Since 19 October 2016 John Samuel has taken up the position of Executive Director of FORUM-ASIA. The following interview is based on a conversation we had with John, as he sets out on this new phase in his career. We asked him about what had motivated him in the first place to become a human [ Read more ]

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), together with the Martin Ennals Award and the Right Livelihood Award, will host a panel discussion on the 25th Anniversary of its founding and 10th Anniversary of its presence in Geneva, entitled ‘50 Years of the International Bill of Human Rights and 10 Years of the [ Read more ]

In January 2016 FORUM-ASIA elected a new Executive Committee. Over the last months, through interviews like the following one, we have introduced the different individual human rights defenders to you who will be part of the Committee for the coming three years. This time we talked to Ruki Fernando, from Sri Lanka, who is a [ Read more ]

In 2016 the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) celebrated its 25th Anniversary. A milestone that was celebrated with a year-long campaign that included a publication, an online version of the same, an exhibition, many social media postings and much more. This report summarises the presentations and discussions that took place during the [ Read more ]

On 9 March 2016, FORUM-ASIA, Southern Peasant Federation of Thailand (SPFT), Community Resource Center (CRC), Amnesty International Thailand, Focus on the Global South, and Protection International organised a panel discussion in Bangkok, Thailand. The discussion deliberated on the challenges faced by land rights defenders in Thailand, and recommend more effective ways to ensure their safety.

After talking with its new Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson, FORUM-ASIA met with the Secretary of Odhikar, Adilur Rahman Khan. Adilur has been re-elected for the second time in a row to represent its organisation in the Executive Committee of FORUM-ASIA. Adilur is a practicing lawyer of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, as well as a prominent [ Read more ]

In 2016 FORUM-ASIA elected a new Executive Committee. With its appointment, a new Chair, a new Vice-Chair and a new Treasurer were also chosen. Last e-newsletter we featured a short interview with our new Chair. This time we talked to our new Vice-Chair Rafendi Djamin. Rafendi has just been appointed as the first Director of [ Read more ]

2016 is a remarkable year for FORUM-ASIA. We are celebrating 25 years of the organisation’s existence. 25 years of promoting and protecting human rights; facing challenges and victories; and implementing trainings, campaigns and advocacy missions throughout Asia. We look back on both times of struggle and times of success, and creating milestones. In January 2016, [ Read more ]

On 8 January 2016, FORUM-ASIA celebrated its 25th anniversary in Bangkok, at the Pridi Banomyong Institute. Over the course of the event, participants reflected on what FORUM-ASIA achieved over the years, what lessons were learnt, and discussed priorities for the future. Click here to read the report of the event.