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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EmpowerHER: Unlocking the Potential of Women Leaders in Startups
On September 13, an inspiring event was unfolded at Google for Startups Campus, Seoul as Friedrich Naumann Foundation Korea office (FNF Korea), in collaboration with ALLY Business Consulting, organized the "EmpowerHER: Unlocking the Potential of Women Leaders in Startups" workshop. This dynamic gathering was tailored for female leaders in the thriving startup ecosystem of South Korea.
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Fritz Kuermayr: A little closer to the world of liberalism
Fritz Kuermayr, an Austrian student, had a chance to serve abroad as an intern at the project locations of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Madrid (Spain) and Hanoi (Vietnam), from September 2022 to July 2023. Here he shares some thoughts upon concluding his journey as he gained valuable experiences and memories.
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GCD Talk concert: Climate Crisis and Sustainable Consumption
On August 29, 2023, the second event of the Global Citizen Dialogue (GCD) series of the year unfolded at POSWEL, Gwangyang, addressing a critical issue of our times – climate change. This talk concert, hosted by FNF Korea in partnership with the POSCO TJ Park Foundation, gathered experts and Asian youth from different countries to discuss practical solutions for dealing with the challenges posed by climate change and the importance of sustainable consumption.
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Human Rights Defenders: Journalists
The UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders was adopted 25 years ago. The third edition of the publication "Human Rights Defenders" portrays media professionals who often accept personal threats to expose injustice and thus become human rights defenders in their home countries. „Our freedom, too, is only as secure as we ourselves are willing to stand up for it. Freedom of media and opinion was, is and will remain a definite indicator of how free the people in a country really are", says Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, Deputy Chairwoman.
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A Decade of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration
This brief by Edmund Bon Tai Soon and Umavathni Vathanaganthan traces the development of human rights institutions in Southeast Asia and shows how limited the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration´s impact has been
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Taiwan's Vice President at CALD's 30th Anniversary
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD) celebrated its 30th Anniversary in Taipei. Taiwan's Vice President William Lai and CALD-Leaders signed a joint statement on the Future of Democracy in Asia.
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Historic summit at Camp David
US President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet at Camp David on 18 August. The recent rapprochement between the two Asian liberal democracies paved the way for the meeting. The improved relationship between Japan and South Korea is also in the interest of the USA and the EU. Deeper cooperation has long been a goal of American foreign policy and an important pillar of Biden's Indo-Pacific strategy. However, Beijing views the rapprochement of the three democracies with scepticism and even speaks of a "mini-Nato".
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June 4th in Hongkong – a national security issue instead of a memorial
For years and years, the people of Hong Kong peacefully remembered the Tiananmen Massacre of 1989 in Beijing. Since the National Security Law has been passed, this is no longer possible: June 4th is now a high-alert day for the national security forces, the organisers of the peaceful memorial are in jail, and pro-China groups meet in Victoria Park, instead of activists.
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Annual Report 2022
An overview of the Foundation's most important projects and topics can be found in the Annual Report 2022.
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Digital Brochure: Democracy – Economic Freedom – Human Rights
What do we, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, do in Southeast and East Asia?
Have a look: We are thrilled to present our new Digital Brochure, which gives an overview of who we are, what we focus on and who our partners are. -
ABCs of Entrepreneurship:
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom Regional Office, in collaboration with WOWs Global, kick-started the inaugural ABCs of Entrepreneurship event on May 13th at The Great Room, Gaysorn Tower. The event witnessed an impressive turnout of over 90 founders, co-founders, and investors.
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How to strengthen ASEAN - EU relations:
Aligned with FNF's global theme of #Reshaping Europe, FNF Southeast and East Asia is collaborating with Asia Centre on a hackathon centered around the question of "How to strengthen ASEAN - EU relations: What are your ideas on what could be done to bring ASEAN and the EU closer together?' Our aim is to inspire our young participants to conceive original and inventive concepts that can pave the way for a policy plan, project, or campaign that will foster stronger ties between ASEAN and the EU.
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EU-Thailand FTA Negotiations: Competition clauses, human rights implications and the impact of environmental provisions
After a 10 year hiatus, the EU and Thailand will resume Free Trade Negotiations. Commissioned by the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom, VA Partners, a Bangkok-based laws and economic consulting firm, examines core topics of the future FTA. Their in-depth research paper includes recommendations for negotiators to promote sustainable and responsible trade relationships.
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Macrons große Fehler
Politische Beobachter fragen sich, wie dies geschehen konnte. Emmanuel Macron, ein erfahrener Präsident eines hoch angesehenen demokratischen Landes, reist nach China und erklärt, dass (1) es nicht Europas Sache ist, in Krisen verwickelt zu werden, die nicht die unseren sind, und dass (2) die strategische Autonomie es erfordert, dass Europa im Falle einer Taiwan-Krise nicht ein Gefolgsmann der Amerikaner sein sollte.
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The Rise of China?
French President Macron and EU Commission President Von Der Leyen have arrived in Beijing for a three-day state visit. Together they want to convince China's head of state Xi Jinping to use his influence on Russian President Putin to achieve a peace solution in Ukraine. The Russian war of aggression shows that modern conventional warfare can be long and difficult even for a great power. But that does not stop Jinping from stepping up his rhetoric towards his neighbours Taiwan.
