Southeast Asia

This handy news tool puts together a list of 16 concepts and terms that a journalist, or any communicator, would find useful for reportage, analysis and further inquiry into today’s most urgent stories – the climate emergency and the sustainability crisis.

The concept of conservation has evolved from being a colonial project of purely preservation to becoming more attuned to multispecies justice, beyond humans and human experience, through to co-existence and recognizing a plurality of voices.

A Conference note from “Paradigm Shift in International Development towards SDGs and the 2030 New Global Agenda” on Friday, 17 June 2022 co-organized by Mae Fah Luang University and Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Southeast Asia regional office.

The global youth climate movement was building momentum in 2019 and then the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Despite the many challenges faced, new ways to campaign, protest and gain further awareness are creatively adapting to the circumstances. But we must also not forget the ongoing difficulties faced by youth in the Global South, who are dealing with everyday difficulties that impact on barriers to wider participation in the movement.   

A growing trend of environmental public interest litigation in the Southeast Asia region where communities across the region are becoming more aware of their rights and they are increasingly using the power of the law to hold governments and corporations accountable to uphold and respect those rights, protecting the environment for present and future generations.

As the COVID-19 pandemic draws to a close, it will leave the vulnerable, especially countless LGBTQIA+ persons, desperate for deliverance and justice. In this regard, the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) has become more significant than ever. It calls us to seek those who are scared and traumatized, and lift them from the rubbles.

Transboundary haze has plagued Southeast Asia for decades, with the most recent episodes occurring in 2015 and 2019. While COVID-19's constraints on economic activity delivered the qualified blessing of two comparatively haze-free years, the region is now bracing itself for the return of the almost annual haze as countries shift to endemic mode.

Since there are many hot topics and interesting developments in and around Southeast Asia, hbs Southeast Asia Regional Office in Bangkok created a non-exhaustive list of a few informative podcasts. They cover different topics from current affairs, including politics and environment to deeper insights into history and culture. Happy listening.

Urgent action is needed to deal with plastic litter in the ocean – and a sea change is occurring on this front. Some countries in Southeast Asia are developing plans of action for policy reform as a notable first step.  Legal frameworks that support the shift towards a circular economy approach in plastics, spur systemic changes in production and consumption, and promote positive individual behavior would help address the longer-term problem.