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Panel Discussion “Funding Challenges for Civil Society in Southeast Asia”
15 February, 2019 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
While there is much talk of the shrinking of civic space in Southeast Asia (and the world), public discussion rarely touches on how this also affects (and is affected by) the availability of funding for civil society organizations, in particular those that advocate for human rights. With this event on 15 February 2019, focusing on the funding challenges experienced by civil society in the region, we are launching a series of events and publications entitled “Wielding the funding strings of civil society in Southeast Asia” with support by the Open Society Foundations. This initiative is born out of an article with the same title recently written by SEA Junction’s director for New Mandala (). As the article notes:
“Across Southeast Asia, governments’ stiffened oversight is limiting access to international and national funds by CSOs, in particular when directed at financing advocacy and rights-based activities. This occurs amidst an evolving development aid landscape wherein established donor agencies reposition themselves in line with more conservative contexts back home and abroad, and where a new set of funders does not necessarily appreciate the merit of a “vibrant civil society” for democracy and development”.
In this first event, after an introduction of the issues at stake, we will listen to the voices of activists on the challenges they encounter in raising funds. The panel speakers are:
Rosalia (Lia) Sciortino, IPSR, Mahidol & SEA Junction, Thailand
A changing funding landscape in Southeast Asia
Kamala (Nana) Chandrakirana, Indonesia untuk Kemanusiaan, Indonesia
How to resource civil society in Indonesia
Midnight Poonkasetwattana, APCOM, Thailand
Raising funds for LGBTs in Southeast
Speaker from other Southeast Asian country (Tbc)
Speakers profiles
Rosalia (Lia) Sciortino
Dr Rosalia Sciortino is Associate Professor at the Institute for Population and Social Research (IPSR), Mahidol University, Visiting Professor in the Master in International Development Studies (MAIDS), Chulalongkorn University, and founder and Director of SEA Junction (www.seajunction.org). Formerly, she served as regional director for the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) in Singapore and for the Rockefeller Foundation in Bangkok, as Senior Adviser for AusAID (now DFAT), and as program officer in the Ford Foundation’s offices for Indonesia and the Philippines.
Kamala (Nana) Chandrakirana
Kamala Chandrakirana, commonly called Nana, is a feminist human rights activist for justice and women’s rights in Indonesia. She has been a member of the United Nations Working Group on discrimination against women since 2011 and part of many regional networks such as the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development. She spent over a decade founding and serving the National Commission on Violence Against Women first as Secretary General and later as Chair. She is the chair of Indonesia untuk Kemanusiaan (IKA), an intermediary grant-making organization in Indonesia devoted to social justice and a founder of the recently established Urgent Action Fund- Asia to provide flexible funding to human rights defenders.
Midnight Poonkasetwattan
Based in Bangkok, Midnight Poonkasetwattan has been APCOM (Asia Pacific Coalition on Man Sexual Health)’s executive director since May 2011. Midnight is also a member of various advisory and steering committees including the global IDAHOT committee and the Freedom House’ Dignity for All and the Robert Carr Civil Society Networks Fund. Before APCOM, he was with the Purple Sky Network where he engaged with LGBTIQ communities in the Greater Mekong Sub-region.
Source: MSF
The event is free, but donations are most welcome to enable SEA Junction to continue its activities and keep events accessible to the public.
For information/reservation for our events please email southeastasiajunction@gmail.com or phone/wa: +66970024140
Organizers:
SEA Junction, OUR Venue to Connect on Southeast Asia (see https://seajunction.org) SEA Junction aims to foster understanding and appreciation of Southeast Asia in all its socio-cultural dimensions –from arts and lifestyles to economy and development. Conveniently located at Room 408 of the Bangkok Arts and Culture Centre or BACC (across MBK, BTS National Stadium) SEA junction facilitates public access to knowledge resources and exchanges among students, practitioners and Southeast Asia lovers. For more information see seajunction.org and join the Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/1693055870976440/
Open Society Foundations (OSF)
OSF, the Open Society Institute, is an international grant-making network that
work to build vibrant and tolerant societies whose governments are accountable and open to the participation of all people including through provision of financial support to civil society groups. For more information see https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org
