Asia-Pacific Working Group

The Asia-Pacific Working Group (APWG) is a network of Canadian civil society organizations involved in human rights, democracy and development in the region. It brings together over 20 international development and humanitarian NGOs, human rights groups, labour unions, church and solidarity groups. The APWG is financially supported by its member organizations, CCIC, and the Canadian Partnership Program of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Select one of the categories on the left, or visit our Archives section for past documentation.

Introduction to the Asia-Pacific Working Group (APWG)

Asia Pacific Working Group Toronto Members Meeting

On February 21, 2012, APWG will hold a one-day member meeting in Toronto, at the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund office

The winter 2012 APWG regional meeting will focus on the issue of Canadian mining in Asia.

This is a free event, and is open to the public. If you wish to attend, please send a confirmation email to Jack Litster.

Read the draft meeting agenda.

Land Grabbing in Asia : A Case Study from the Philippines - September 29, 2011

The Asia-Pacific Working Group organized in September 2011 a public forum on the issue of land grabbing in the Philippines with Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron as guest speaker. Ms. Nera-Lauron is a member of IBON International, which recently participated in an international fact finding mission to investigate a case of land grabbing the Isabela province of the Philippines.  The forum was held at the Centre d’études de l’Asie de l’Est (CÉTASE) of the Université de Montréal. This event was organized jointly with the CÉTASE, the Network on Transnational Dynamics and Collective Action (REDTAC) and the Interdisciplinary Research Centre in International Development and Society (CIRDIS). You can download the presentation of Ms. Nera-Lauron by following the link below.

Foreign Land Acquisition: Perspectives on Global Landgrabs (PDF of powerpoint)

Asia-Pacific Working Group 2011 Symposium:
Climate Change and Agriculture in the Asia-Pacific - September 27, 2011

During the morning session, participants had the opportunity to learn about the way climate justice debates are framed in the Asia-Pacific and how Asian civil society is mobilizing around these issues, and to look at how Canadian CSOs are supporting this mobilization. The afternoon was a working session for APWG members that included a discussion on international negotiations on climate change and sustainable development and their influence on the production of biofuels in the Asia-Pacific. Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron of the Peoples’ Movement on Climate Change was the keynote speaker for this event. The audio recording of her presentation can be downloaded by following the link below.

Audio recording of Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron’s keynote presentation (MP3)

Public Forum: Farming, Forests and Fuel – Southern Perspectives on Climate Change -September 26, 2011

The Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development in collaboration with the Canadian Council for International Co-operation’s Africa Canada Forum and Asia Pacific Working Group, and the Canadian Food Security Policy Group organized a public forum at the University of Ottawa on September 26, 2011 on the topic of Farming, Forests and Fuel – Southern Perspectives on Climate Change.  In the context of international negotiations at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (in Durban, November 2011), and at Rio+20 (in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 2012), three international speakers from Asia, Africa and Latin America provided a general overview of peoples’ responses in the South to climate change and upcoming negotiations. The presentation of Maria Theresa Nera-Lauron, the coordinator of the People’s Movement on Climate Change (PMCC), based in the Philippines, can be downloaded below.

A Southern Voice on Climate Change (PDF of powerpoint)

Climate Negotiations and Justice for Vulnerable Populations: Perspectives for COP 17 and Rio+20 - September 26, 2011

This September 2011 learning conference was held in collaboration with the Canadian Coalition on Climate Change and Development (C4D), CCIC's Africa-Canada Forum, Asia-Pacific Working Group and Canadian Food Security Policy Group.

The conference sought to deepen civil society understanding of key policy debates in upcoming international negotiations for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 17th Conference of the Parties (COP 17), to be held in Durban, South Africa, November 28-December 9, 2011, and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 4-6, 2012. The conference focused particularly on the implications for small farmers, indigenous peoples and other marginalized populations.

Click here to read the Conference Report (PDF 641KB)

Click here to view videos of conference presentations

Virtual Presentation on Cambodia, featuring Sam Ath

On September 14, 2011, the Asia-Pacific Working Group held a presentation by Sam Ath, Executive Director of the NGO Forum on Cambodia, on the reduction of civil society space in Cambodia in the context of the controversial NGO Law that the government is seeking to adopt soon.

Land grabbing in Pakistan:  Impacts on the Environment and on Communities - June 3, 2011

The Asia-Pacific Working Group hosted a presentation by Altaf Abro on the impacts of land grabbing on the environment and on communities in Pakistan on June 03. Mr. Abro is program manager for a food security project with Oxfam Novib in Pakistan and he has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from the University of Arkansas. The event was also available online, and took place at CCIC’s office in Ottawa.

The impacts of Land Grabbing on the Environment and Communities
in Pakistan (PDF)

Videos
Video-Part 1: Some Facts about Pakistan
Video-Part 2: A Short History of Land Reforms in Pakistan

Civil Society Organizations in the Pacific Region: Some Reflections on Climate and Environmental Justice Issues
The Asia-Pacific Working Group hosted a presentation by Emele Duituturaga, Executive Director of PIANGO (Pacific Islands Association of Non-Governmental Organisations), on May 25. Ms. Duituturaga discussed the perspectives of CSOs of the Pacific region on issues related to climate and environmental justice. The event took place at CCIC’s office in Ottawa.

