1. Civil Society Engagement in
ASEAN: Appreciating the
Journey, Cultivating Gains and
Addressing the Challenges
YUYUN WAHYUNINGRUM
Senior Advisor on ASEAN and Human Rights
(HRWG) Indonesia

2. It is about
building a
democratic
dialogue in
ASEAN
Since the adoption of ASEAN Charter in
2008, even far before its adoption, much
was said about engaging civil
society, respecting human
rights, promoting democracy and about
good governance in ASEAN’s high-level
statements and documents.

3. APPRECIATING THE JOURNEY
 Civil society has not always a key component in the decisionmaking history of ASEAN, however, gradually but partially, it has
been changed in recent years.
 There is an increase of openness shown ASEAN and some
member countries to allow the participation of wider stakeholders
in their decision-making processes
 There are emerging interests by civil society organisations (CSOs)
to engage with ASEAN
 Initial efforts to link ASEAN with the people in the region were
already pursued since the late 1990s through the ASEAN People’s
Assembly (APA)
 In 2005 that civil society groups began to put their acts together
to begin seeking direct access to ASEAN policy-making circle

4. Strategy: Simultaneous Approaches
Regional
Lobby, Net
work &
Advocacy
ASEAN: Credible,
Accessible,
Responsive,
Accountable,
Transparent
National
Lobby, Net
work, Advoc
acy &
Campaign
 Top Down: Creation of
demand in regional level
through regional
organizations.
 ASEAN secretariat
 ASEAN
Representatives/Bodies
 International Institutions
 Bottom Up: Pushing for need
of making ASEAN to be more
people-centered
 Individual member countries
 CSOs/NGOs (Nat & Regional)

5. Element of
CS’s
Engageme
nt: Shaping the issues &

Crossing-over,
Member of the
WG, Assistance for the
Reps



Campaign:
Media, International
Community, public
Annual CS Performance
Report on AICHR
Communication & Inputs
Submission
Relationship/Stakeholder
Building
Training and Workshops
on ASEAN human rights
mechanisms


Knowledge Building +
Research
Network-Building incl.
Social Networking
Lobby & Working behind
the Scene
priorities of ASEAN
HR Mechanisms
Standard Setting
Agenda Setting
Influencing the
process, decision
making & end-result
Pressures: Bottomup, Top-down
Opinion building

6. Curr
ent
Initia
tives
ASEAN Leaders
ASEAN
Secretariat
ASEAN SecGen
Sectorial Bodies
Targets of CS
Engagement
Committee
Permanent
Representatives
(CPR)
AICHR
AMM (Foreign
Ministers
Meeting)
ACMW
ACWC

7. ASEAN Civil Society
Conferences/ASEAN Peoples Forums
2005-2012
Year
Place
The Name of the Event
2005
Shah Alam,
Malaysia
1st ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)
2006
Cebu, the
Philippines
2nd ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)
2007
Singapore
3rd ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)
2009
Bangkok,
Thailand
4th ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/ 1st ASEAN
Peoples’ Forum (APF)
2009
Hua Hin,
Thailand
5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/2nd ASEAN
Peoples’ Forum (APF)
2010
Hanoi, Vietnam
6th ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (APF)
2011
Jakarta,
Indonesia
ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/ ASEAN Peoples’
Forum (APF) 2011
2012
Phnom Penh,
Cambodia
ASEAN Civil Society Conference (ACSC)/ ASEAN Peoples’
Forum (APF) 2012 – March & November
2013
Brunei
2014
Myanmar

8. The ACSC/APF Process
 Aimed at community building and solidarity
amongst SEA peoples
 Pushing for inclusion in place of exclusion: people’s
participation, people-to-people regionalism
 Aimed at engagement with ASEAN
 Socializing ASEAN among its peoples
 and the Institutionalization of engagement
mechanisms and processes
 Transparency and Accountability

9. Leaders’ Interface Meeting with
CS
Year
ACSC/APF Process (Track III/CS)
2005,
Malaysi
a
ASEAN ISIS Process (Track II/Think Tank)
1st ACSC/ ASEAN Civil Society
Conference in Shah Alam
15 Minute Meeting
Mixed Delegation of 10 and 10
ASEAN Heads of State
2006,
2nd ACSC
Philippin No Interface Meeting with
es
Leaders
APA/ASEAN Peoples’ Assembly by
ASEAN ISIS (process recognized by
ASEAN Chair) in Manila
No Interface Meeting with Leaders.
Instead Reading of APA Chairman’s
Report
2007,
3rd ACSC
Singapo No Interface Meeting with
re
Leaders
ACSC 2007 by SIIA Simon Tay (process
recognized by ASEAN Chair)
No Interface Meeting with Leaders.
Instead Reading of ACSC 2007
Chairman’s Report

