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8th Asia-Europe Roundtable: The Future of an Asia-Europe Strategic Partnership in Conflict Transformation
22-25 May 2011 - Bali, Indonesia

Twenty-five experts met in Bali at the 8th Asia-Europe Roundtable to discuss ‘The Future of an Asia-Europe Strategic Partnership in Conflict Transformation’ (22-25 May 2011). They included decision-makers from the public service sector, regional organisations, academia, NGOs and the media. The group reviewed emerging global trends in different sectors vis-à-vis conflict, identifying methods of cooperation between Asia and Europe that can best address future conflict challenges.

Mr Jusuf Kalla, former Vice-President of Indonesia, delivered the keynote address. 

This Roundtable reflected two important developments in recent decades. The first is a shift in thinking about ways of addressing conflict. Moving beyond “conflict management” to “conflict transformation”. This approach emphasises addressing the root causes of particular conflicts over a long time frame. It recognises the impact of embedded societal structures, relationships and interests that prolong conflict situations.

The second development is the continuing emergence of Asia-Europe cooperation to address common challenges to peace and security. The Asia-Europe Roundtable series recognises that both regions are major stakeholders in conflict situations around the globe. The event was organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia, the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), and the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), with the support of the Europe-Asia Policy Forum (EUforAsia).
 

 

ASEAN – ISIS Conference: “Strengthening the ASEAN Political-Security Community through Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution Mechanism”
5-6 May 2011 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

This 2-day conference & workshop, held on 5-6 May 2011, aimed at examining the gap between establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015 and determining concrete steps towards the implementation of roadmaps and action plans adopted by the ASEAN leaders. As seen in the recent conflict over the Thai-Cambodian border there is an urgent need to put Preventive Diplomacy (PD) into practice, however, ASEAN has remained hesitant to effectively implement the principle since its adoption by the ASEAN Regional Forum in 2001.

The conference & workshop generated frank and open discussions among the representatives from the Network of ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS), Members of Parliament as well as decision-makers from ministries of the Kingdom of Cambodia. One of the main findings was that a more effective, comprehensive, and coherent mechanism is needed to prevent and / or mediate conflicts to ensure stability, peace and common prosperity in the region.

Please download here the conference program.

 

 

 

44th Asian Development Bank Annual Meeting – FES Support for Global Unions
3-6 May 2011 – Hanoi, Vietnam

Six Global Union Federations, the International Trade Union Confederation Asia-Pacific (ITUC AP) and national and industrial trade unions in the region with the support of Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia have been promoting for the implementation of a labour desk and the compliance with the International Labour Organization (ILO) Core Labour Standards in Asian Development Bank (ADB) projects during the 44th ADB Annual Meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam. Public Services International Asia and Pacific Regional Organisation (PSI APRO) started the dialogue with ADB in 2006 and brought more regional union organizations on board in the last years. In the NGO consultations with ADB President Mr Haruhiko Kuroda one miniature of a labour desk and a handbook on the establishment of a labour desk in ADB was handed over in the name of Building and Wood Workers International Asia Pacific (BWI AP), Education International Asia Pacific (EI AP), International Transport Workers Federation Asia Pacific (ITF AP), UNI Global Union Asia Pacific (UNI APRO), International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions (ICEM) and ITUC AP.


The Global Unions raised concerns on Social Protection and Climate Change in Asia in two workshops in the ADB Civil Society Program. In the Civil Society Panel “Social Protection in the Asia Pacific Region from the Perspectives of Workers, the Youth, and the Aged” the Co-Chair of PSI APRO Ms Annie Geron asked ADB in her presentation “...to undertake an open and multi-stakeholder review of the Bank’s 2001 Social Protection Strategy to ensure it supports decent work and inclusive growth...” for their new strategy on social protection . In the panel on “Climate Change: Greening Jobs, Services, Infrastructures and Industries” the representatives of the GUFs made the demand to ADB to build and strengthen with their projects Quality Public Services (QPS) and to include workers and unions in the consultation process on greening jobs and industries.
In the four days of the 44th ADB Annual Meeting the voice of workers and unions was definitely heard by ADB officials. Please find here the summarized call on the ADB by the Global Unions: DECENT WORK IN THE CENTRE OF LONG TERM, SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE GROWTH.
 

 

 

FES Capacity Building Program for the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia: 1st Training Workshop
29-30 March 2011 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia, in cooperation with the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace (CICP), designed a Capacity Building Program for the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Cambodia to define “Cambodia’s Contribution towards building an ASEAN Community”. The program aims at strengthening representatives and staff of the National Assembly in its capacity to chair ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) 2011 confidentially. The vision of AIPA is to promote close relations among its core members and partners. Moreover, AIPA aims at facilitating the achievement of the goals of ASEAN, prominently the realization of the ASEAN Community through exchange and consultation with the ASEAN Secretariat. AIPA constitutes of the General Assembly, The Presidency, the Executive Committee, the Committees, the Secretary General and the National Secretariats.

