IDRC: Strengthen Inclusivity & Research Capacity in Asia

  • Post author:
  • Post category:News

IDRC, as title partner for Asia Centre’s 8th International Conference "Democracy and Elections in Asia" from 23 to 25 August 2023, called for greater inclusivity and the strengthening of research capacity in Asia. IDRC made these calls through the two panels it convened at the three-day conference, in which speakers discussed the key challenges women in Asian countries face to engage in politics and how researching democracies can be improved. These calls were framed by the opening remarks of Caroline Ford, Director for Democratic and Inclusive Governance at IDRC, who said that civic spaces serve as a vital platform for…

Continue ReadingIDRC: Strengthen Inclusivity & Research Capacity in Asia

Asia Centre Panel Discussion at ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN Peoples’ Forum Side Event 2023

  • Post author:
  • Post category:News

Emergency measures imposed by governments across Southeast Asia during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted human rights and democracy in the region, leading to the shrinking of civic spaces and repression of human rights activists, CSOs, independent journalists, and other civic actors. Although most of these measures were initially and publicly meant for public health and safety, these governments, in practice, used these to curb civic freedoms. These include laws that criminalise protestors, silence calls for public accountability, restrict electoral campaigning, and closely surveil the population. In this context, Asia Centre, in partnership with the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL),…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre Panel Discussion at ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN Peoples’ Forum Side Event 2023

Asia Centre Launches Report on Political Hate Sites in Singapore

On 8 July 2023, Asia Centre held a discussion panel for the launch of its newest report, Political Hate Sites in Singapore: Flourishing without Repercussions. The event, jointly organised with two Singapore-based independent media platforms: The Independent Singapore and Wake Up Singapore, gained over 30 participants. To promote the launch event, Asia Centre released two promotional videos on its social media platforms introducing what are political hate sites in Singapore. Additionally,  The Independent Singapore, one of the organising partners, published a promotional pre-event article, and The Online Citizen, a regional news platform based in Taiwan, released an audio post of…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre Launches Report on Political Hate Sites in Singapore

Team Malaysia Wins Hackathon on ASEAN-EU Relations: Will Travel  to Germany

Between 21 and 23 July 2023, the Asia Centre and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Southeast & East Asia jointly organised the #Reshaping Europe: Hackathon on the ASEAN-EU Relations. The primary objective of the Hackathon was to provide young leaders with an opportunity to propose initiatives aimed at enhancing the relationship between ASEAN and the EU. During the event, ten teams of two participants each from Southeast and East Asia worked on developing and presenting their project ideas to a wider audience. Participants were required to align the goals of their initiatives with trade and economic cooperation between ASEAN and…

Continue ReadingTeam Malaysia Wins Hackathon on ASEAN-EU Relations: Will Travel  to Germany

Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023 Kicks Off

A total of seven speakers, one facilitator, three project coaches, and two field visits made up the programme activity for Induction Meeting for eight Oxfam Fellows from 10 to 14 July 2023 in Bangkok, co-convened by Asia Centre and Oxfam. The Induction Meeting was part of the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023, which aims to provide tools to empower young people with hands-on training and close mentorship to strengthen their capacity to make social change happen. The eight fellows, constituting the inaugural cohort of the fellowship programme, who participated in the event are Lamia Mohsin from Bangladesh, Sanjana Chettri and…

Continue ReadingOxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023 Kicks Off

Asia Centre Launches Report on Burmanisation and Buddhisation

On 13 June 2023, Asia Centre and FORSEA held a virtual launch and discussion of Asia Centre’s latest report Burmanisation and Buddhisation: The Coup’s Impact on Religious Minorities. The event, which was hosted on FORSEA’s Youtube channel, received over 60 views within the first night.The report was first released online to the public and the media on 8 June 2023. The next day, The Online Citizen published an article, “Asia Centre highlights Myanmar’s alarming erosion of religious rights in new report.”  Asia Centre was also invited to present the report at a closed-door meeting with representatives of INGOs and local partners interested in…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre Launches Report on Burmanisation and Buddhisation

Asia Centre and Oxfam Announce Fellows for the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023

Asia Centre and Oxfam in Asia are pleased to announce the fellows for the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023!The fellowship will provide tools to empower young people with hands-on training and close mentorship to strengthen their capacity to make social change happen.These individuals have been carefully chosen from a diverse pool of over 400 candidates hailing from Asia. These eight fellows represent a group of remarkable individuals who possess the vision and determination to bring about positive change within their respective societies. They have devised innovative ideas aimed at improving their communities and have taken steps towards implementing them.…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre and Oxfam Announce Fellows for the Oxfam Young Leaders Fellowship Programme 2023

Coalitions, both regional and national, needed to promote and improve internet freedoms in Southeast Asia through legislative reform and media literacy training.

Advocacy for reforming key restrictive legislations and capacity-building, especially on media literacy, and the formation of regional and national coalitions are the top strategy choices to improve internet freedoms in Southeast Asia. These were the practical approaches identified by over 30 parliamentarians, UN agencies, representatives from CSOs and media associations across Southeast Asia who attended the “IFSEA (Internet Freedom in Southeast Asia) Regional Conference” co-convened by Asia Centre and the International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL) between 9–10 May 2023, in Bangkok, Thailand.  The regional conference is a part of the wider IFSEA project undertaken by Asia Centre with the…

Continue ReadingCoalitions, both regional and national, needed to promote and improve internet freedoms in Southeast Asia through legislative reform and media literacy training.

State-sponsored Disinformation To Impact Thailand’s Election Integrity

On 28 April 2023, Asia Centre held a discussion panel for the launch of its latest report “State-Sponsored Online Disinformation: Impact on Election Integrity in Thailand”. The discussion panel assesses how state-sponsored disinformation or Information Operations (IOs) impact Thailand’s electoral integrity. A week after releasing, Bangkok Post, an English-language daily newspaper, published an opinion piece,  State Lies Hurt Election Integrity written by Dr James Gomez and Korbkusol Neelapaichit.  Besides, the key research findings were also promoted via an online campaign with infographics posted on Asia Centre’s social media platforms, Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram, and Tiktok. The event, at the Centre’s Meeting…

Continue ReadingState-sponsored Disinformation To Impact Thailand’s Election Integrity

Asia Centre Engages Timor-Leste’s Political Leadership Over Internet Freedoms

From 13-17 February 2023, Dr. James Gomez, Asia Centre’s Regional Director, visited Dili, the capital city of Timor-Leste to engage with Timor-Leste’s political leadership, parliament and other stakeholders on the findings from Asia Centre and International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL)’s report Timor- Leste: Internet Freedoms Under Threat and to boost future collaboration with local stakeholders. Dr. Gomez kicked off his visit on 13 February 2023 with a bilateral meeting with President of the National Parliament, Aniceto Guterres Lopesthe. He handed over the report and discussed how the parliament had a role in improving Timor-Leste’s internet freedoms.  While at the…

Continue ReadingAsia Centre Engages Timor-Leste’s Political Leadership Over Internet Freedoms