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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After Trump 2024— What’s Next For Filipino Liberals?
“Dutertismo is to the Philippines what Trumpism is to America,” observes political economist Calixto Chikiamco. Like its American counterpart, the Duterte movement emerged as a populist backlash against entrenched elites and the failures of traditional governance. For many, Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency was a visceral rejection of a system perceived to prioritize the few over the many. As the Duterte family eyes a potential political resurgence in 2025 and 2028, Filipino liberals confront a stark challenge: how to counteract the enduring appeal of populism in a fractured political landscape.
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AI in Elections in East and Southeast Asia
The Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats has published a new policy paper: “AI in Elections in East and Southeast Asia: Opportunities, challenges, and ways forward for democrats and liberals”.
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Regulatory Challenges for MSMEs in ASEAN
Malaysia´s Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) have launched the “ASEAN Integration Report 2024”. The seventh edition of this annual report focuses on barriers that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) face in cross-border trade in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
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Empowering Women in Politics in Southeast and East Asia “Women-Up Democracy” Conference
Read up on our "Women-Up Democracy" on October 28 at Chatrium Grand Bangkok! Together more than 150 leaders, activists, and students unite to share stories, foster solidarity, and drive change in politics.
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How Public Participation Can Improve AI Governance: vTaiwan’s Initiatives
The civic tech project vTaiwan has gained international attention for its design of effective public participation mechanisms, which has led to the facilitation of over 20 legislative reviews in Taiwan. Most notably, in 2019, the platform hosted an online deliberation leading to regulatory adjustments for the ride-hailing platform Uber in Taiwan. In 2023, vTaiwan was relaunched as a community-based project. Now, they use their proven participatory approach to tackle the challenge of inclusive AI governance.
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Business, Human Rights, and Unexpected Laughs in Gummersbach (and Cologne and Berlin)
From Sept 15-27, our IAF seminar on Business & Human Rights featured Ms. Umavathni Vathanaganthan from Malaysia, sharing regional insights. Read her full reflection here.
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Women-Up Democracy Speakers
Our Women-Up Democracy event on October 28th, 2024, will bring together inspiring speakers who are making a significant impact in the fields of gender equality and democratic leadership.
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“Smart Finance”, FNF’s financial education initiative for Young Vietnamese
The goal of becoming rich quickly unites many young Vietnamese. However, due to the lack of financial expertise, a growing number of people lose money every year in Ponzi schemes and obscure investment projects. Our new project of video series co-hosted with Lao Dong Newspaper, one of Vietnamese largest newspapers, has pioneered to launch a financial education initiative called “Tai chinh thong minh / Smart Finance“.
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Online Seminar on Personal Finance
For many young students there is a lack of basic knowledge about personal finance, especially in terms of personal investment in the future. As a result, we would like to provide students with basic knowledge about personal finance to act as a helpful guide and increase their capacity to budget, invest and plan for the future.
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FNF SEEA Journalist Training Program 2022
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) would like to cooperate with five freelance journalists (or teams) in Southeast and East Asia by supporting their research and their publication of a multimedia feature article about “LGBTQ+ Life in Southeast and East Asia”. Our Program includes training by high-profile journalists and a 2,000 Euros honorarium for your multimedia article.
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ASEAN-EU Conference
The year of 2022 marks 45 years of partnership between the ASEAN and the EU. Much progress has been made; such as the elevation to a strategic partnership in 2020, and the EU’s recognition of ASEAN´s significance in the EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific. Now, in light of the global COVID-19 pandemic and political tensions in both Europe and Asia, there is an urgency to strengthen the partnership between the two entities even further
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Norm Entrepreneurship
A Norm Entrepreneur are "agents of social change" seeking to challenge societal problems to bring about political change. FNF has cooperated with the Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism for more than 25 years. This booklet highlights successes and contributions of the Working Group.
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How to be an Entrepreneur in the Next Normal Era
What does it take to be an entrepreneur especially after a COVID-19 pandemic? What kind of mind-set, challenges, and risk can you expect? These are some of the questions that were answered in the FNF Alumni Event “Next Normal Innovators: Navigating Emerging Landscapes in Entrepreneurship”
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How A Large Steel Cooperation is Stepping Up to Tackle the Environmental Crisis
Climate change is becoming more of an immediate and deeply concerning issue. Burning of fossil fuels has irrefutably caused both a release of air pollutant and greenhouse gases. This consequently leads to disastrous climate change. It is time to act, and corporations are stepping up to play a role in building a sustainable and greener future for all.
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Fake Accounts, Bots, and Trolls: How Social Media influences Philippine’s Future
Social Media is being used as a tool to change the way Filipinos are receiving their primary source of news and information, and this is shaping up to have a momentous effect upon the upcoming general elections on the 3rd of May 2022. FNF Southeast and East Asia and Asia Centre presented the “World Press Freedom Day Roundtable Discussions” to highlights the importance of Press Freedom using the 2022 Philippines Presidential Election as a case example.
Focus
Our Project Directors
Most popular
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Gen Z Survey: Committed to Human Rights, Worried about Democracy
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IAF-Seminare 2025
Seminars -
AI in the super election year - revolution or familiar threat in a new guise?
Artificial Intelligence -
Strong sign for free trade from Montevideo, but still too early for champagne corks
EU-Mercosur Agreement