The ASEAN Charter, came into force on December 14th 2008 and envisions the establishment of an ASEAN Community, consisting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC). Its aim is to reinforce ASEAN’s role as the driving force in charting the evolving regional architecture. 

In 2009, leaders from both AIPA and ASEAN signed an agreement, which will enable AIPA to enhance its parliamentary inputs and recommendations in the drafting of ASEAN agreements on political and security matters through regular informal meetings. The enhanced relations with ASEAN will allow AIPA parliamentary members to assist in the implementation of the APSC Blueprint through the adoption of relevant resolutions and the promulgation of national legislation in conformity to the Blueprint. In this regard, AIPA aims at establishing mechanisms of cooperation and information exchange between ASEAN and AIPA and the national parliaments. AIPA will make legislative proposals, provide expertise, and establish strategic programs for the strengthening of the rule of law and the legal infrastructure among others.


The 1st Training Workshop focused on the “ASEAN Community Roadmap 2015 and Visions for Cambodia” in view of Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2012. Please click here for the training program.

 

 

ASETUC Workshop on ASEAN Economic Integration
24-25 March 2011 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia and the ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) with the support from the three Global Union Federations UNI Global Union Asia-Pacific (UNI APRO), Building and Woodworkers International Asia-Pacific (BWI AP) and the Public Services International Asia-Pacific Regional Organisation (PSI APRO) organized the ASETUC Workshop on ASEAN Economic Integration, 24-25 March 2011 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The workshop aimed to raise the awareness for workers and trade unions in Cambodia, especially those in the services sectors; to prepare them for anticipating the challenges and to enhance their capacity to respond to these challenges at the national and regional level, especially in 2012 when Cambodia takes on the ASEAN Chairmanship.

Besides the ASETUC affiliated unions from Cambodia the Building and Wood Workers Trade Union of Cambodia (BWTUC) and Cambodia’s Independent Civil-Servants Association (CICA) the workshop gained attention also by three national union centers of Cambodia the Cambodian Labour Confederation (CLC), the Cambodian Confederation of Trade Union (CCTU) and the National Union Alliance Chamber of Cambodia (NACC). Representatives from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training gave an overview of the Cambodian ASEAN policy regarding the regional economic integration process. The political leaders – Art Thorn of CLC, Vong Sovann of CCTU and Som Aun of NACC - gave a brief update on the current situation of social protection, rights at work and social dialogue in Cambodia. In the discussions later on the participants highlighted the challenges of the current Cambodian labour system and for the trade unions and formulated issues that they want to be discussed on the regional level. There was a high demand for a regional mechanism for labour migration by the trade unionists.

To learn more about trade unions in Cambodia FES has published in December 2010 the study “Building Unions in Cambodia” by Nuon Veasna and Melisa Serrano.

 

 

 

ASEAN Secretariat Workshop on Methods of Stakeholder Involvement in Building an ASEAN Community
24 March 2011 - Jakarta, Indonesia

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia in cooperation with the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), organised a workshop on “Methods of Stakeholder Involvement in Building an ASEAN Community” on 24 March 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia. The workshop aimed at developing ideas on how staff members of the ASEC can be more actively involved in stakeholder engagement processes. On this occasion the ASEC and FES also launched the publication “Constructive Engagement – Building a People-Oriented Community” which summarises the proceedings of the ASEAN Secretariat Symposium on Methods of Stakeholder Engagement in Regional Organisations, which was held from 23-25 November 2009 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Twenty ASEAN Secretariat staff members from different divisions attended this one-day meeting. 

„I have known the work of the Friedrich Ebert-Stiftung (FES) for a long time, and I have been impressed by the way they discharge their activities. German political foundations are models for engagement for people in any democracy.”, said Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat, who delivered his remarks during the Opening Session of the workshop. He stressed that the change taking place in the region can’t be complete and effective unless all stakeholders are involved in the process. This year, Indonesia as the ASEAN Chair in 2011 decided, that the people will play a larger role in official and non-official meetings. Stakeholder Engagement should be seen as working for the good of the government, even though it may be in opposition, but always for the good of democracy. 

Dr. Pitsuwan concluded: “We have a partner in the FES. We appreciate the goodwill and serious intent that they have, to walk along the road with us as we learn how to manage the relationship between ASEAN, the stakeholders and civil society.”