10. Leaders’ Interface Meeting with
CS
Year
ACSC/APF Process (Track
III/CS)
2009, Feb
ruary, Ba
ngkok
4th ACSC (within the 1st ASEAN Peoples’ Forum)
30 minute Interface between CS Delegation and ASEAN Heads of
State
Hua-Hin, Thailand was divided into two sections. The first 15 minutes
was for the meeting with CS Delegates and the rest 15 minutes was
for those who have been rejected by the Rep of Government
(Myanmar and Cambodia)
2009
October,
Cha-am
2nd ASEAN Peoples’ Forum/5th ASEAN Civil Society Conference
15 minutes, Interface Meeting between CS Delegation (some
government appointed) and ASEAN Heads of State (optional)
2010
Hanoi
6th APF
No Interface Meeting with Leaders. Instead CS Reps met with Chair
of ASEAN, the Vice Prime Minister of Vietnam.
Recognition of the process. ASEAN Chairman’s statement: 2
paragraphs appreciation of organizing of the APF and took note of

11. Leaders’ Interface Meeting with CS
Year
ACSC/APF Process (Track III/CS)
2011, J
akarta
•10 persons representing 10 countries
•45 minutes (additional 15 mins from earlier agreement 30 mins)
•4 speakers (extended from initially only one speaker allowed)
•Time: 15:45 –
•10+1 (HoS/G + Foreign Min), ASG + DSG Corp and Comm
Affairs
•Indonesia’s President greets all CS Delegates at the door
•Indonesia’s President welcomes CS Delegates, makes speech
and allows CS Delegate to speak
•All delegates introduce themselves by mentioning the name
and followed by “I am from ASEAN”
•Indonesia’s President, Malaysia PM Najib, Razak, Thai PM Abishit
Vejajiva, and PM Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dzung responded (see
Annexes)
•Indonesia’s President gives closing remarks and walks toward
the CS Delegate and shakes their hand one by one. All leaders

12. Leaders’ Interface Meeting with CS
Year
ACSC/APF Process (Track III/CS)
2012,
Phnom
Penh
• Head of States met representatives from GONGOs of 8
countries (absent: Indonesia and the Philippines)
•30 minutes
•Topic: gender and development
2013,
Brunei

13. CSO Platforms in engaging ASEAN
Name
frequent Engaging the body
ACSC/APF
annually
ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF)
annually
ASEAN Youth Forum
annually
ASEAN Grass-root People
Assembly
annually
ASEAN Community Dialogue
ASEAN SUMMIT
Head of
States/Governmen
ts
annually
ASEAN Committee
Permanent Representatives
(CPR)
CPR
Civil Society Forum to AMM on
human rights
annually
ASEAN Ministers Meeting
(AMM)
Foreign Ministers
Informal Dialogue between CSO
and ASG
annually
ASEAN Secretary General
(ASG)
Secretary General
Jakarta Human Rights Dialogue
in ASEAN
annually
ASEAN Human Rights
Mechanisms
AICHR, ACWC
GO-NGO Forum on Social
Welfare & Development
annually
ASEAN Senior Official
Meeting on SWD
SOM officials

14. Current CS Engagement with
Human Rights Mechanisms
AICHR
 AICHR only want to meet with
those who are affiliated with the
ASEAN Charter
 The newly adopted AICHR
Guideline of Operation silent on
CS engagement
 After number of rejection and
selectivity manner in engaging
civil society, on June 22, AICHR
conducted a regional
consultation on AHRD
 Consultation only happen in
Indonesia, Thailand and the
Philippines
 CS continue to submit inputs,
reports, papers to AICHR
 CS is a sensitive issue in AICHR,
but during their visit to US, they
met US-based CSOs
ACWC
 Started with Informal Dinner (2011),
Informal Session (2011), JointWorkshop (2012), Formal Session
(2012)
 Informal Session: 9 out of 20 Reps
attended
 Informal Session: 16 out 20 Reps
attended
 Joint-Workshop: 18 out of 20 Reps
attended
 Formal Session: 20 Reps attended
 Good Result, Good process,
substantive discussion, cordial
ambiance
 Inputs from CS have been
included in the reference
documents of the ACWC
 The initial suggestion to erase civil
society” & international standards”
in TOR ACWC has been put down
 ACWC uses inputs from CS in
formulating their positions

