The Asia Pacific Working Group counts members from nine countries. It was created in 2018 during GAAMAC’s third Global Meeting.
The Asia Pacific region is home to multi-ethnic societies with rich and diverse civilizations, political culture, and history. The Asia Pacific Working Group translates GAAMAC’s vision into regional, culturally-relevant support to national atrocity prevention mechanisms and policies. It raises awareness and builds knowledge on prevention mechanisms, with an emphasis on hate speech, incitement and discrimination as lead risk factors to the commission of mass atrocities.
2022 highlights
Following the publication of a report on hate speech in the Asia Pacific in 2021, two workshops and one webinar contributed to the dissemination of its findings.
- On 5 September, the Asia Pacific Working Group held a workshop in Bangkok, hosted by the Chulalongkorn University. 29 people attended in-person and online, among whom were representatives from the UNDP Bangkok regional office, civil society groups, and academia/think tanks. The key findings of the cases studies on hate speech were presented by Noel Morada and Cecilia Jacob (Co-Chairs of the Asia Pacific Working Group), and co-authors Marc Batac, Alif Satria and Khadija Rashid.
- Two days later, on 7 September, a second workshop was held in There were 17 in-person and online participants, which included some representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, media, civil society representatives, and academic/think tank experts. Participants expressed their appreciation for the APWG members and the GAAMAC for organising the workshops and indicated continuing interest in the group’s work and future engagement in the region through collaborative research and capacity building on prevention of hate speech and incitement.
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- On 12 October, the author of the Malaysia case study in the 2021 report was invited to participate in a webinar by another of GAAMAC’s partner, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience. Along with a civil society expert from Sri Lanka, Dr Ruji Auethavornpipat shared his insight and recommendations on hate speech against migrants and minorities.
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In total, 46 people participated to the Asia Pacific Working Group’s activities.
35% women / 65% men
83% CSO / 15% regional or international organizations / 2% States
2021 highlights
- In 2020, a series of case studies were initiated on hate speech and incitement against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, ethnic minorities in India, and the Bangsamoro population in the Philippines. The research continued in 2021 in three more countries – Malaysia, Pakistan and Bangladesh – and, in the wake of Covid-19, researches also documented how the global pandemic influenced dynamics of discrimination and hate speech.
- In November 2021, this research was compiled in the peer-reviewed report Preventing Hate Speech, Incitement, and Discrimination: Lessons on Promoting Tolerance and Respect for Diversity in the Asia Pacific and presented at GAAMAC’s fourth Global Meeting.
Listen to Dr Cecilia Jacob, editor of the report, presenting its main findings
Members of the Asia Pacific Working Group
Regional/Global
- Asia Justice and Rights
- Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
- Centre for Strategic and International Studies
- Global Justice Center
Australia
- Australian National University
Bangladesh
- Center for the Study of Genocide and Justice, Liberation War Museum*
India
- Human Rights Alert
Indonesia
- State University of Jakarta
Myanmar/Burma
- ALTSEAN-Burma
- Fortify Rights Burma
Philippines
- Initiatives for International Dialogue
*Member of GAAMAC’s Steering Group
The Asia Pacific Working Group also includes members who serve in their individual capacity:
- Ruji Auethavornpipat, Senior Research Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law (Thailand)
- Marc Batac, Programmes Manager at Initiatives for International Dialogue (Philippines)
- Dr Bhanubhatra Kaan Jittiang, Director of MAIDS-GRID and Lecturer in International Relations Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
- Mujeeb Kanth, Doctoral Candidate South Asian University (India)
- Naureen Rahim, PhD Research Fellow, Faculty of Law, University of Oslo (Bangladesh)
- Alif Satria, Researcher Centre for Strategic and International Studies (Indonesia)
- Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Representative of Indonesia to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (Indonesia)
- Salma Yusuf, Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court (Sri Lanka)
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Any state, non-government organization and academic institution involved in atrocity prevention is eligible to become a partner.
Governance
Dr Cecilia Jacob
Co-Chair
Dr Noel Morada
Co-Chair
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