From Rhetoric to Reality: Unraveling the Just Energy Transition ‘Partnerships’ in ASEAN Countries Published: 24 July 2023 Article As Indonesia and Vietnam start on their respective JET-P journeys, funding is pivotal in determining the nature of ‘partnership’ in just energy transition. Can they clear the path away from debt and fossil fuel-laden projects to navigate the way transparently with the IPG towards clearer benefits for all and respect for human rights? By Andri Prasetiyo
What to Expect from ASEAN: 2022 Onwards Published: 19 January 2022 Opinion The year 2022 brings in not just one or two but a handful of hot button issues to deal with for ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Between economic recovery from the pandemic through to internal civil war within Myanmar and external disputes and alliances, Cambodia assumes Chair of ASEAN with plenty to consider. ASEAN’s culture and intergovernmental model value cooperation but a different kind of multilateralism may be changing the stakes and strategies in negotiation across the ten member states.
Will ASEAN End Up Going Greener after COVID-19? Published: 24 August 2020 Background While the answer to when, and if, the post-COVID era will come remains uncertain, it is clear that sustainability is back in centre stage - no longer as the hip slogan of the 90s - but as a survival need. By Johanna Son
Human Rights Against Populism: A Progressive Response to the Politics of Duterte and Mahathir Published: 28 December 2018 Background As the world celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the region of Southeast Asia highlights two compelling political phenomena: the emergent ‘authoritarian populism’ and the return to the ‘Asian Values’. By Bonn Juego
Human Rights After Seventy Years: The View from the South Published: 11 September 2018 Background Seventy years after the adoption of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) human rights are found in country’s constitutions and also incorporated in regional instruments. However, there is no issue as heated as the universality character of human rights. By Yuyun Wahyuningrum
Time for a Pushback in Media Spaces Published: 27 February 2018 Digital, online and social-media avenues undoubtedly offer an alternative or complementary channel for news, because of the inherent difficulty in censoring these spaces. Their wide reach and levels of engagement have saved lives during disasters or emergencies.
App-learning on Khmer Rouge history: an internet-based multimedia application Published: 14 February 2018 Many young Cambodians have little knowledge about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime. The Bophana Center developed an app that provides free access to these historical events. By Sopheap Chea and Duong Keo
IT giants in China: a tough business Published: 14 February 2018 China suffers from draconian internet regulations, but enjoys a prosperous marketplace; it attracts IT giants from the United States and Europe, but it has also expelled some of them. By Sophie Ping Sun
Re-thinking media reform in Southeast Asia: promoting a participatory approach Published: 14 February 2018 Instead of top-down reforms for the media, the countries in Southeast Asia need policies that prioritize the public’s interests. By Gayathry Venkiteswaran
The curious case of vox populi 2.0: ASEAN’s complicated romance with social media Published: 14 February 2018 Social media in ASEAN has quickly evolved from being a passive tool for knowledge consumption and entertainment to an active mechanism for change. By Joel Mark Baysa Barredo and Jose Santos P. Ardivilla
ASEAN’s Double Vision of Migration Published: 4 February 2018 Although ASEAN’s new consensus document on migration is a giant step towards safeguarding the rights of migrant workers, it still sticks to putting skilled professionals and lower-skilled migrants in separate silos. By Johanna Son
The Future of Forced Migrants in ASEAN Published: 2 August 2017 How ASEAN deals with forced migrants shows in how far it is actually people-centered and people-oriented. This vulnerable group used to be integrated in the past. However, today it appears integration efforts are not truly inclusive. By Andika Ab. Wahab
Renewable Energy in ASEAN Published: 2 August 2017 Southeast Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change. Anyway the countries are planning to cover lacks in energy demand and supply mainly with coal. However, renewables from solar over biomass to wind have a huge potential in the region. By Phuong Minh Khuong
Global LGBT Rights and the Rise of Anti-LGBT Rhetoric in Indonesia Published: 2 August 2017 The public discourse in Indonesia has turned against LGBT people. However, behind closed doors, the Indonesian government still supports projects for LGBT groups. By Hendri Yulius
New strategies of sustainable food production in ASEAN Published: 2 August 2017 Organic food production is still a niche market in ASEAN countries, yet one on the rise. Health and ecological concerns have brought sustainable farming methods including small-scale and organic farming back to the table. Perspectives from Thailand, Myanmar, and Singapore. By Judith Bopp
ASEAN among Great Powers Published: 2 August 2017 Competing trade agreements and planned infrastructure investments are dilemmas that ASEAN can only successfully solve if they approach the challenges as group that lets go if its consensus decision-making and allows for countries´ flexible participation. By Truong-Minh Vu
Shrinking Civic Spaces in ASEAN Published: 2 August 2017 Despite its diversity, ASEAN member states have one common trait: state repression. This is in contrast to ASEAN´s aspiration to be people-centered. How repression looks on the ground can illustrate the example of the Bersih movement for fair elections in Malaysia. By Dr. Khoo Ying Hooi
The development of ASEAN - an introduction Published: 2 August 2017 In 1967 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded. This dossier sheds light on the institutional framework of ASEAN and analyses with contributions by civil society and academia, where social and ecological justice has, or should have, its place in Southeast Asia. By Julia Behrens, Manfred Hornung and Fransiskus Tarmedi
New Perspectives on Civil Society Engagement with ASEAN Published: 2 August 2017 So far, the engagement of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People´s Forum has been disappointing. A new strategy for people-to-people regional integration is needed. By Eduardo C. Tadem
ASEAN Identity, now and into the future: the interaction across borders in Southeast Asia Published: 2 August 2017 Southeast Asia is a patchwork of networks, life-worlds, trading systems and cross-cultural pathways of human interaction. These interactions have always existed in different shapes, as a look to the rural borderlands shows. By Farish A. Noor
