The Preparatory meeting for the 2026 ASEAN Civil Society Conference @ Manila, Philippines

Ms Darshini Rawichandran from Malaysia, attended the Consultative Meeting via Zoom for 2026 ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF) on 21 Oct 2026.

Ryan Martinez of MASSA (Movement for Alternatives and Solidarity in Southeast Asia) moderated the zoom meeting. The meeting aims to set the direction and objectives of the 2026 ACSC/APF and the partnerships needed for mobilizing like-minded organizations to co-organize the forum.

Dr Ben Quinones was among the 28 participants from different organizations who participated in this zoom meeting.

Some of the key points discussed are as follows:

• Preparation and identifying key thematic areas.
• Strengthening collaboration among organizations across ASEAN.
• Discussed issues related to social, political, economic, environmental, and cultural dimensions.
• Emphasis on inclusive participation involving youth, women, migrant workers, marginalized and indigenous groups.
• Discussion on security, climate change, and food security as cross-cutting priorities.
• Importance of policy advocacy and government engagement to support regional actions.
• Potential partners and supporting organizations for each thematic area.

The Next Steps in the preparation:

• A follow-up meeting will be held to finalize thematic clusters and identify focal points for each working group.
• Organizations are encouraged to share inputs, proposed initiatives, and local case studies