As the liberal international order faces a crisis, the historic Summit for Democracies will take place. With the center of international relations shifting to the Asia region in terms of the economy and security, how to protect liberal democracy and human rights in the region will be a key in defining the future of the international order as a whole.
Specific ways of achieving the three goals of the Summit (defending against authoritarianism, fighting corruption, and advancing respect for human rights) in Asia as the core of the region need sensitivity to a variety of factors, such as local history, experiences, and culture. Then what sensitivities must be taken into account in Asian countries and in the Asian region as a whole? What kind of regional partnership should we form to achieve these goals? What types of institutions and norms are necessary? Who should be involved in their formation?
To respond to the call for “Bringing in voices into the Summit for Democracy Conversation” by the International IDEA’s Global Coalition of the Democracy Forum, JCIE will organize the webinar on December 7 to hear from experts from Asian democracies about these issues from the viewpoints of the context of their own countries and the Asian region as a whole.
AGENDA
- Democracy in the Asia-Pacific Region: Challenges and prospects
- Towards building a democratic partnership in the region
- How to engage with non-democratic countries
Moderator: Yukio Takasu, Chair, JCIE Future of Democracy Study Project; Special Advisor to the UN Secretary General on Human Security; former Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations
DISCUSSION PANEL
Yamini Aiyar, President and Chief Executive, Centre for Policy Research, India
Edna Estifania A. Co, Full Professor and former Dean of the National College of Public Administration and Governance, University of the Philippines
I Ketut Putra Erawan, Executive Director of Institute for Peace and Democracy (IPD), Bali, Indonesia
Maiko ICHIHARA, Associate Professor, the Graduate School of Law and the School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University
Hun Joon Kim, Professor, Department of Political Science, Korea University
DISCUSSANTS
Leena Rikkilla Tamang, Director for the Asia and the Pacific Region International IDEA
Manpreet Singh Anand, Regional Director for Asia-Pacific, NDI