The full speech can be found here: http://www.aseansec.org/26089.htm

 

 

 

 

 

New Publication: Constructive Engagement - Building a People-Oriented Community

The new report “Constructive Engagement – Building a People-Oriented Community” is an outcome of the region's stakeholders and government officials meeting in November 2009 organised in partnership by the ASEAN Secretariat in co-operation with FES Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia. The report captures key discussions, initiatives and action plans developed. Participants aimed to ensure an ASEAN Community by 2015 that engages and benefits the people of ASEAN.

The Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, said in his foreword that while ASEAN Member States were committed to building an ASEAN Community, "the governments, are, by and large, still grappling with the details of how they will implement the vision." He further noted the limited involvement of the private sector and other non-governmental actors in ASEAN integration.

The Symposium was organised to learn from other regions' stakeholder engagement practices and methods, which could be constructive to ASEAN. "All that remains is for us to create these platforms to realise the idea of the ASEAN Community and to summon our political will for the good of the region," he concluded.
 

Please click here to view the report.

 

 

 

 

New Publication: Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflicts – A Framework for Developing Regional Responses

On 20-21 May 2010, experts from the field of early warning systems and minority conflict issues, met at the Asia-Europe Foundation for a workshop which was held under the auspices of the Asia-Europe Roundtable (AER) series. Following up upon recommendations from previous AER meetings to monitor warning signals for minority conflicts, this workshop was on the topic of ‘Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflicts’.

Based on the background paper and the discussions from the 7th Asia Europe Roundtable workshop, Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflict: A Framework for Developing Regional Responses’ studies the manner by which minority conflicts are prevented and contained through early warning systems; by analysing the gaps within the current mechanisms, it presents a framework by which regional early warning structures and responses can be better integrated and enhanced.

More specifically, this publication will:
a)    Map the international legal framework for minority conflict prevention and make an inventory of various existing mechanisms for conflict prevention;
b)    Illustrate how regional actors have acted to prevent minority conflict and what preventive efforts have been organised at regional level;
c)    Present various approaches to minority conflict prevention in the context of early warning systems;                 
d)    Identify potential and criteria for creating regional multi-level structures for minority conflict prevention, methods to build capacity, trust and coordination between the stakeholders.

The AER series is organised in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation and the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. Please click here to view the Framework Document.

 

 

 

ASETUC Evaluation and Strategic Planning Meeting on ASEAN Economic Integration 2011-2015,
28-29 November 2010 - Jakarta, Indonesia

The ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Regional Trade Union Program Asia-Pacific hold a two-day meeting in Jakarta, Indonesia to evaluate the ASETUC activities in 2011 and to discuss the future planning and the next steps for 2011. The amount of participants resembled the rapid but sustainable growth of the membership in ASETUC in the last years. The fruitful discussions showed that the services unions in Asia believe in the same aims of decent work and that they are prepared for the ASEAN Economic Integration. The participants discussed the participation of trade unions and the representation of the workers’ voice in ASEAN with Dr Donald Tambunan, Head of Socio-Cultural Cooperation Directorate, and his team at the ASEAN Secretariat on the second day. He appreciates the initiative of ASETUC and is looking forward to the stronger cooperation of ASETUC in the region.

Additionally, at this event the chairmanship of ASETUC for 2011 was ceremonially handed over from Mr Hoang Huy Loat, President of the Vietnam National Union for Post and Telecom Workers (VNUPTW) to Mr Muhamad Hakim, President of Asosiasi Serikat Pekerja Indonesia (ASPEK).  The ceremony was followed by a panel discussion about migrant workers in Asia, which is one of the important labour issues in all ASEAN countries, and the screening of the movie “Minggu Pagi di Victoria Park” (Sunday Morning in Victoria Park). This movie tells the story of Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong and the impact of the decision on the workers themselves and their families.

 

 

Third International Conference on Women’s Safety: Building Inclusive Cities
22-24 November 2010 - New Delhi, India

Women’s lack of safety is a serious obstacle to achieving gender equality as it curtails women's mobility and limits their right to participate fully and freely as citizens in their communities. It is an issue that affects millions of women and girls in cities all over the world. Both the causes and consequences of gender inequality and women’s lack of safety are interrelated and multi-faceted, encompassing such diverse issues as violence against women (VAW), access to basic services and employment, good governance, urban planning, and political participation.

The objective of this Conference was to consolidate discussions and work to date around safe and inclusive cities for women and girls, and to facilitate exchange and cooperation among various partners working in the field of women's safety, women’s rights and Violence Against Women. Around 500 participants from over 20 countries took part in this 3 days conference. Participants included women's groups, elected representatives and civil servants at the municipal level, associations of municipalities, researchers, crime prevention organizations, regional and national governments, community organizations, grassroots groups, and international agencies. Best practices from around the world were show cased and highest level decision makers participated in the conference.  A Delhi Declaration was also issued delineating the tasks for all stakeholders to make Cities safe for Women.

