The Working Group on Atrocity Prevention and Awareness Raising
To raise awareness of, and build commitment to, the Responsibility to Protect doctrine, across the region. Convened by the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace and the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect, this working group has identified the following priorities: capacity building for domestic stakeholders, engaging with ASEAN mechanisms, information sharing and media engagement.
To deliver on these priorities, it conducts workshops and seminars on R2P and atrocity prevention for media practitioners, government representatives, civil society groups, and the youth sector. For example, it held an R2P Train the Trainer session in Phnom Penh in July 2019, and has had the training resources translated into Khmer language
Plan of Action 2018-2019 (PDF, 789KB): priority areas for the promotion of awareness of atrocity prevention.
March 2018 meeting report
The Working Group on Gender and Atrocity Prevention
Convened by Ateneo de Manila University and the Asia Pacific Centre for the Responsibility to Protect.
It aims to highlight the gendered aspects of atrocity crime and
entrench gender-aware approaches in atrocity prevention work. Following its second general meeting in Timor Leste in February 2019, it hosted a Roundtable Discussion with stakeholders and a Peer-to-Peer learning activity. Alongside the APPAP general meeting in August 2019, the working group ran a pilot of the Human Rights Defenders’ Training on Preventing Sexual and Gender-based Atrocity Crimes (SGBAC), for human rights defenders from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Myanmar.
In October 2021, in partnership with APR2P, the Working Group published a report on how to better prevent gender-based atrocity crimes. The report contains recommendations for stakeholders and several strategies for structural, direct and late-stage prevention. The report can be downloaded at the link below, along with other publications related to gender and atrocity prevention.
SPOTLIGHT ON R2P: Asia Pacific Partnership for Atrocity Prevention (APPAP) Working Group for Gender and Atrocity Prevention (PDF, 860KB), April 2023.
Gender-based atrocity crime prevention: Linking the Responsibility to Protect; Women, Peace and Security; and women's rights agendas in the Asia Pacific (PDF, 643KB), October 2021.
Overview of Gender Responsive Early Warning Systems - Progress and Gaps (PDF, 2.9MB), September 2021.
The APPAP Working Group on Gender and Atrocity Prevention, July 2019 (PDF, 1.1MB).
Background Information and Concept Note 2018 (PDF, 313.4 KB)
APPAP Gender Working Group Manila June 2018 Agenda (PDF, 181.8 KB)
The Working Group on Prevention of Hate Speech and Incitement
Focuses on the increase in hate speech across the region, used by various actors and facilitated by social media. It is convened by Human Rights Working Group - Indonesia and the Habibie Centre.
At the Working Group’s March 2019 meeting, twenty local and international participants from government, media, civil society groups and academia, identified domestic and regional situations of concern related to incitement, looked at case studies, and explored preventative strategies. The ability to promote extremist ideas or radical claims through fake news was identified as a serious challenge, especially for nations undergoing democratic transitions or post-conflict peace processes. Participants also pointed to the important role of political leaders and government officials in preventing hate speech, as well as promoting interfaith dialogue, education and training, and developing effective laws against incitement.
The Working Group on Prevention of Hate Speech and Incitement supported two grassroots initiatives in 2019, one based in Indonesia and the other in Burma, and the group continues to approach the prevention of hate speech via policy analysis, academic research, and local and regional initiatives.
In January 2023, APR2P published Hate Speech Legislation in the Asia Pacific: A Compendium (PDF, 1.5MB), providing a snapshot of current issues and efforts by Asia Pacific countries to combat hate speech.
In July 2021, APR2P and UQ researchers, in conjunction with the University of Sydney and Facebook, published Facebook: Regulating Hate Speech in the Asia Pacific (PDF, 3.1MB), a report detailing discrimination against minority groups across several case studies across the Asia Pacific.
March 2019 meeting report.
GAAMAC Report
The international network Global Action Against Mass Atrocity Crimes (GAAMAC), recently published a report detailing lessons on promoting tolerance and respect in the Asia Pacific in the face of rising hate speech and incitement. An international network of states, civil society and academics dedicated to the prevention of mass atrocity crimes, GAAMAC took contributions from APPAP members and staff of APR2P:
- Dr. Cecilia Jacob, Research Fellow of APR2P, wrote the introductory chapter.
- Dr. Noel Morada, APR2P's regional director, authored the chapter on Myanmar.
- Gus Miclat and Marc Batac from APPAP partner Initiatives for International Dialogue, authored the chapter on the Philippines.
- Dr. Lina Alexandra, APR2P Research Fellow, along with Alif Satria of APPAP partner the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, authored the chapter on Indonesia.
- Debbie Stothard and Dan Goode of ALTSEAN Burma, and Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Indonesia's representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human RIghts, also assisted in the development of the report.
The report, entitled 'Preventing Hate Speech, Incitement and Discrimination: Lessons on Promoting Tolerance and Respect for Diversity in the Asia Pacific', can be downloaded from GAAMAC's website here.
CSIS Policy Brief
In February 2022, APR2P and APPAP funded APPAP partner the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) to examine hate speech in Indonesia, based upon research from CSIS' National Hate Speech Dashboard. The policy brief focused on hate speech spread on Twitter against Chinese Indonesians from 2019 to 2020, when there was an increase in anti-Chinese rhetoric. The policy brief can be downloaded from their website here.
Translated Documents
Southeast Asia Parliamentarians for Freedom of Religion and Belief (SEAPFoRB), along with APR2P, APPAP and ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) have produced translations of key documents regarding key international standards. These standards relate to religious freedom and plans of action on how to deal with hate speech and incitement of atrocity crimes. They have been translated into Bahasa Indonesia, Burmese and Thai.
Bahasa Indonesia
- Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence (PDF, 835KB) (informal translation).
- Toolkit for Parliamentarians (PDF, 631KB) (informal translation).
- Rabat Plan of Action (PDF, 415KB) (informal translation).
- Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights (PDF, 293KB) (informal translation).
- UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (PDF, 250KB) (informal translation).
Burmese
- Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence (PDF, 1MB) (informal translation).
- Toolkit for Parliamentarians (PDF, 1.1MB) (informal translation).
- Rabat Plan of Action (PDF, 753KB) (informal translation).
- Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights (PDF, 446KB) (informal translation).
- UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (PDF, 369KB) (informal translation).
Thai
- Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence (PDF, 605KB) (informal translation).
- Toolkit for Parliamentarians (PDF, 693KB) (informal translation).
- Rabat Plan of Action (PDF, 338KB) (informal translation).
- Beirut Declaration on Faith for Rights (PDF, 353KB) (informal translation).
- UN Strategy and Plan of Action on Hate Speech (PDF, 303KB) (informal translation).
The Working Group on Security Sector Governance and Atrocity Prevention
Aims to develop a report outlining how security sector governance might be utilised to support atrocity prevention in the Asia Pacific, and is convened by: Initiatives for International Dialogue, Mdm. Loretta Rosales, and the Coalition for the International Criminal Court-Asia Pacific.