Democracy and Participation

Democracy and civic freedoms have come under increasing pressure in Southeast Asia over the past years. Under the pretense of ensuring stability, national security and public order, regional governments continue to severely curtail fundamental political, as well as economic, social and cultural rights of its citizens.  Unregulated investments, facilitated by rent-seeking governments, in particular in the poorer ASEAN-countries, increasingly disenfranchise and deprive local communities of their livelihoods at a large scale.  

In dealing with these trends, the Democracy & Participation Program strongly commits to the promotion of human rights, democratic participation and gender equality. Among others, we support civil society organizations that engage in the protection of freedom of expression, media freedom and digital rights, a particularly important issue in times of increased digital censorship and surveillance by state authorities across the region. As the ongoing ASEAN integration will be essentially defined by the movement of people across borders, the program will also engage in activities related to the rights of refugees and migrants. Overall, the aim of the Democracy & Participation Program is to assist partners and civil society organizations in creating public space for dialogue and open debates as well as developing adequate strategies for their respective advocacy campaigns. This encompasses (I)NGOs, alternative media, think tanks, scholars, youth activists, artists, LGBT and women’s organizations.

Youth

The Power and Potential of Timor-Leste’s Youth in Economic Diversification

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The Stagnant Policy Context of Economic Diversification in Timor-Leste

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Addressing Institutional Constraints toward Economic Diversification in Timor-Leste

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Sharing Space in the Digital Era: Coworking and Coliving in the New Vietnam

All articles on Democracy & Participation

Publications Democracy & Participation

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Timor-Leste's Economic Diversification: Challenges and the Way Forward

E-Paper
Timor-Leste is the youngest nation in Southeast Asia and the poorest country in the region. It has overcome tremendous challenges since independence but struggles with serious economic development problems. The focus of this paper series is economic diversification, which is one of the dominant policy issues in Timor-Leste, more than 20 years after independence from Indonesia. Given the multiple and delicate challenges that the country is facing, it is viewed as an alternative path toward sustainable and inclusive economic development, reducing dependence on petroleum and seeking new economic opportunities.
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Current Electoral Processes in Southeast Asia

Book
Current Electoral Processes in Southeast Asia - Regional Learnings follows on from a seminar organised by IRASEC and Heinrich Böll Stiftung-Southeast Asia Regional Office, hosted by the Faculty of Political Science of Chulalongkorn University and with the support of the King Prajadhipok’s Institute, who provided a simultaneous translation in Thai language. 
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Reproductive Justice

Self-determined decisions about one's own body and family planning are often influenced by laws and prevailing norms that act like barriers. This publication is an attempt to make hidden injustice visible and to fought against it. So that reproductive justice can become a reality for all.
All publications
Squeezed Spaces

Dossier: Squeezed – Space for Civil Society

The Future of Civic Space: What are the Realities of “Shrinking Space”

Global Perspectives 2016 - The Future of Civic Space: What are the Realities of “Shrinking Space”? - Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung

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