 

 

 

Gender Responsive Budgeting: A Challenge to Achieve Gender Equality
18-19 November 2010 - Jakarta,Indonesia

Most Asian countries committed themselves to the enhancement of gender equality and recognize the diverse efforts in its achievement. Among the measures adopted, gender responsive budgeting is considered as one of the most effective strategies. It has many positive side-effects such as making the budget process more impact oriented and transparent and helps to illustrate a government’s commitment to gender equality and equity. Almost all ASEAN countries have started pilot projects on gender budgeting at national, regional or local level. It is time to document these efforts and make them well known.

This regional workshop engaged international high level policy-makers, administrative practitioners of gender budgeting and academic experts  at analyzing and exchanging experiences in implementing gender responsive budgeting in Asia, to reflect on policy challenges for government bodies and interested parties, to explore lessons learned and achievements towards the initiatives, to promote networking among government officials and agencies, and to identify strategies which could facilitate the implementation of gender responsive budgeting at the national or local level within the support of gender mainstreaming. It was agreed that the interesting results of the meeting will be shared by the participants with their individual governments as well as with the ASEAN Secretariat.

 

 

An Introduction to Gender-Aware Economics
9-12 November 2010 - Shanghai, China

The current period of global economic crisis has forced various stakeholders to take another look at the paradigms of growth and development. Questions have been raised on the range of economic policy choices available and what their social consequences are. Although there have been many forums devoted to understanding the global economic crisis and its roots in economic structures, very few confront its gendered nature and consequences.

Amongst FES’s strategic goals is to shape the “economy of the future” and guide globalization into a direction that promotes peace, democracy and social justice. Therefore a training session was organized for the FES Gender Coordinators in Asia. This training session was aimed at introducing the concepts and frameworks used by feminist economics to analyze economic policies and their consequences. It was also geared towards identifying some of the advocacies around gender and economic justice in more recent history.

Participants were trained to familiarize themselves with concepts often used in gender analysis of economic policies. Participants were also trained to familiarize themselves with how these concepts are being expressed in various political arenas as demands for policy changes. Since policymakers are not homogeneous, it was useful to know who have been the institutional targets for policy change in national governments or multi-lateral organizations.

 

 

Biofuels in Southeast Asia: Challenge to Social Sustainability – Chances for Green Jobs?”
6-8 October 2010 - Jakarta, Indonesia

On 6-8 October, 25 stakeholders and decision makers from the ASEAN region representing trade unions, CSOs / NGOs, research institutes as well as regional and political organisations met in Jakarta to discuss the question of social sustainability in biofuel production with a focus on the Southeast Asian region. As a prevailing view, biofuels are often associated with positive outcomes such as energy security, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, increasing revenues and thus improving living standards of low-income farmers and helping promote rural development. However, drawing on biofuel production experiences of especially the last decade, a debate has emerged in recent years to the true merit and sustainability of biofuels, particularly in South East Asia (SEA) as the region gradually emerged as a major biofuel producer and exporter.

Dr. Haberinderjit Singh Dillon, Senior Governance Advisor of the Centre for Agricultural Policy Studies delivered the Keynote Speech and stressed that in order to achieve energy security; the increase in biofuel production needs to be guided properly.

The two-day conference focussed on structural problems and how they have affected social stability in the biofuel producing countries by looking closely at the working conditions of plantation workers as well as at the status of small landholders and their agribusinesses. The seminar provided insights on how worker’s rights can be protected and whether freedoms of association, decent wages, and access to social security for the workers are guaranteed. Within the context of current global discussions about different initiatives for “Green Jobs”, it was also discussed whether there is a realistic niche for the creation of green jobs in the biofuels sector and which policies might be needed in order to create more decent jobs on biofuel plantations.

 

 

ASETUC Philippines 2nd Advocacy Workshop: Training Workshop for Trainers
16-17 September 2010 – Quezon City, Philippines

The ASEAN Service Employees Trade Union Confederation hold their second training workshop on the national level in the Philippines with the support of the FES Regional Trade Union Program to inform about the ASEAN economic integration process and its impact on workers in Quezon City on 16 and 17 September 2010. The need for Trade Unions to engage in the ASEAN integration process more actively and the development of strategies to influence the effects of regional integration in order to advance workers’ welfare led to the organization of this two-day workshop. The training which took place in Quezon City was organized by the Philippines working group of ASEAN Service Employees Trade Union Confederation in cooperation with Buildings & Woodworkers International (BWI), Union Network International (UNI) and Public Sector International (PSI) and addressed three core objectives:

•    Raising awareness to ASEAN and its impact on services employees;
•    Develop strategies to cooperate with national governments on regional economic integration related issues; and
•    Enlarge the number of trainers able to realize ASETUC awareness and advocacy campaigns.

