News

Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) joined farmers, peoples organizations, and advocates in marking the 20th anniversary of the bloody Hacienda Luisita massacre, which remains a stark reminder of the ongoing struggle for land, justice, and the rights of farmers and farmworkers.  On November 6, 2004, around 5,000 unionists from the United Luisita Workers Union (ULWU), […]

October is Peasant Month, a period to emphasize the struggles of one of the poorest and most ignored sectors of our societies—peasants and farmers, who have been the backbone of economic development and civilization throughout human history. In the Asia-Pacific region, land reform has often been the flagship platform of election promises and development policies […]

World Hunger Day, or World Food Day according to the UN, is celebrated annually on 16 October to celebrate the founding of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). With this year’s theme of “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”,  it is more proper to commemorate “World Hunger Day” to […]

September 21 is International Day of Peace. This is a commemorative date designated by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 1981 to signify their commitment to “strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples.” Incidentally, September 21 for the Filipino people means something entirely different. This day in 1972 […]

The US trade and investment mission led by the US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo arrived on March 11 in Manila, Philippines. The delegation is composed of 21 corporate leaders including technocrats and business executives from energy, engineering, communications, infrastructure, logistics, investment, and supply chain companies. The Philippine government celebrates the delegation’s two-day visit as […]

Delivered speech by Ms. Julia Puno, general secretary of APRN for the Asia Pacific People’s Forum on Sustainable Development 2024 Good morning everyone! We are happy to see everyone all gathered in one space for this timely event. We thank everyone’s participation and contribution to The Peoples’ Forum. Indeed in its 11th year as shared […]

Imperialism and wars of aggression: A case of 4 countries[1] INTRODUCTION Since the advent of civilization, the pursuit of economic and political power has led to the imposition and enforcement of authority over people and territories. This phenomenon, with eternal recurrence in the history of humankind, brought ‘states’ to existence. States of colossal economic, political, […]

“…the US treats Israel as its most indispensable accomplice in ensuring its economic and political interests in West Asia and North Africa (WANA); even though it has numerous and formidable allies in the region. Likewise, Israel needs US’ support because of its notorious actions against Palestinians and the wars it launched against neighboring countries which […]

As the Philippines peasant month commemoration concludes, the Filipino peasantry continues to bear the brunt of the food crisis, inflation, and neoliberal oppression under the current Marcos Jr. regime. Despite being at the forefront of the country’s agriculture sector, they continue to suffer from the worsening socio-economic crisis, and the intensifying state terrorism and fascism […]

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group (IMF-WBG) held its Annual Meeting in Marrakesh, Morocco last October 9 to 15 with the theme “Global Action, Global Impact”. Top central bankers, finance ministers, private executives, and other neoliberal stalwarts gathered together in this event to discuss “world economic outlook, global financial stability, poverty eradication, inclusive […]

The Palestinian struggle for national liberation and their right to return inspires people’s movements across the world as it reaches new heights. Since the advent of the Zionist occupation of their land, the Palestinians have been stripped of their rights, shelter, livelihood, and dignity. The adoption of the UN Resolution 181 in 1947 further worsened […]

What’s inside: and many more!

Statement by Ajay Kumar Jha of CECOEDECON/Asia Pacific regional CSOs Engagement (APRCEM) Excellencies and Colleagues I also represent Asia Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism, a platform of more than 500 CSOs, where we describe the current state of the SDGs as “halfway there but nowhere near.” This is because of the simple fact that we […]

Date and time: May 30, 2023; 4:30-7:00 PM Manila Attendees: 30 people from the Philippines, West Papua, India, Pakistan, and Burma. Location: Zoom Meeting SUMMARY Defend the Rural Defenders was successful in initiating a dialogue between frontline rural human rights defenders and communities from Burma, the Philippines, Bangsamoro, West Papua, and Palestine. Observers and participants […]

Date and time: June 9, 2023; 11:00AM (Manila time GMT +8) Attendees: 89 Location: Zoom Meeting  SUMMARY Rising Tensions, Threats to Peace: back-to-back primers on militarism launch was a huge success. Speakers from across the world – Philippines, US, Kurdistan, Cyprus, Japan, South Korea, India, and the Burmese diaspora – spoke on the value of […]

Join us on June 9th for the launch of Primers on Militarism! We will be featuring the new publications of APRN and RESIST: 1. The Power Play: Unraveling US Military Agreements in the Asia Pacific 2. NATO: Imperialist War Machine In a world torn by crisis and war, the US continues to lead the West […]

APRN May Day Statement Recently, the world celebrated International Labor Day by recognizing the contributions and achievements of workers. It is a day to honor the hard work and dedication of workers who are the true drivers of growth and progress. The Asia Pacific Research Network (APRN) is in solidarity with the working people in […]

US bases to exacerbate already dire rights situation, land grabbing in Province of Cagayan says int’l, local groups On the 9th anniversary of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), international and Philippine organizations warn the public of a greater escalation of human rights abuses and land grabbing in the province of Cagayan amid hosting US […]

Keynote address delivered by APRN board of convenors member Ajay K Jha in the 2023 Asia Pacific Peoples Forum (APPFSD), Bangkok, 24th March. The last two years have been disastrous. The covid 19 pandemic coupled with climate crisis, debt crisis, energy and food crisis, war and conflict, increasing interest and cost of living crisis, and […]

Alex Enano, Asia Pacific Research Network & APRCEM Co-Chair March 24, 2023  |  Bangkok, Thailand We live in unprecedented times, multiple crises exacerbated by pandemic, wars of aggression, and corporate plunder is haunting the world.  Undeniably, while the COVID-19 crisis and the war between Ukraine and Russia played a critical role in contributing to these […]

WORKERS FORGE THE FUTURE! Platform workers and the informal economy have become inextricable issues, especially in developing nations. The supply chain of goods and services, as well as transport and mobility, rely heavily on platform workers generally found in the informal sector. Thus, it is essential to discuss the role of platform workers in achieving […]

A group of international organizations working with rural communities decried the “de-facto media blackout” on the indiscriminate rural bombings happening in the Philippines and India. The CSOs also requested that the United Nations conduct an independent investigation into these “cover-up atrocities” and “make good” on its Political Declaration against the use of explosive weapons in […]

We are inviting everyone to join our event “On The Nature And Character of the Group of Seven (G7)” This online forum will discuss the history and character of the G7 and testimonials from impacted people. Date and Time: April 15, 2023, 2200 Tokyo / 1000 Buenos Aires/ 1300 Senegal REGISTER NOW: shorturl.at/uEMRV This event […]

On 1st January this year of 2023, the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), a member of Asia-Pacific Research Network (APRN) based in Assam of north-east India celebrated its 36th foundation day. To commemorate the momentous day, members hoisted the organisational flag at its office premises in village Dhekiakhowa, Jorhat.  NEADS is a grassroots development […]