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News from the Field: UNDEF signs pioneering regional project to support democratic movements in Asia

UNDEF signed a project document with the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development in Bangkok on 6 November 2009 for an initiative on "Combating Impunity and Promoting Fundamental Freedoms through Civil Society Democratic Dialogue with Policy-Makers in Asia".

The two-year project aims to improve the transparency, accountability and integrity of policy- making institutions in South, Southeast and Northeast Asia, by creating a civil society watchdog network to provide an annual report of the performance of policy-makers; monitoring, supporting and consolidating democratic struggles through fact-finding missions; and training civil society in advocacy for human rights and democracy.

The initiative will be implemented by the Bangkok-based Secretariat of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development, or FORUM-ASIA, in cooperation with its 46 members across Asia. FORUM-ASIA will also cooperate with the ASEAN People's Centre, and work through FORUM-ASIA's Geneva office for advocacy at the United Nations Human Rights Council.

"Civil society networks and solidarity will benefit immensely from this cooperation with UNDEF," FORUM-ASIA executive director Yap Swee Seng said at the signing ceremony. "This new initiative will further enhance and strengthen the cooperation and coordination among the different movements to advance human rights and democracy in this region. This can be done by sustaining the role of watchdogs to constantly monitor, evaluate and response to the various inter-governmental processes, outcome documents and their implementation. At the end of the project, not only will political space for civil society to influence public policies be created and sustained, but also stakeholders' dialogue will be institutionalized as one of the critical methods to develop people-centered public policies."

UNDEF Executive Head Roland Rich added: "In this ever more globalized world, it is increasingly important to have civil society voices heard at the regional level. FORUM-ASIA has the breadth and depth to represent the views of many civil society organizations, and thus to deepen the dialogue with policy-makers on issues that affect the people of these Asian countries. UNDEF is deeply excited to see this important project develop and make positive impacts."

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