15. Engagement in AHRD drafting process
Drafting Group on AHRD
June 2011-Jan 2012
AICHR Meeting on AHRD
Jan – June 2012
ASEAN Ministerial Meeting
July 2012
AICHR Meeting on AHRD
August-Oct 2012

16. CULTIVATING GAINS
 Civil Society’s role is visible in ASEAN community building
 Civil Society engagement improve the accountability of
ASEAN. A critical and watchful civil society is a factor of
paramount importance for good governance
 Growing discussion on governance and government,
people-oriented versus people-centered organization
 ACSC should remain as one of the key platforms which civil
society uses to exchange ideas and advance their inputs to
ASEAN leaders and relevant policy-makers
 Civil-Society should maintain its process as civil society-led
and show willingness and readiness to engage with ASEAN
and its Member Government
 He organizing of ACSC should be improved from time to
time through trying and experiencing

17. INCLUSION OF CSO’S INPUTS IN AHRD
 Article 9: …. The process of such realisation shall take into
account peoples’ participation, inclusivity and the need for
accountability.
 Article 22: ... All forms of intolerance, discrimination and
incitement of hatred based on religion and beliefs shall be
eliminated.
 Article 27 (3) …Those who employ children and young
people in work harmful to their morals or health, dangerous
to life, or likely to hamper their normal development,
including their education should be punished by law.
 Article 36: …ASEAN Member States should adopt
meaningful people-oriented and gender responsive
development programmes aimed at poverty alleviation
 and so on…

18. +
Our Collective Knowledge in the last 8 years
ASEAN’s Alternative Regionalism
(Source: HRWG Study, 2011)
•Particularly: Women
& Youth, Indigenous
People / Ethnic
Minority, and CSOs
•Against unjust FTA,
privatization,
•Reject neoliberal
economic policies
•Democracy
•Human Rights
•Transparency
•Accountability
•Mainly: ILO,
UNFCCC, CEDAW,
UNCRC, UNDRIP,
&MDGs

19. ADDRESSING GAPS & CHALLENGES
 How have we been following up our recommendations to
ASEAN? Who should do this task? What would be the follow
up mechanisms for this?
 Lack of coherence between regional and national efforts
 Paternalistic approach in civil society participation
 Lack of accountability
 Politicization of the participation, people’s voices and
inclusion
 Criminalization of dissents

20. CSO Platforms in engaging ASEAN
Name
frequent Engaging the body
ACSC/APF
annually
ASEAN Disability Forum (ADF)
annually
ASEAN Youth Forum
annually
ASEAN Grass-root People
Assembly
annually
ASEAN Community Dialogue
ASEAN SUMMIT
Head of
States/Governmen
ts
annually
ASEAN Committee
Permanent Representatives
(CPR)
CPR
Civil Society Forum to AMM on
human rights
annually
ASEAN Ministers Meeting
(AMM)
Foreign Ministers
Informal Dialogue between CSO
and ASG
annually
ASEAN Secretary General
(ASG)
Secretary General
Jakarta Human Rights Dialogue
in ASEAN
annually
ASEAN Human Rights
Mechanisms
AICHR, ACWC
GO-NGO Forum on Social
Welfare & Development
annually
ASEAN Senior Official
Meeting on SWD
SOM officials

21. WAYS FORWARD: FOR DISCUSSION
 Expanding spaces for civil society in ASEAN Process –
there is a need to discuss how, where, when
 We want an INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IN ASEAN which
reflect the values of inclusivity, accountability, nondiscrimination, human rights-based approach, embodied
best practices, gender equality, replicable at the
national level, with verifiable indicators
 Inclusive government indicators: freedom of
information, access to participate in all levels matters,
 Need to overcome the problem in organizing ACSC/APF
at the national level. Take the issue as regional
responsibility, our responsibility

22. Way Forward
 There is a need to have a grand and long-term strategy
on how to institutionalize the participation and
involvement of civil society in ASEAN
 Building up the blocks that have been initiated by the
previous chair rather than making a new one