Confronting democratic regression and reclaiming civic space

The global pandemic has brought challenges and shifted the paradigm of how we will go on and live our lives and at great lengthens exacerbated existing human rights and democracy challenges. With an increasing number of countries recording shrinking civic space, we are directly witnessing the suppression of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), threats to media freedom, manipulation of democratic institutions, and the rise of repressive laws resulting in human rights violations. Encompassing all these challenges, the theme for the 2021 Asia Democracy Assembly is “Confronting Democratic Regression and Reclaiming Civic Space’. We believe that this theme is timely for the current situation that the globe is facing.

This assembly will be focusing on four main objective or pillar, which is:

• Strengthen solidarity of civil society in Asia for democracy and human rights.

• Strengthen democratic unity of advocates in Asia.

• Produce a recommitment of civil society in Asia to protect and defend democracy and human rights in Asia.

• Build a roadmap to push back on regression of democracy.

Commenting on the upcoming assembly, Secretary General of ADN Ichal Supriadi said, “Democracy and human rights are now under severe attack by authoritarian leaders all over the world who are also taking advantage of the pandemic. Our response has become essential to push-back the situation, and this Assembly of Democrats will provide an occasion for all of us to regroup and strategize our plans together. More importantly, greater solidarity needs to be further enhanced among us and only through unity will we be able to address the urgent need to confront every threat to democracy on the regional, national and sub-national level”.

Therefore, the ADN aims to facilitate an event in the form of a democracy assembly for pro democrats in the region to develop a forward strategy for the democratic movement in Asia through interdisciplinary discussion of democracy

ADN also would like to announce that, H.E Dr Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia will deliver the first Keynote speech on 7th September, 4pm Korea Standard Time (GMT+9).

Among others notable speakers that will be delivering keynote speeches are Andrew J Nathan Professor of Political Science at Columbia University who will be delivering Keynote Speech 2 on 7th September as well, and Chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Philippines, Hon. Jose Luis “Chito” Martin Gascon, a renown human rights defender in the region who will be delivering the Keynote Speech on 8th September 2021, 4pm KST.