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In recent years, Southeast Asia faces a crisis of shrinking civic space. Repressive governments utilize various tactics to silent and stifle civil society organizations and dissents. This governance has led to the increasing price civil society organizations and human rights defenders have to pay for their work. In response to such challenges, Asia Citizen Future Association (ACFA) published a report titled ‘Exploring Taiwan’s Role Amid the Crisis of Closing Civic Space in Southeast Asia’ in 2023 to explore Taiwan’s potential to provide a safe and welcoming environment for Southeast Asian CSOs and human rights defenders to enjoy. Besides, ACFA held the Taiwan and Southeast Asia Civil Society Week in 2023 bringing stakeholders from the region to gather and discuss potential strategies to defend civic space.

To continue creating dialogues and connections between Taiwan and Southeast Asian civil society to push for the right to freedom of association among the region, ACFA establishes a research working group in 2024 and has invited the other 9 CSOs from Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and a regional LGBT organization, to collaborate to conduct research to understand the current situation and challenges of right to association among the region.

To enhance the understanding of Taiwan, Southeast Asian civil society and stakeholders on the issues of shrinking civic space, and more specifically, the right to association, Asia Citizen Future Association intends to hold the ‘Asia Citizen Future Week (ACFW) in 31 October 2024. ACFA intends to consolidate the connections between Taiwan and Southeast Asian civil society, and build the platform to increase dialogues and to develop collaborations and strategies.

For more info, visit acfa.tw/2024acfw_en