About Focus on the Global South - Secondary

Welcome to Focus on the Global South

An activist think tank based in Asia.

Established in 1995 to challenge neoliberalism, militarism and corporate-driven globalisation while strengthening just and equitable alternatives, we work in solidarity with peoples’ movements to challenge neoliberalism, corporate-driven globalization, and imperial domination, and to build just, democratic, and sustainable alternatives.

The Philippines

May 14, 2026

ASEAN CSOs gather in the Philippines, resist “business as usual,” and call on ASEAN to address regional crises while upholding the fundamental rights of the peoples

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May 2026, Quezon City — More than civil society organizations (CSOs) from across Southeast Asia gathered in Quezon City on – May 2026 for the Regional Consultative Meeting (RCM) of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN Peoples’ Forum (ACSC/APF), calling on ASEAN governments to move beyond rhetoric and take urgent action on the region’s worsening political, economic, social, and environmental crises. Participants from Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam adopted the theme for this year’s Forum: “Resist Business as Usual: Disrupt, Reclaim, Rebuild.” Established in 2005, the ACSC/APF serves as a regional platform for civil...

ASEAN CSOs gather in the Philippines, resist “business as usual,” and call on ASEAN to address regional crises while upholding the fundamental rights of the peoples

India

May 1, 2026

Solidarity with the Indian Working People: A Continued Legacy of Collective Struggle against the Erosion of Labour Protections, Systemic Exclusion and Dispossession

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International Workers’ Day 2026 Solidarity with the Indian Working People: A Continued Legacy of Collective Struggle against the Erosion of Labour Protections, Systemic Exclusion and Dispossession May 2026 In the midst of war, continuing corporate loot and a climate crisis, this International Workers’ Day, we stand in solidarity with working people across the world in their steadfast struggles and unflinching spirit against the grim and imposed realities of capitalist exploitation, insecure and contractual employment, weakening labour standards, precarious safety and occupational health, social discrimination, state repression, loss of social protection and unaffordable living costs. The present moment demands...

Solidarity with the Indian Working People: A Continued Legacy of Collective Struggle against the Erosion of Labour Protections, Systemic Exclusion and Dispossession

The Philippines

April 30, 2026

Peasant Groups Mark the International Day of Peasant Struggles with Renewed Calls for Land, Food, and Justice

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April , 2026 Every year on April , peasant, fisherfolk, rural women, Indigenous peoples, and other allied movements across the world and in the Philippines, commemorate the International Day of Peasant Struggles in solidarity with the farmers in Eldorado dos Carajás who gave their lives to fight for the rights to land in 1996. From that sacrifice, a day of global resistance was born, one that does not mourn passively but pushes back, year after year, against a system that has consistently failed to deliver land, dignity, and justice to those who feed the world. This resistance took on a...

Peasant Groups Mark the International Day of Peasant Struggles with Renewed Calls for Land, Food, and Justice

Asia/World

April 24, 2026

Focus on the Global South joins 340+ organizations in global statement on ISDS

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Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) threatens a just transition from fossil fuels and the urgent need for a social and ecological transformation for people and the planet. We welcome the recognition and inclusion of this risk within the thematic pillars of the First Conference on Transitioning Away From Fossil Fuels. We call on governments to begin building a coalition of countries committed to freeing themselves from ISDS. ISDS mechanisms are written into many trade and investment agreements. They entitle transnational corporations to sue governments in secretive tribunals outside of the national legal system over law and policy changes that they fear...

Focus on the Global South joins 340+ organizations in global statement on ISDS

Asia/World

April 23, 2026

Civil Society Demands World Bank Withdraw from the Board of Peace; Terminate Facilitation of Funding

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April 2026 Summary Amidst the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian Territory, over 180 civil society groups and human rights advocates have signed this joint statement to express our unequivocal denunciation of the World Banks role as the limited Trustee for the BoP-associated Financial Intermediary Fund (FIF) for Gaza Reconstruction and Development (GRAD) and as a member of executive board of the Board of Peace (BoP). The statement below highlights how the establishment of the BoP and proposed role in the reconstruction of Gaza stand in clear violation of international law, entrench Israels illegal military occupation and denial of Palestinians’...

Civil Society Demands World Bank Withdraw from the Board of Peace; Terminate Facilitation of Funding

Asia/World

April 23, 2026

Unpacking the ASEAN–Canada FTA Negotiation: Investor Lawsuits Endanger Climate Justice

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Co-authored by Salsabila Putri Noor Aziziah (Indonesia CSO Coalition for Economic Justice) and Layla Azwa Nur Dzikri (University of Indonesia) Co-published by: The Indonesia CSO Coalition for Economic Justice (MKE Coalition), Focus on the Global South, FTA Watch Thailand, Third World Network, AFTINET, Transnational Institute and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Read the full article here. The rising trend of geopolitics around the green transition has led to an increase in negotiations for trade and investment agreements to secure market access both on renewable energy projects and critical minerals for energy transition. These agreements have become a tool for...