During the workshop, the 35 participants were introduced to the structure and influence of ASEAN and the importance of ASETUC as a regional voice of trade unions in the service sector, liaising with governments and other relevant organizations as well as to ASETUC’s social dialogue agenda. The state of regional economic integration and its impact on the Philippines and workers and trade unions was addressed by Dr. Rene Ofreneo of the University of the Philippines. His findings point to competitiveness as the key challenge for the Philippines while trade unions’ focus should be directed at identifying winners and losers of economic integration in order to react to unfavourable developments for workers.
Participants also developed different action plans as a reflexion exercise as much as for future implementation for the unions involved in the workshop.

 

 

 

Joint  conference-workshop of Homenet Southeast Asia (Homenet SEA) and Homenet South Asia (HNSA): “Building Visibility and Voice through Responsive Homebased Workers’ Organizations in Asia: Focus On ILO Convention 177 on Home Work”
2-3 August 2010 - Manila, Philippines

Homebased workers can be found in every country, they are mostly women and usually invisible. HomeNet is an international solidarity network, for homebased workers and their organizations. Most homebased workers are part of the growing informal sector, who have no recognition as workers and no legal rights. Homebased workers in many instances have no access to a living wage, safe working conditions or basic living standards. They are not recognised as part of the workforce or as making an important contribution to the economy.

Homenet Southeast Asia (HNSEA) and Homenet South Asia (HNSA) are subregional networks of national Homenet organisations covering ten countries. Persistently they advocate the ratification of International Labour Conventions, such as ILC 177. This Convention aims to protect millions of homebased workers in terms of their rights. In this Networking and Empowerment Workshop Homenet and FES aimed at sharing experiences and bringing out best practices for the campaign for ILC 177 ratification on a national and regional level. The meeting was attended by all member Homenets of Homenet SEA and HNSA as well as representatives from countries planning to affiliate

 

 

Building Visibility and Voice through Responsive Homebased Workers’ Organizations in Asia:Focus on ILO Convention 177 on Home Work
2-3 August 2010 - Manesar, Haryana, India

The persistent advocacy of both Homenet Southeast Asia (HNSEA) and Homenet SouthAsia (HNSA) for the ratification of ILO Convention 177 is in response to the changing global employment system, characterized by lack of economic and social security, particularly among homeworkers, majority of whom are women.  The Convention aims to protect millions of homeworkers in terms of their right to organize, non-discrimination in employment and occupation, maternity protection and attention to occupational safety  and health, ability to accesss and receive capacity development training in various aspects, and obtaining other entitlements to be of equal status with workers in other occupations defined as “employees.”Both Homenet SEA and HNSA are also strengthening membership-based organizing (MBO)  in its various country Homenets in order to facilitate the emergence and empowerment of grassroots women leaders. The objectives of this meeting were to share experiences and assess the campaign for ILC 177 ratification on a per country and subregional basis, in order to plot the ways forward;to share experiences and lessons in advocating for national policies and laws on homebased workers; and to review the results of the membership-based organizing initiatives. The meeting was attended by member homenets of Homenet SEA and HNSA, including representatives from countries planning to affiliate (e.g., Vietnam. Timor Leste and Malaysia   for Homenet SEA. The meeting was also attended by trade union organisations and government respresentatives from Philippines.

 

 

Conference on Gender Mainstreaming and Justice for All
31 July - 1 August 2010 - Penang, Malaysia

The Conference aims to re-visit the strategy of gender mainstreaming which has been promoted at the global level since the 1990s to help governments implement more effective programmes rather than merely seeking to ‘integrate’ women in development. This strategy would entail a transformative process that will ensure that both women and men influence, participate in, and benefit from the development processes. Changes in organisational structures, procedures, and cultures have to be effected to create the environments conducive to promoting good governance, social equality and justice.

 

 

The 8th Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Security Sector Governance - “Towards an ASEAN Political Security Community in ASEAN – What Role for Parliament?"
19-20 June 2010 - Jakarta, Indonesia

The 8th meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Security Sector Governance (IPF-SSG) was held on 19-20 June 2010 in Jakarta. It looked at the progress made towards the implementation of the ASEAN Political Security Community (APSC), its state of play and challenges as well as the role of national parliaments in this endeavor. The APSC Blueprint, adopted in 2009, has drawn the most attention from inside and outside of ASEAN, given that it opened a debate about its implication for the security architecture of the Association in general and of its individual members in particular. Drafted by national ministers and officials, the APSC Blueprint is a principled document, which provides a roadmap and a timetable to establish the APSC by 2015. This year’s Forum meeting served as a platform for extensive exchange among various stakeholders. Fifty participants from different ASEAN countries outlined entry points to contribute to a more effective enforcement of the action plans set out in the APSC at both national and regional level. Concurrently, the workshop provided the parliamentary participants with suggestions for a better engagement in overseeing the process of the implementation of the political security integration process.

