Bangkok, Thailand – AsiaDHRRA network represented by Mr. Pan Sopheap of CamboDHRRA (Cambodia), Mr. Affan Firmansyah of Bina Desa (Indonesia), Ms. Maalini Ramalo of DHRRA Malaysia (Malaysia), Mr. Thongdam Phongphichith of LaoDHRRA (Lao PDR) with AsiaDHRRA execom Ms. Margarita de la Cruz and AsiaDHRRA secretariat Ms. Arcee Pila, participated in the series of events held in Bangkok, Thailand.
For the Asia-Pacific People’s Forum on Sustainable Development (APPFSD): “Strengthening Peoples’ Power for Development Justice in Unequal and Divided World” on 24-26 March 2019, civil society organizations gathered and worked together and consolidated their positions and recommendations for a regional sustainable development agenda. Asia-Pacific CSOs from different sectors and countries also explored common ground and actions, developed common messages and coordinated strategies for more effective participation in the national, regional and global intergovernmental processes on sustainable development. Discussions and perspectives were raised  during the high-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) on the 6th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development (APFSD) 2019 with the theme , “Empowering People for a more inclusive and equal Asia-Pacific” on 27-29 March 2019.
Also, part of the event on APFSD was the launching of report on the theme Accelerating progress: An empowered, inclusive and equal Asia and the Pacific which was lead by Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the UN, where AsiaDHRRA contributed a case on fostering trust and building resilience in a post-disaster setting in the Philippines.
The report provides strong evidence that promoting empowerment and inclusion are necessary approaches to reduce inequality and accelerate progress towards a broad array of Sustainable Development Goals. It is a contribution to the ongoing national, regional and global dialogues on opportunities to empower people, ensure their inclusion and advance equality.