I recently had the opportunity to attend UNESCAP’s Forum on Sustainable Development – essentially it was a discussion around how the Asia-Pacific will implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals Agenda. This was a great chance for me to observe a high level intergovernmental forum and continue networking. A few observations I will share:
I recently participated in the ACWC (ASEAN Commission on the Protection and Promotion of Women and Children) Civil Society Consultation on the Regional Plan of Action on the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children - Yes, the title is an absolute mouthful! I managed to get in by helping out Forum-Asia (the NGO that was helping to host this consultation) by being their official note-taker. The Forum-Asia team were fantastic - they invited me in to all their meetings and I really got a feel for the organization and strategy around these meetings. This meeting was essentially the tangible product of my research topic and I gained so much rich information being there. A few observations I am reflecting on:
Later in the week I assisted in the first regional consultation meeting of APF 2016 (ASEAN People's Forum). This is the civil society forum that runs alongside the ASEAN Summit each year. Historically, the APF has been held in the country, which is chairing ASEAN and the Summit (Laos for 2016). Due to human rights concerns, APF decided to hold its meeting in Timor-Leste for 2016. Timor-Leste has been part of APF for many years and its membership application to ASEAN is currently under consideration. This was an open meeting but I once again assisted Forum-Asia in the capacity of being the official note-taker for the meeting (Forum-Asia funded the meeting). I met so many amazing people from civil society who are fighting for so many worthy causes - this really fueled my fire for wanting to work alongside or help such causes. Again, this meeting was a tangible product of my research topic and I gained a lot of good information.
A few observations I am reflecting on:
The note-taking process at both meetings required a lot of detail and therefore a lot of focus - I was exhausted at the end of each day but the exercise allowed me to come away with great information. It was a real honor to attend both events and it really shows how just one meeting can change the course of your research (I cold-called Forum-Asia - their Director agreed to meet and the ball got rolling from there!). The particular institutional body I have been focusing on during my research is ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations). Established in August 1967, ASEAN is a regional grouping comprised of the following Member States: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
Officially launched in 2015, the ‘ASEAN Community’ marks a new chapter in ASEAN’s history. The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. The focus appears to be around the Economic pillar although to realise ASEAN’s goal of a “people centered ASEAN” community building also needs to occur under the Socio-Cultural pillar. I believe that a key aspect of community building is knowledge and visibility of the community you are creating. Many people claim that ASEAN citizens have little knowledge of what ASEAN is or does. I suspect these claims come from that fact that up until now ASEAN has had little impact on the daily lives of people. When compared to the EU, citizens can easily see and experience the impacts of regionalism through the shared currency, open borders etc. I visited Southeast Asia in October last year (prior to the official launch of the ASEAN Community) and payed close attention to the visibility and presence of ASEAN. Being in the region after the launch of the ASEAN Community, I have noticed an increase in the visibility of ASEAN. A few examples I will share with you include:
My research in Cambodia revealed a number of issues confronting local women but the one issue that was consistently mentioned (and often said to be the primary issue) is violence against women. Statistics show that 25% of Cambodian women have experienced physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence. Below, I will share two points of interest I gained from people working in this area:
Thanks to a EWC collegue, I had the opportunity to meet with a prominent Cambodian man - Mr Son Soubert. Mr Son's father (Son Sann) was Prime Minister of Cambodia (1967-1968) and a leader of the anti-communist resistance movement during Khmer Rouge regime and the conflict that followed. Following the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979, many Cambodian's fled the destroyed country in order to survive - Mr Son's father set up camps along the Thai/Cambodian border to help these people. Mr Son lived and worked in these camps. It was a real honour to speak with Mr Son - he was incredibly humble and softly spoken.
Later in the week, I had the opportunity to meet with a Cambodian women who has worked in women's rights for over 20 years. As things have a way of going in full circle, this women lived in one of Mr Son's border camps and subsequently worked for UNTAC during Cambodia's first 'free' elections in 1993. Samneang was sent to Australia to do the voting for Cambodian's abroad and cast the first vote in the election (for Mr Son's party of course!). She was very excited that I had met with Mr Son and opened up to me about her life as a child during the regime and then living in the border camps. This was a touching conversation for me - you can read more about her story here. During my time in Cambodia I have been drawn to learning more about the country's dark history - particularly the Khmer Rouge regime from 1975-1979.
