Our ASEAN: Getting It Right – Peoples at the Core

Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur | 24 October 2025

The ASEAN Peoples Forum 2025 (ASEANPEOPLES@ASEAN2025) gathered civil society organizations and activists from across Southeast Asia to reaffirm the vision of a people- centred ASEAN. A total of 13 local NGOs from Timor-Leste participated, representing more than 280 members under the Forum Organisation Non-Governmental Timor-Leste (FONGTIL). The forum also welcomed 30 NGOs and activists from Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia.

🌏Objectives

1. Welcoming Timor-Leste as ASEAN’s newest full member.
2. Exploring pathways toward a global norm for a sustainable and just economy.
3. Engaging through thematic workshops on:

• Overcoming xenophobia and addressing racism risks faced by migrant workers in Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Myanmar.
• Strategic directions for international and regional human rights advocacy, with a special focus on Myanmar.
• Lessons from Indonesia, Malaysia, and Timor-Leste for a people-centred, just, and inclusive energy transition.
  
  

💡Key Takeaways

4. Strengthen inclusive advocacy at both state and federal levels.
5. Build solidarity networks that foster unity within and among ASEAN member states.
6. Advance regional and global human rights advocacy through cooperation and collective action.