Logistics
Date & Time: Thursday, June 18, 2026 | 9:30AM CEST / 2:30PM ICT
Online Platform: Zoom (will be livestreamed on GDC YouTube channel)
Co-hosting Organizations: Asia Centre, Global Democracy Coalition
Livestream Details: https://youtube.com/live/343if3NUs0s?feature=share
Background
The 2026 GDC Asia Regional Forum in Seoul convened democracy actors from across the region to reflect on democratic transitions, democratic resilience, technological change, and the evolving challenges facing democratic governance in Asia. Discussions highlighted recurring tensions surrounding institutional fragility, authoritarian adaptation, civic participation, regional coordination, and the growing impact of technology on democratic practice.
The Forum also reinforced the increasingly transnational nature of many democratic challenges facing the region. Democratic actors across Asia are confronting interconnected pressures that transcend national boundaries, including disinformation, surveillance, shrinking civic space, political polarisation, and the uneven governance implications of emerging technologies.
At the same time, discussions in Seoul pointed to important questions around democratic cooperation itself: how democratic actors can move beyond fragmented responses, what forms of regional solidarity are most effective, and how networks and alliances can better support democratic resilience and renewal in increasingly complex political environments.
Rather than revisiting the Forum panels, this interview creates space for strategic reflection on the broader lessons, tensions, and unanswered questions emerging from Seoul. It aims to continue the conversation beyond the Forum itself and help identify possible directions for future democratic cooperation and engagement in Asia.
Objectives
- Reflect on key themes, tensions, and lessons emerging from the GDC Asia Regional Forum
- Examine the increasingly transnational nature of democratic challenges in Asia
- Explore gaps, opportunities, and limitations in current forms of democratic cooperation
- Discuss the potential role of regional alliances and networks in supporting democratic resilience
- Identify strategic questions and priorities for future GDC engagement and democratic collaboration in Asia
Speakers / Experts Profiles
Aklima Ferdows Lisa
Director, Policy Analysis and Research Initiative (PARI)
Ms. Aklima Ferdows Lisa has studied law and worked at Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) in Bangladesh and a significant proportion of the work involved coordination of media advocacy, liaising with international counterparts for 5 years (2012-2016). She worked in the Counterpart International as its Digital Security Specialist during 2017-2020, an alumnus of IAF workshop: Rule of Law and Fundamental Rights 4.0 by Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom 2018. She has ten years of experience of conducting training on Human Rights, Safety-Security projects. She is a member of South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR) and an advisor of Urgent Action Fund for Women’s Human Rights Asia and Pacific (UAF A&P).
Celito Arlegue
Executive Director, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD)
Mr. Lito Arlegue is the Executive Director of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD). Apart from his work in CALD, he also serves as a lecturer in the Diplomacy and International Affairs Department of the De La Salle – College of St. Benilde in Manila. He obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at the University of the Philippines, where he has also finished the course work for Ph.D. in Political Science. He also completed a certificate course on international relations research at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in Geneva, Switzerland and a summer school in the Rene Cassin Foundation – International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France.
Dr. Chanroen Pa
President, Cambodian Institute for Democracy (CID)
Dr. Chanroeun Pa is a Cambodian public intellectual, civic leader, policy & political analyst, and senior research and evaluation consultant with over two decades of work across democracy, human rights, and governance reform in Cambodia and the ASEAN region. As Founding President of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy (CID), he has led training for 3,000+ participants nationwide and completed 40+ consultancy assignments spanning governance research, OECD-DAC evaluations, digital rights, and institutional strategic planning for UN agencies, international NGOs, and civil society networks. He is an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader (2024), a European Union Visitors Programme Distinguished Leader (2025), and a U.S. Department of State Institute Fellow (2017).