The Forum was initiated in 2006 by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia FES-Singapore, and the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.  It is a loose network of members and staff of parliament, security sector officials, civil society representatives and academics from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as well as representative of the ASEAN Secretariat and international experts. The Forum convenes twice a year on different topics related to security sector governance.

For more information, please visit our website: www.ipf-ssg-sea.net

 

 

The 7th Asia-Europe Roundtable Workshop – Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflicts
20-21 May 2010 - Singapore

The Asia-Europe Roundtable (AER), a joint initiative by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia, the Asia-Europe Foundation and the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, is a series of fora that aims to examine Asia-Europe experiences and cooperation in tackling common challenges such as region-building and conflict management with a view to identify and share good practices on solutions to common or contrasting challenges. Building on the findings from the previous AER, it was agreed upon that the existing frameworks and mechanisms lack the provisions to specifically prevent the outbreak of ethno-political conflicts. In order to prevent conflict from developing into widespread violence, a sound Early Warning System would be needed to flag the potential rising of ethnic minority conflicts. Based on this recommendation, the 7th AER workshop met in Singapore on 20-21 May 2010 with the objective to develop a framework for preventing ethnic conflict through a range of mechanisms at the regional level. Eight Asian and European experts in the field of conflict prevention, ethnic minority conflicts and peace building met over two days to work towards developing a regional early warning framework that would not only draw attention to the impending outbreak of minority conflict but also compel the relevant players to act towards preventing such a conflict. Please find here the workshop report of the 7th Asia-Europe Roundtable Workshop on Early Warning Systems in Minority Conflicts.

 

 

Regional Social Dialogue for Growth, Employment and Sound Industrial Relations in the Services Sectors: Sharing Experiences from ASEAN and the EU
31 March-1 April 2010 – Ha Noi, Viet Nam

Recognizing that social dialogue and tripartism have been identified as key priorities in the area of labour and human resource development in ASEAN, the Regional Social Dialogue for Growth, Employment and Sound Industrial Relations was therefore jointly initiated and organized by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) Vietnam and the ASEAN Services Trade Unions Council (ASETUC) with the support of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and in collaboration with the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL), Vietnam Chambers of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Asian Pacific regional organizations of Building and Woodworkers International (BWI), Public Services International (PSI) and UNI Global Union. Over seventy five participants representing the social partners from the ten ASEAN member countries, including the ASEAN Secretariat, European Commission and social partners, Japan and the FES, BWI, PSI and UNI participated in the Dialogue in Hanoi, Vietnam from 31 March – 1 April 2010.

The participants discussed the involvement of the social partners in the EU and exchanged experience and good practices in social dialogue in various ASEAN countries as well as in Japan. They also shared and exchanged experiences on responses to the challenges posed by the trends in the employment of temporary workers and the migration of workers. The participants agreed that ASEAN should promote social dialogue particularly trade unions and employers representatives in the ASEAN decision-making process and in regional integration. Constructive and serious social dialogue will facilitate social cohesion and reinforce social partnership and people’s solidarity for the building of an ASEAN community. The full recommendations of the Regional Social Dialogue can be downloaded here.

The results of the conference were presented by MOLISA at the 21st ASEAN Labour Ministers Meeting (ALMM) in Hanoi, Vietnam 24 May 2010. The Minister's Joint Communiqué and the ASEAN Labour Ministers' Work Programme (2010-2015) encourage the social partners to conduct more tripartite dialogue in the region.

 

 

How does Regional Integration bring benefits to Gender Equality? A comparison between approaches of the European Union and ASEAN

22-26 February 2010 - Brussels, Belgium

 

The EU has been struggling for more than two decades to reach the level of participation by women it has today. This has only been possible by a firm and long-standing commitment to promote Gender Equality that has been a steep learning curve for all EU and member states. Several Gender Indices indicate that in Asia as a region women are widely excluded from full political, economic and societal participation. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has a strong commitment to work for the active involvement of women in the social, economic and political spheres in accordance with the 1988 “Declaration on the Advancement of Women” in ASEAN. With the full ratification of the ASEAN Treaty and the subsequent formal entry into force of the ASEAN Charter, there is a new window of opportunity for the ASEAN community to develop its policy processes further. Therefore there was a large interest on behalf of highranking members of the ASEAN Secretariat and Policy Experts from Ministries of member states to exchange views with Experts from the European Union. FES Brussels and the Regional Cooperation for Gender Equality facilitated this exchange. 

