Southeast and East Asia
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) promotes democracy, human rights, economic freedom, and curbing climate change. In Southeast and East Asia, we have offices in Bangkok, Hanoi, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul, Taipei, and Yangon. We also work in Malaysia. The FNF regional team works with the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats, the Working group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism, the Asia Centre, and the ASEAN Prosperity Initiative, which is part of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs. Should you have questions or suggestions about our work, please contact us. You can also meet our team here.
News
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Taming the Digital Realm: FNF Advocates for Effective Regulations in Taiwan to Counter Authoritarian Influence
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) Global Innovation Hub hosted a discussion on Thursday(22) titled "Taming the Digital Realm in the EU, Taiwan, and Sri Lanka." The event highlights the global need to regulate online platforms and enforce transparency, offering input that could be particularly relevant for Taiwan, which currently lacks regulation around content moderation and faces significant geopolitical challenges.
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Lawmakers from 24 countries visit Taiwan to Counter Authoritarian Influence from China
The Global Innovation Hub in Taipei co-hosted the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC) Summit from July 30-31, 2024 with IPAC, gathering 49 members of parliament from 24 countries and the European Parliament.
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The Green Side of Liberalism: Towards Sustainable Solutions
In this rumination piece, Rahman Imuda addresses several points that contextualize liberal values with existing environmental policies after sitting in the "The Green Side of Liberalism" seminar.
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Cyber Hygiene for Politicians: An Essential Protection in the Digital Age
In an increasingly digital world, politicians need to protect themselves from cyberattacks to ensure the integrity of democratic processes. Patricia Egger from Proton explains how important measures such as strong passwords, end-to-end encryption and the separation of private and professional activities help to minimize security risks.
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2024 Hacking Democracy Conference: How to Make AI Helpful for Participation and Deliberation
We will hold this Conference on September 3, 2024, 9:00-15:05 GMT+8 in Taipei in a hybrid format. If you are practitioners in participatory and deliberative democracy, come register before August 20, 2024!
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Sustainable Mobility and Accessible Cities
In the series “Global Citizen Dialogue: Sustainable Cities, Inclusive Futures,” the second seminar was held on July 25, 2024, at the POSCO Center in Seoul. The joint event by Friedrich Naumann Foundation Korea and POSCO TJ Park Foundation was concerned with the topic of “Sustainable Mobility and Accessible Cities,” exploring strategies for a sustainable transformation in public transportation infrastructure.
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Real growth happens outside of comfort zone
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) believes in the importance of leadership in the promotion of liberalism, human rights, and democracy, thus, its offices nominate and send local applicants to the International Academy for Leadership (IAF) in Gummersbach, Germany as well as other German and European venues where seminars to develop liberal solutions, propose common approaches to promote intellectual freedom, cultural diversity and global relations are held.
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Business and Human Rights in Southeast and East Asia #2: A Guidekit to Operationalise Human Rights Due Diligence on Forced Labour.
We are excited to announce the release of our latest publication: Business and Human Rights in Southeast and East Asia #2: A Guidekit to Operationalise Human Rights Due Diligence on Forced Labour with AmerBon. This comprehensive guide is an invaluable resource for understanding and implementing effective human rights due diligence practices.
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Pride Month Special Panelist Discussions
In Myanmar, LGBTQI+ individuals endure severe discrimination, including insults from teachers, ostracism from their families, and public ridicule. The civil war has exacerbated these challenges, further diminishing safe spaces. The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Myanmar (FNF) has run the 'Open Mic' program for 3 years. The platform provided LGBTQI+ individuals and others to share their experiences and receive psychological support.
We invite you to join our Pride Month campaign by sharing our social media stories of ‘Open Mic.’ Each post will feature a captivating still image and a link to our inspiring video on YouTube. -
Top of the Table – The 100 Key Figures in the China Scene from the Foundations
Anna Marti, Head of FNF Taiwan and the Global Innovation Hub, has been featured in Table.Media, the largest independent start-up for quality journalism in Germany. Table.Media's professional briefings serve as an essential information resource for key figures in politics, business, administration, associations, science, education, NGOs, and society.
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Democracy and AI - How technological progress can strengthen our democracy
The discourse surrounding AI is often dominated by extreme positions: either threat scenarios are exaggerated or the benefits are overemphasized. It is time to look for a new narrative that is neither uncritically positive nor overly pessimistic. In the report ‘Democracy and AI - how technological progress can strengthen democracy’, 30 global examples of the successful use of AI to strengthen democracy are analyzed and serve as a basis for assessing the potential.
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Edmund Bon Tai Soon Reappointed to AICHR: Championing Human Rights and Business Compliance in Southeast Asia
We are delighted to extend our congratulations to Mr. Edmund Bon Tai Soon, Head of Chamber (Civil) of AmberBon, Advocates, on his appointment by the Government of Malaysia as the representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) for the 2024-2026 term.
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CALD@30 2023 Annual Report
30 Years of Impact: See how CALD has championed freedom, democracy, and human rights. Read their 2023 Annual Report now.
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World Press Freedom Day 2024 - Why It Matters and the State of Press Freedom in Asia-Pacific
To celebrate World Press Freedom Day 2024, FNF Thailand partners with CoFact Thailand to bring you a special interview with Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Our interview features experts: Ms. Supinya Klangnarong, Co-Founder of CoFact Thailand, Shataakshi Verma, Project and Development Manager at RSF, and Melina Froidure, Project Assistant at RSF.
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Women at Work Virtual Book Launch and Exhibition
FNF Myanmar proudly presents a virtual book launch and exhibition featuring photo essays by nine talented women artists, capturing the essence of female strength and resilience under the theme of “Women at Work”. The exhibition will be hosted on a virtual platform, allowing guests to freely explore the interactive spaces.