As many tourists do, I took the opportunity to visit some infamous sites around Phnom Penh linked to this history - the 'Genocide Museum' (Tuol Sleng) and the 'Killing Fields' (Cheung Ek - unfortunately just one of many such fields in Cambodia). This was an emotionally charged day for me due to the parallels of suffering that I could draw between my Grandfather's experience as a polish orphan of the Nazi regime. I purchased a book from one of the survivors of Tuol Sleng (he has a small stand on site) which gave a good personal narrative to this tragedy. A few days following my visit, I was privileged to with meet one of the Directors of the Tuol Sleng to learn more about the work of the museum. After being so moved by the survivor's story I asked the Director to introduce me to him and also another survivor on site. The Director explained that I was from New Zealand and also explained my Grandfather's history. Speaking briefly with these men was a really special experience for me. I learnt from them that a NZ man was killed at Tuol Sleng and his brother came to testify on his behalf at the war crimes tribunal a few years ago - I am eager to follow this story up. Both men were really excited that I purchased their books and offered to have a photo together - the photos are a bit cheesy but something I will cherish. Group Project The GIST Team has just completed our mid-point rendezvous group project. We partnered with Sustainable Cambodia, a NGO in Pursat (halfway between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap). For three days we worked alongside the staff, students and teachers on a number of topics: Futures Thinking, Teacher Training in Futures Methodology, Inquiry-Based Learning, Photography Training, Marketing and Social Media for NGOs, Mindfulness and Meditation. Doing this type of ground work with NGO's is rewarding but exhausting. This experience has solidified my thinking that my skills are better utilized and I am more comfortable at the policy level BUT that this type of work should be mixed in so as to keep more grounded on the issues.
Sustainable Cambodia were great hosts who were eager and willing to engage and learn. I appreciated the genuineness of the staff and was inspired that many of them began at Sustainable Cambodia as students themselves. The staff were extremely intelligent and personally invested in the cause they were working for. First Impressions Some people say that all Asian cities look the same but Phnom Penh has a distinctly unique look an feel than other cities I have visited - I can't quite put my finger on exactly why this is yet. It seems to be in the midst of becoming a big city but is still developing - I wonder how 'westernised' it will become? I look forward developing this thinking as I explore the city more this week. I was struck by the rubbish sprawled on the side of the road in the city and confused by the disproportionate amount of expensive Toyota trucks and range rovers on the road. I was surprised by the bareness of the countryside whilst travelling between Phnom Penh and Pursat - it didn't have the kind of beauty I expected. I was given some context around this after learning from the children at Sustainable Cambodia that cutting of trees was a concern in their community. MJ After spending 10 or so days in Chiang Mai, I returned back to Bangkok. After spending so much time in Bangkok it really felt like coming 'home'. I returned to my favourite hotel - Red Planet - and enjoyed being back in a familiar area with great cheap food.
I had a bunch of meetings in a short space of time - while this has been very efficient it has also been exhausting trying to keep up with the admin side of things. Here's an overview of two my meetings along with my observations:
I find it helpful to do reflections such as those above after each of my meetings so I can identify the key takeaways - both in terms of knowledge and interaction. MJ I enjoyed the transition from Bangkok to Chiang Mai – it was nice to get out of the big city! I spent just under two weeks in Chiang Mai and I found it a nice retreat to recuperate and re-energise.
I met with an EWC alum who is a journalist and Southeast Asian expert. Keith has close connections with Burma's ethnic rebel groups and has been covering this conflict for many years. It was fascinating listening to his colourful stories and interesting insights about women in the region. I also spent some time with the NZ based trafficking organisation called Nvader. Nvader helped me set up a visit with a victim/survivor shelter named Compass 31. I had the pleasure of meeting its founder – a US woman who is a survivor of trafficking herself. This was a heavy meeting for me and I would like to share a story she told me: "People always say 'why don't they just run away'...women trafficked for sex may look physically free but are mentally imprisoned...I use elephant training as an analogy to try and make people understand...Handlers tie baby elephants to huge trunks with large ropes when they are young. The young elephants pull and tug and fight until they tire out, and they soon learn that they cannot move when tied up. The handlers then use increasingly smaller ropes and sticks, but the elephants never tug at them. They’ve learned that they simply cannot move when tied up...It is just as easy to make a women believe in her own powerlessness. If you have experiences that makes you believe you are powerless, you keep on believing it." I again met with the regional coordination from APWLD. We initially met at CSW60 and I had the opportunity to visit their office in Chiang Mai. Kate has been incredibly generous with her time with me and I have enjoyed our deep discussions about 'whats going on' in women's rights and institutions in the region. Her drive and passion for what she does is incredibly inspiring. I find it interesting to track my thoughts throughout GIST. After nearly every meeting I have had I feel so inspired and energized. It is interesting to track which causes stick with me and which lessen over time. I feel that GIST is giving me such a special and rare insight into so many areas and organisations that when I decide on my next step it will be a very informed decision! I have enjoyed the kindness of the Thais. Interestingly, I have found the thai women much kinder and fairer than the men. I'm not sure if its because I am a women or whether it is a cultural thing. I had one interesting experience today when I was running late for a meeting. I waved down a taxi and he said it would be 250B to get to the place. I had been told that I should not pay more than 150B by the hotel but I didn't have time to barter. The driver ended up dropping me at the wrong place and I went into a coffee shop to ask for assistance. The young girls were so kind and showed me on the map where to go. Then one took me outside and told me she would take me on her motorbike there. She refused to take my money but I managed to give her 40B after some protest. I could not believe the kindness of these young girls and the stark contrast between my experience only minutes before. Karma is real. MJ |
Author
I am a lawyer from New Zealand with a special interest in human rights and regionalism. Archives
September 2016
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