Regional Dialogue

This article explores the 2025 Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) and its partnership with China’s Belt Road Initiative (BRI), which may open the region to more opportunities in commerce, tourism, and environmentally sustainable travel options.

Ecological threats like poaching, habitat destruction and human-induced climate change not only endanger animals but also plants, in particular highly sought-after ones, like orchids. Malaysia is endowed with rich biodiversity which includes thousands of wild orchid species. 

Multilateralism is vital for addressing global challenges like climate change, yet the outcomes of COP29 in Baku exposed a stark disconnect between high-level policies and grassroots realities. 

Located at the tip of the Philippines, and approximately 118 miles from Taiwan, with almost identical weather, the Ivatans of Batanes have learned to adapt their ways of life while inhabiting the most typhoon-prone islands in the country. 

A female waste picker’s simple dream is, in its own way, part of a much bigger plan toward a plastic-free future for Vietnam. 

Since its establishment in 2009 as part of the ASEAN Regionalism Framework, the AICHR has played a crucial role in advancing human rights in the region. Despite facing criticism, it has withstood significant challenges in the region, including silence of the ASEAN member states on pressing issues such as the Philippines’ “war on drugs” in 2017 and the ongoing crisis in Myanmar and the overall human rights ecosystem in the region.

In a coastal city in the Philippines, poor families in the urban margins participate in the efforts to stem the effects of climate change, yet they are still likely to bear its worst effects. This piece explains why “segregation at source” measures that target households is not enough to stem the tide of plastic wastes. 

Since 2005, the ACSC/APF remains a valuable platform for civil society organizations in Southeast Asia fostering regional advocacy and solidarity. Over the years, it has attracted diverse organisations such as the members of the LGBTQI+. As the 2024 forum was recently held in Timor-Leste in September, this article looks back, reflects on the particular issues and concerns observed through the years and how these could be addressed to provide safe spaces for CSOs, particularly to countries with restrictive regimes.