out by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (BHR). This has not yet existed. This was the gap identified by parliamentarians across Southeast and East Asia in the training ‘Business and Human Rights for Parliamentary and Political Party Representatives’ organised by Asia Centre with the support of Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Southeast and East Asia from 28–30 November 2022. Following through the findings of the book Business and Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Developing National Action Plans (2021) edited by Asia Centre with the support of FNF, the training was participated by lawmakers from Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Mongolia, Singapore, Taiwan, Timor-Leste and Thailand, as well as representatives from the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) and the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR). The event was joined by trainers with expertise in BHR who developed parliamentarians’ understanding of BHR, relevant international standards, and the implementation progress of the agenda in the region. The training also included discussions on BHR as it relates to urban development and housing, on the intersection of religious freedom and BHR, and on the roles of Human Rights Defenders in ensuring businesses comply with human rights standards. These discussions focused on where parliamentarians should be placed in scrutinising BHR implementation. The final session of the training provided an opportunity for participants to opine on the way forward. Crystallising the training sessions and the various side conversations they had with their regional colleagues, lawmakers indicated a clear need for a platform where they could undertake situational assessments, coordinate advocacy, engage business stakeholders, raise awareness among the population and build the capacity of implementers. Such a platform – a ‘Regional Parliamentary Network on Business and Human Rights’ – would be a first for the region. A Network already existed in the civil society sector, and the progress of a ‘BHR Treaty’ at the UN level has provided a good opportunity for parliamentarians to step up as one key player in this area. James Gomez, Regional Director, Asia Centre, concluding the 2-day training, remarked on the next steps that should be taken to form a base for further regional action. A baseline assessment will be needed to identify the needs of the region and current resources. Capacity-building will be required; and monitoring is also crucial – parliaments are to serve as watchdogs for compliance of the business sector and the government to the BHR guidelines. All in all, this would require finding parliamentary ‘champions’ across the region that, in concert, could advocate the BHR agenda. This training built upon its 3rd International Conference (2018): “Business and Human Rights: Holding Governments Accountable in Asia” and Asia Centre books Business and Human Rights in Asia: The Duty of the State to Protect (2020) and Business and Human Rights in Southeast Asia: Developing National Action Plans (2021). To find out more about the event, read the event concept note and the event programme. See pictures taken from the event on Asia Centre’s LinkedIn page. Asia Centre is a civil society research institute established in 2015 in Bangkok, Thailand. It works on issues of business and human rights, freedom of expression and democracy in Asia. If you would like to collaborate with the Centre, send an expression of interest to contact@asiacentre.org.