 

 

ASETUC Workshop in Bangkok - Tripartite DialogueASETUC/FES Workshop on Economic Integration and its Impact on Trade Unions and Workers
23-24 October 2009 - Bangkok, Thailand

During the 15th ASEAN Summit, more than 60 representatives of the ASEAN Services Employees Trade Union Council (ASETUC) met on October 24th, 2009, at the Plaza Athenee Hotel in Bangkok with their social partners from the ASEAN Senior Labour Officials Meeting (ASEAN SLOM), the ASEAN Secretariat as well as the ASEAN Confederation of Employeers (ACE) for their first tripartite dialogue at the ASEAN level. During this meeting, cooperation between these three partners of social dialogue was mutually developed and further collaboration was agreed upon. Before this tripartite dialogue, unionists from ASETUC - which consists of member-organisations UNI APRO (services sector), BWI AP (construction and forestry sectors) and PSI AP (public services sector) - reviewed the results of the assessment-study "ASEAN Economic Integration and its Impact on Trade Unions and Workers" which was conducted by an expert research team over a period of two months.

Together, the participants agreed upon a joint communiqué "Bridge the Gap: The Workers´ Voice in ASEAN Integration" which was discussed on the second day of the conference with ASEAN SLOM officials from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, Viet Nam and the ASEAN Confederation of Employers (ACE) represented by APINDO, Indonesia and ECOT, Thailand and the ASEAN Secretariat led by Dr Donald Tambunan. The conference was jointly organised by FES Regional Trade Union Program Asia & Pacific and ASETUC.

 

 

Conference on "Energy Security in Southeast Asia and beyond – from Competition to Cooperation? Civil Society’s Stake in Asia’s and Europe’s Energy Policy"
20-22 October 2009 - Singapore

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia, in partnership with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies, of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Nanyang Technological University hosted a conference titled "Energy Security in Southeast Asia and Beyond – from Competition to Cooperation? Civil Society’s Stake in Asia’s and Europe’s Energy Policy" from 20 to 22 October 2009 in Singapore. This event was particularly timely, in view of the twin-pillared global energy challenges Asia and Europe are currently facing, namely increasing energy consumption needs and climate change. The conference served as a common platform for policymakers and civil society organisation (CSO) representatives from Asia and Europe, specialising in the field of energy security, to discuss pertinent issues and share regional insights related to the roles of CSOs in energy policymaking processes. A sustainable, low-carbon, development path can no longer operate without taking into account the increasingly important roles of CSOs in the energy policymaking process. Ultimately, CSOs strive to improve governance through the empowerment of the general public; enhancement of government transparency and accountability; and to complement states’ capacities in providing energy security to the people. CSOs’ involvement in the field of energy security, revolving around "3As" – awareness, action and advocacy – was a recurring theme throughout the conference. The conference also served to highlight the continued relevance and significance of increased CSO engagement in energy security.

In general, participants agreed that CSOs would play an increasing role in energy security in the foreseeable future, especially in Asia where governance deficits in some countries had more often than not obstructed effective energy policymaking. In the later part of the conference, participants engaged in lively brainstorming sessions on the trajectory of CSOs’ activities in the field of energy security and mapped out ideas which could better position CSOs in augmenting the governments’ roles in energy policymaking. Interesting initiatives, from seeking ways to forge an integrated framework for CSOs involved in energy policymaking to advocating local energy self-reliance at community levels, were thoughtfully conceived by the participants. Conference presentations, as well as the background papers and the briefing paper on the outcomes of the conference can be downloaded here:

 

 

Pilot Asian Media Barometer (ANMB)
4-6 September 2009 - Lahore, Pakistan
11-13 September 2009 - Goa, India

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung´s Regional Media Program developed in 2008/09 the "Asian Media Barometer" (ANMB) following the sucessful implementation of the "African Media Barometer" by FES´s Souther Africa Media Project in 2005. The ANMB is a self assessment exercise done by Asians themselves according to homegrown criterias. The project is the first in-depth and comprehensive description and measurement system for national media environment on the Asian continent. See here the short introduction in the concept.

 

 

Workshop on Change and Impact on homebased workers
7-8 September 2009 - Manesar, India

In past (2007 and 2008), FES and Homenet South Asia (HNSA) have jointly organised workshops to strengthen the need for social security for Homebased workers, advocating ratification of ILO Convention C177 and policy at national level for homebased workers. Specifically, these workshops are sought to build solidarity, mutual learning and experience sharing among the participants so that they can create a presence and a voice at Asia level.

This conference is a part of this series, looking at understanding the initiatives that have changed the lives of homebased workers and the impacts thereof. The conference was attended by homebased workers, NGOs, policy makers and academicians from South Asian and Southeast Asian region.

