2023 Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week／2023 台灣與東南亞公民社會週 (CN/EN)

About the Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week

"Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week" is a platform organized by ACFA to connect civil society organisations and activists among Taiwan and Southeast Asia. The 2023 Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week is an initial stage for CSOs and activists in the region who are facing threats derived from the trend of the closing civic space to come together to explore Taiwan's condition on providing support or any further and potential collaboration.

About the report launch forum

In the 2023 Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week, ACFA has launched a report "Exploring Taiwan's Role Amid the Crisis of Closing Civic Space in Southeast Asia" which is the results of the research project "Scrutinizing the Accessibility of Taiwan for CSOs From Southeast Asia".

The central question of this research is: whether Taiwan, as a democracy adjacent to the ASEAN region, has the capacity to provide an inclusive 'alternative civic space' to accommodate the surge of asylum-seeking CSOs from Southeast Asia, so as to alleviate the challenge of closing civic space witnessed in Southeast Asia.

The study does not attempt to make broad generalizations about the situation of CSOs in Southeast Asia solely based on the experiences of seven specific organizations. Instead, the study is aimed at comprehending the strategies and thought processes these organizations employ to deal with their unique situations. This understanding is crucial in identifying the key factors that influence the decisions of Southeast Asian CSOs to relocate.

By assuming the responsibility to protect human rights defenders and allowing them to maintain momentum in practicing human rights and pursue justice, civil society in Taiwan will be able to further support the development of democracy and human rights in the region.

Read the Foreword of the report: https://www.acfa.tw/report-is-out/

Forum program

Topic: Exploring Taiwan's Role Amid the Crisis of Closing Civic Space in Southeast Asia
Date: August 22, 2023
Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Report launch session

Exploring Taiwan's Role Amid the Crisis of Closing Civic Space in Southeast Asia

Speakers/Presenters

Leah Lin, Executive Director and Founder, Asia Citizen Future Association
Doris Yang, Researcher, Asia Citizen Future Association

Commentators

Michael Caster, Asia Digital Program Manager, ARTICLE 19
Khoo, YH, Associate Professor and Department Head of International and Strategic Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Malaya
Wong, YK, Case Management and Campaign Coordinator, SUARAM
Chiu, Eeling, Executive Director, Amnesty International Taiwan

Panel 1

Enhance the Accessibility to Taiwan's Civic Space: Foreigners' Rights to Association in Taiwan

Moderator:

Leah Lin, Executive Director and Founder, Asia Citizen Future Association

Speakers:

Yi-Hsiang Shih, Secretary General, Taiwan Association for Human Rights
Trinh Huu Long, Co-founder and Co-director, Legal Initiatives for Vietnam
Karl Hsu, President of the director board, Covenants watch
Aleksandra Bielakowska, Taipei Advocacy officer, Reporters Without Borders (RSF)

Panel 2

Threats to Freedom of Association in Southeast Asia: Case in Malaysia, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar and the Philippines

Moderator: Chiu Eeling, Executive Director, Amnesty International Taiwan

Special Guest: Hung Sun-Han, Legislator of Taiwan

Speakers:

Wong Yen Ke, Case Management and Campaign Coordinator, SUARAM
Chhan Sokunthea, Acting Director, Cambodian Center for Independent Media
Catherine Lopez, Program Coordinator, Research and Policy Development
Khin Ohmar, Founder and Chairperson, Advisory Board, Progressive Voice Myanmar
Ryan Silverio, Executive Director, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus

Read more here:

Rise Talk

Regional NGO Hub in Peril: Thailand in Democracy's Crossroad

Moderator:
Thompson Chau, President, Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club

Speakers:

Kunthika Nutcharut, Attorney at Law, Krisadang Law and Accounting Office
Anon Chawalawan, Project Manager, iLaw

Read more here:

Roundtable/workshop

Initial Exploration of Taiwan's Role in Confronting the Trend of Closing Civic Space in the Region

Moderator: Ryan Silverio, Executive Director, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus

Speakers:

Roy Ngerng, Human Rights Defender
Jing-Jie Chen, Campaigner, Safeguard Defender
Wang Si, Deputy Secretary-General, Taiwan Association for Human Rights

See you next year!

2023 台灣與東南亞公民社會週

【2023台灣與東南亞公民社會週】是亞洲公民未來協會的年度活動，作為一個平台，我們連結台灣與東南亞公民社會組織和工作者。邀請到十位來自七個東南亞公民社會組織與決策者參與，包含NGO、律師、獨立媒體、學者等，共同討論區域公民空間緊縮對公民社會與組織帶來的挑戰以及彼此的因應經驗。

在今年的2023台灣與東南亞公民社會週當中，亞洲公民未來協會以我們的研究「評析台灣對東南亞公民社會組織之可近性研究」，與研究結果《探索台灣在東南亞區域緊縮下的角色》報告的內容及發現，和東南亞參與者及台灣公民社會組織共同討論台灣作為「替代性公民空間」的潛力、優勢與當前的缺陷與短處。

本研究的核心問題是：台灣作為鄰近東協區域的民主國家，是否有能力提供具備包容性的替代性公民空間(alternative civic space)，接待來自東南亞正激增的尋求庇護 CSOs，以減輕東南亞公民空間緊縮危機對組織與行動者造成的直接負面影響。藉由承擔保護人權捍衛者的責任，維護他們行使人權與追求正義的動能，進一步支持區域內的民主與人權發展。透過訪談在台設立之國際/外國公民社會組織，本研究分析外籍人士在台設立社會組織、聘雇、納稅及社會保險之現況與挑戰，以討論台灣公民空間對東南亞 CSOs 的可近性。

另一方面，基於全球範圍內現存之東南亞公民空間緊縮研究成果，本研究深度訪談來自七個東南亞國家的組織及其決策者，著重於理解他們在高壓環境下持續從事組織活動的相應策略與需求。本研究並非試圖以七個組織的個別經驗普遍化東南亞 CSOs 在公民空間緊縮下的處境;相反，透過理解面臨危殆的組織應對各自處境所採行的多元策略及思維過程，可以使我們理解對東南亞 CSOs 遷移決策具備影響性的關鍵因素，使讀者理解東南亞 CSOs 對台灣作為替代性公民空間抱持的觀點與評價，更可能促使台灣更務實的理解自身條件與思索台灣在區域中的角色。這一章節對台灣公民社會來說，值得一讀。

先讀報告前言：https://www.acfa.tw/report_cn/

活動資訊 Information