Statement in Solidarity with CSOs in Withdrawal from 2014 Interface Meeting Between ASEAN Governments’ and CSOs’ Representatives

The withdrawal from the interface with ASEAN leaders by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), followed by the complete cancellation of interface by ASEAN governments which happened on the 10th May 2014 during the time of ASEAN Summit in Nay Pyi Thaw, Myanmar, had become another round of proof on the different interpretation on the ‘people-centered ASEAN’ between ASEAN’s people and ASEAN’s governments […]

Government Leaders Not Ready for Genuine People-centered ASEAN

As the leaders of the governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gathered in Burma for the 2014 summit over the weekend, Cambodian, Malaysian and Singaporean leaders refused to meet with genuine civil society representatives. These three ASEAN member states were poised to substitute the Interface Delegates chosen by civil society groups with their own nominees, which lead the meeting between the ASEAN leaders and civil society representatives to be canceled at the last minute. The ten Interface Delegates were chosen by civil society groups to represent the voices of the 3,000 people who attended the historic ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN Peoples’ Conference 2014 (ACSC/APF 2014) held in Rangoon, Burma in March […]

Council Conclusions on the Establishment of a Human Rights Dialogue with Myanmar/Burma

The Council adopted the following conclusions:

The Council recalls the adoption in 2001 of the European Guidelines on human rights dialogues, revised in 2008.
The Council recognizes the importance of further strengthening the relationship between the European Union and Myanmar/Burma by establishing an EU-Myanmar/Burma Human Rights dialogue, as foreseen in the Council Conclusions on the Comprehensive Framework for the European Union’s policy and support to Myanmar/Burma of 22 July 2013 and agreed during the EU-Myanmar/Burma Task Force held on 13-15 November 2013 […]

ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples’ Forum Withdraws from Interface with Heads of Government

We, the Regional Steering Committee and Interface Delegates of ACSC/APF 2014, after consultations on 9 -10 May in Yangon, unanimously decided to withdraw from the Interface Meeting with ASEAN Heads of Government. The 30-minute interface was scheduled to be held at 3pm on Sunday, May 11, during the 24th ASEAN Summit in Naypyidaw. We are sad that we have to cancel our participation in the Interface meeting as the collective representatives of ACSC/APF 2014 […]

ASEAN Youth Forum, in Conjunction with the ASEAN Summit 2014: “The Journey of ASEAN Youth to Naypyitaw”

The ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF) is honoured to be invited for an official meeting with all ten of the ASEAN government leaders on 11th May 2014. This is the first time that the ASEAN Summit has provided a space for the ASEAN Youth Forum to share the most pressing issues and urgent needs of the youth in the region […]

ASEAN: Time to Get Serious about Protecting Human Rights

Paris, Bangkok: ASEAN must stop putting human rights on the backburner and adopt measures that strengthen its regional human rights mechanisms, FIDH said today. On 10-11 May, ASEAN leaders will convene in Burma’s capital, Naypyidaw, for the 24th ASEAN Summit. Tensions in the South China Sea are expected to top the Summit agenda. However, ASEAN leaders should be more concerned over the serious human rights crises that threaten their internal stability and, in some cases, have cross-border implications […]

Malaysian Government Undermines ASEAN Processes

Malaysian civil society organisations are appalled that, ahead of the ASEAN Summit on 11th May 2014, the Malaysian government has objected to the Malaysian civil society delegate due to attend the Interface Meeting between Civil Society and the ASEAN Heads of State. We are further dismayed by news that the Cambodian and Singaporean governments […]

Open Letter to The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Royal Government of Cambodia

The Cambodian Civil Society Working Group on ASEAN (CCWA) was formally initiated on 29 April 2013, to form a working network of Cambodian civil society organizations that play a critical role in ASEAN platforms and other regional civil society work. CCWA consists of nine NGOs including the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association […]

ASEAN Peoples’ Forum 2014 Representatives Meet with ASEAN Affairs Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar to Prepare for an Interface Meeting with ASEAN Leaders

Members of Steering Committee of ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (ACSC/APF) 2014, yesterday, met with ASEAN Affairs Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar at Naypyidaw to hold an initial discussion on interface meeting between ASEAN Civil Society representatives and leaders of ASEAN countries […]

People of ASEAN Stand Up To Be Counted

The ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF) 2014, held in Rangoon, Burma, on 21-23 March, and co-organised by long-standing Burma advocates to ASEAN, namely Burma Partnership, Task Force on ASEAN and Burma, and Women’s League of Burma, together with 80 other civil society organizations (CSOs) and community based organizations (CBOs), can be hailed as a great success as well as a historic event. Not only was it the first ACSC/APF to be held in Burma, it was also the highest attended ACSC/APF since the ACSC/APF first took place in 2005, with over 3,000 participants. It was a great opportunity for people of all ethnic nationalities from across Burma – CSOs, CBOs, rights activists networks, and grassroots activists – to meet people from their own countries and from others around the ASEAN region as well as from Timor leste and beyond, to share their concerns, and above all, to demonstrate the strength and solidarity of civil society in Burma and in ASEAN[…]