 

 

"Gender Equality + Equity in Asia: Are we getting any closer to these goals in 2020?"
16-19 August 2009 - Bangkok, Thailand

The Regional Cooperation for Gender Equality, FES strives to support Asia-wide political processes of regional integration, political campaigning, awareness raising and best practice exchange on different gender-related topics. The key questions addressed in this meeting were:

1. What could really bring stakeholders and decision makers, at the regional level, together, to act commonly so as to impact the situation of women and men in Asian societies?

2. Are there common topics or regional issues that could be discussed Asia-wide? Where are the challenges?

3. What are success stories when it comes to pursuing Equality in individual societies and how can others learn from these?

4. Who else is engaged in work which contributes to more Gender Equality and Equity all over Asia? Who needs to talk to each other?

The workshop aimed to collectively gather inputs for its future strategies through participatory methods.

 

 

Asia-Europe Roundtable

"The 6th Asia-Europe Roundtable – Minority Conflicts: Towards an ASEM Framework for Conflict Management"
10-12 June 2009 - Derry, United Kingdom and Letterkenny, Ireland

The Asia-Europe Roundtable is a joint initiative by the Asia-Europe Foundation, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, being a series of fora that aims to examine Asia-Europe experiences and cooperation in tackling common challenges such as region-building and conflict management. Building on the findings from the previous gatherings, the recently concluded 6th Asia-Europe Roundtable examined different types of minority conflicts with a particular focus on "frozen conflicts" in which cessation of open hostility offers a chance for the regional and international community to explore possible solutions and frameworks for transforming the conflict into sustainable peace.

More than 40 Asian and European experts in conflict and peace studies and research, academics, specialised journalists, human rights activists, practitioners, and diplomats came together in Derry and Letterkenny in both jurisdictions in Ireland from June 10-12, 2009 to work towards a framework for conflict management. Together they produced a set of policy recommendations on minority conflict management to political decision makers in Asia and Europe and identified issues and case studies that could be effectively addressed within the ASEM framework and through cooperation among key stakeholders in Asia and Europe.

Find here the documentation of the 6th Asia-Europe Roundtable. Additional the following papers were published for this event:

 

 

Workshop on IFAs in SingaporeBrainstorming Workshop: International Framework Agreements "A suitable trade union instrument to engage multinational companies in Asia?"
3-5 June 2009 - Singapore

Global Union Federations (GUFs) worldwide have started to engage multinational companies (MNCs) in the last ten years through the instrument of "International Framework Agreements" (IFAs). More than 70 of these agreements have been concluded thus and a couple of GUFs have also started company-based union networks, mostly on a regional level. Such contracts usually contain regulations regarding the application of the ILO Core Labour Standards, and sometimes agreements on wage systems, working hours or overtime, as well as the establisment of monitoring systems between the trade union and the MNCs. In the scarce literature on IFAs in Asia, they are often considered to be an instrument strengthening workers and trade union´s rights in developing and threshold countries. On the other hand, almost all IFAs were initiated and negotiated by European trade unions – often without the proper involvement of trade unions from other regions.

In Asia, only one Asian MNC (Takashimaya/UNI) has signed an IFA thus far and experienced knowledge about the usage of IFAs and their benefits for workers´ and trade unions´ rights is very rare. With this brainstorming workshop in Singapore, FES Regional Trade Union Program started an open exchange of experiences between GUFs in Asia about their experiences and usage of IFAs in Asian countries as well as their involvement in negotiations. Furthermore, all participants discussed if IFAs are suitable ways in Asia to engage MNCs and evaluated the different strategies of GUFs concerning this instrument. They also took part in an assessment study of IFAs in the Asia-Pacific region.

 


IPSSG in Kota KinabaluThe 6th Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Security Sector Governance: "Police Governance in ASEAN Member States – What Role for Parliaments?"
29-30 May 2009 - Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

The Forum was initiated in 2006 by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Office for Regional Cooperation in Asia and the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces.  It is an informal network of members and staff of parliaments, security sector officials, civil society representatives and academics from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as well as representative of the ASEAN Secretariat and international experts. The Forum convenes twice a year on different topics related to security sector governance. The 6th Forum meeting on 29-30 May 2009 in Kota Kinabalu addressed the topic of police governance.

The police are instruments of the executive and play a significant role in society. Being a law enforcement body, they are endowed with particular powers, including the legitimacy to use force. Because of this capacity, the police are often associated with being a state’s tool for violence, repression and corruption. While the police forces are the most visible manifestation of government authority in terms of public security, their conduct vis-à-vis the public can also be seen as a key indicator of the quality of democracy in a country. What should the police stand for, what should they do and in what manner? How can members of parliament contribute to democratic policing? These key questions were discussed in-depth at the workshop. The workshop served as a platform for extensive exchange as well as for the identification of entry points for reform at both national and regional level. Concurrently, it provided the parliamentary participants with suggestions for a better engagement in overseeing policing in their home country.

Find here the final program.

 

 

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