Unpacking the ASEAN–Canada FTA Negotiation: Investor Lawsuits Endanger Climate Justice

Cambodia

April 23, 2026

Cultivating Native Species and Agroecology to Restore Food Sovereignty in Oddar Meanchey

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by Ridan Sun If we do not actively collect the seeds, saplings, and wild vegetables to cultivate them around our homes and villages, future generations risk growing up without ever knowing or appreciating the value of these native species. — Ms. Hem Sophal, community member, Ratanak Rokkha Community Forestry As forests disappear and chemically grown market vegetables become the norm, one community forestry group in Oddar Meanchey is fighting back — establishing a collective nursery, restoring native trees and edible wild plants closer to home, and reclaiming food security, cultural identity, and local leadership through agroecology. A Forest Pantry Under...

Cultivating Native Species and Agroecology to Restore Food Sovereignty in Oddar Meanchey

Cambodia

April 22, 2026

Protecting What Remains: Choum Vanna’s Lifelong Defense of Tonle Sap’s Fisheries and Communities

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by Phun Phearun Since % of people destroy natural resources, we are among the % who love and protect them. If we dont take care of the last remaining resources, we will be pitiful for the children of the future who wont know anything, not even the types of fish. — Choum Vanna, Deputy Director of Natural Resources Protection and community leader At years old, Choum Vanna has spent more than three decades defending Tonle Saps fragile fishery ecosystems, building community resilience, and proving that local leadership is the most powerful force for environmental and social change. A Defender...

Protecting What Remains: Choum Vanna’s Lifelong Defense of Tonle Sap’s Fisheries and Communities

Cambodia

April 21, 2026

From Chemical Dependency to Natural Solutions: Mrs. Hum Siem’s Agroecology Success in Pursat, Cambodia

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by Phun Phearun Dont be lazy, if youre lazy, you wont get it done. This work is when we have free time, we collect resources because we will use it next year or when the season comes. — Mrs. Hum Siem, agroecology practitioner and peasant leader in Pursat province Mrs. Hum Siems journey from chemical-dependent farming to zero-budget natural farming offers powerful evidence that locally led, low-cost agroecological practices can protect natural resources, generate income, and strengthen community resilience while challenging the dominance of commercial fertilizer companies. From Land Activist to Agroecology Practitioner Mrs. Hum Siem, , lives in Kandal...

From Chemical Dependency to Natural Solutions: Mrs. Hum Siem’s Agroecology Success in Pursat, Cambodia

The Philippines

April 17, 2026

DEFEND AGRARIAN REFORM GAINS! NO TO THE DAR ORDER SELLING OUT FARMERS’ LANDS

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Statement on the International Day of Peasant Struggles: SAGOT SA KRISIS: HUSTISYA PARA SA MGA MAGSASAKA DEFEND AGRARIAN REFORM GAINS! NO TO THE DAR ORDER SELLING OUT FARMERS LANDS APRIL , 2026 The Save Agrarian Reform Alliance raises the alarm on the unnumbered Administrative Order signed by DAR Secretary Conrado M. Estrella III on January , 2026, which removes the requirement for DAR clearance on the sale and transfer of private agricultural lands and awarded agrarian reform lands. While officially unissued and non-final, the existence of this draft order and the DARs stated intention to subject it to consultation signals...

DEFEND AGRARIAN REFORM GAINS! NO TO THE DAR ORDER SELLING OUT FARMERS’ LANDS

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Recent Publications

CARE AND RESISTANCE ZINE

12 Aug 2025

This zine gathers the voices, visions, and everyday practices of five grassroots movements across the world, each weaving care into…

LORDS OF THE LAND

3 Jun 2025

LORDS OF THE LAND Transnational Landowners, Inequality and the Case for Redistribution AUTHORS: Philip Seufert, Sofía Monsalve, Luciana Rolón, Shalmali…

70th Anniversary of the Bandung Conference

7 May 2025

In April 1955, leaders and delegates from 29 Asian and African countries gathered in the city of Bandung, Indonesia, to…

Contemporary Crisis in India’s Dairy Sector

19 Dec 2024

The dairy industry in India is at a critical juncture. This policy brief Contemporary Crisis in India’s Dairy Sector explores…

Feminist Climate Justice Think Pieces

29 Oct 2024

Originally published here This series features short papers by leading researchers on the gender–climate nexus. These think pieces were commissioned…

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Longreads

Longread

AGAINST THE TIDES: UPRISINGS AND PROTESTS IN TROUBLED WATERS

2 Apr 2026

By Galileo de Guzman Castillo Introduction In the last five years, uprisings and mass protests have rocked countries in South and Southeast Asia by turns.…

Longread

Carbon Frontiers: Recasting Forests and Commons in Northeast India

2 Apr 2026

by Angshuman Sarma Background Carbon markets have gained prominence as a key instrument in global climate governance. Through mechanisms such as offsets and carbon…

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