ASEAN Community and Covid-19: An Assessment of an Infected Region’s Present and Future Condition

    April 13, 2020
    CSO Event

    Thousands of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Peoples have already all fallen sick and have been drastically affected by Covid-19. As cases increase by the day, Governments have been scrambling to impose measures to suppress the illness and “flatten the curb” in their respective countries. The ASEAN as a regional body has been carefully responding to the matter– focusing on information dissemination and promotion of preventive measures. Such soft approach have frustrated skeptics, who have been pushing the Association to take a much more strategic, impactful, rights-based and action-oriented stance on this pandemic.

    This Session shall gather insights on the relevance of the ASEAN in light of political, social, and economic downturns caused by Covid-19 pandemic. It shall delve into strengths, weaknesses and potential reforms within the ASEAN, specifically sectoral bodies on human rights and health. This aims to (1) gather insights on the regional responses, and the lack of, toward the pandemic, (2) provide recommendations to improve its position and mechanisms (3) organise collective action on making ASEAN more accountable in time of public crises such as Covid-19.

    Date/Time: 13 April 2020, 14.00 – 16.00 GMT+7

    Registration: bit.ly/registSHAPESEA

    Speakers:

    • Dr. Sriprapha Petcharamesree, Former Thai Representative to the AICHR and Programme Chair, SHAPE-SEA
    • H.E. Yuyun Wahyuningrum, Indonesian Representative to the AICHR
    • Dr. Deasy Simandjuntak, Associate Fellow at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore, and Visiting Fellow at Academia Sinica, Taipei
    • Mr. Thet Swe Win, Executive Director Synergy – Social Harmony Organization, and Co-Founder of Myanmar Covid-19 Response Center
    • Dr. Lee Edson P. Yarcia, JD, Health Law and Policy Reform Consultant, Philippines

    Moderator: Mr. Joel Mark Baysa-Barredo, Programme Director, SHAPE-SEA