edited by Alex Chandra and Jenina Joy Chavez

This book is an initial attempt at documenting how far peoples’ advocacies have reached in ASEAN. It is a product of collaboration among groups and individuals involved in various advocacies and campaigns in the region, most of whom are active members of the Solidarity for Asian Peoples’ Advocacies (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN.

Civil society is increasingly becoming an important element in the regionalization process of South East Asia. On the one hand, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is starting to recognize the roles of civil society as crucial in determining its future shape and agenda. ASEAN is slowly, albeit cautiously, opening up its door for the involvement of civil society groups in its processes. On the other hand, the new interest in ASEAN reflects the growing importance civil society gives to it, both in terms of its potential benefits and in terms of the negative impacts an unaccountable regional association could mean to the region’s peoples. Still, civil society continues to regard ASEAN as elitist and state-centric; the regional body will have to do more if it is to achieve its dream of becoming a people-centered organization.  Read the whole book description from the SEACA Website