PIANGO Presentation (PDF 1 MB)
Tuvalu Climate Change Presentation (PDF 207 kb)
PIANGO Climate Change Position Paper 2009 (PDF 163 kb)
Final PRNGO Alliance Pacific Position on Climate Change (PDF 408 kb)
AMBO Declaration November 10, 2010 (PDF 59 kb)

Presentation on Land Rights and Marginalized Communities in India – April 19, 2011
The Asia-Pacific Working Group hosted the presentation of Mr. Vidya Bhushan Rawat, Director of the Social Development Foundation (SDF) in India, on April 19, 2011. Mr. Rawat presented the work of the SDF and discussed the issues of land rights, land grabbing, and the struggle of marginalized communities in India. This presentation took place at the office of the Canadian Council for International Cooperation in Ottawa and was also made available through the web. Mr. Rawat shared with us the following documents (PDF):

Land grabbing in India
SDF India – Gazipur Initiative
SDF India – Koshish School
SDF India – Prerna Kendra at Fatehpur

Asia-Pacific Working Group Meeting in Montreal - March 30, 2011
The Asia-Pacific Working Group (APWG) held a regional meeting in Montreal on March 30, 2011.  The meeting was well attended by APWG members and various research and advocacy groups with an interest in Asia. The objectives of this meeting were to provide a networking space for organizations and individuals with an interest in region, and to gather ideas and suggestions of activities to be undertaken collaboratively through the working group in the coming year.

Agenda (in French)(PDF)

Asia-Pacific Working Group Meeting in Toronto - January 26, 2011
The Asia-Pacific Working Group (APWG) is organizing a regional meeting in Toronto on January 26, 2011. The objective of this meeting is to bring together different organizations (NGOs, faith-based organizations, unions and solidarity groups) with an interest in Asia to discuss potential areas of collaboration. The agenda is available online here.

Spring 2010 Symposium

The Right to Land and Food:
Land Investments, Food Security, and the Canadian Agenda in the Asia-Pacific
The objectives of this symposium were to discuss food and land-related issues such as land investments, food security and the Canadian agenda in the Asia-Pacific, and to identify priority areas for APWG’s work in 2010-2011. This public event held on April 15th at the Best Western Victoria Park Suites in Ottawa featured three panels and a total of nine speakers.

Final Agenda for the event (PDF 76 Kb)

Day 1 – April 15, 2010

Keynote – Overview of Land Issues in the Asia-Pacific Region
Outline: In his keynote address, the Executive Director of ANGOC, Don Marquez, provided an overview of the state of agrarian reform and landlessness in Asia. He also discussed the issue of food security in the region and highlighted the importance of agrarian reform as an ongoing political process to change the balance of power in the countryside and to ensure that the rural poor have access to land.

• The Prolonged Struggle for Land Rights in Asia (PDF 1 Mb)
  Don Marquez, Executive Director, Asian NGO Coalition for Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ANGOC) (April 2010)

Panel 1 – Access to Land and the Right to Food in the Asia-Pacific
Outline: Speakers on this first panel spoke of the importance of improving the resource rights of the poor as a pre-condition for poverty reduction and rural economic growth; of access to land from the perspective of the human right to food and based on a research of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food; and of the impact of industrialization, globalization, and climate change on access to land and food security in Viet Nam.

• Land Reform: A Cross-Cutting Development Issue (PDF 63 Kb)
  Bruce Moore, Former Director, International Land Coalition (ILC)
• Access to Land as a Dimension of the Human Right to Food
  Carol Samdup, Senior Advisor, Economic and Social Rights, Rights & Democracy
• Viet Nam: A Food System in Crisis
  Tran Thi Thu Trang, Assistant Professor at the School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

Panel 2 – International Land Investments in the Asia-Pacific
Outline: In this second panel, speakers presented an overview of the recent trend of, and emerging movements of resistance to, foreign investors acquiring large areas of agricultural land for export food production in developing countries; an analysis of the problems underpinning the idea of an international Code of Conduct initiative to regulate land transactions; and the country case study of Cambodia which raised the issues of internal and urban land grabbing.

• Agricultural Investments, Export Food Production, and Resistance (PDF 834 Kb)
  Devlin Kuyek, Global Team Researcher, GRAIN
  Land grabbing for offshore food production: a new problem? (Video)
• Land Transactions and the International ‘Code of Conduct’ Initiative for Land Grabbing (PDF 44 Kb)
  Jennifer Franco, Co-coordinator of the CREPE-TNI Agrofuels Project, Transnational Institute
• Land Grabs in Cambodia (PDF 326 Kb)
  Geneviève King-Ruel, LICADHO Canada Representative
  
  For further information on the international Code of Conduct initiative to regulate land transactions, you can read the article published by Jennifer Franco and Saturnino Borras by following this link: http://www.tni.org/paper/threat-opportunity-problems-%E2%80%9Ccode-conduct%E2%80%9D-land-grabbing

Panel 3 – Canada’s Agenda regarding Land Investments and Food Security
Outline: This third panel focused specifically on Canada’s agenda and priorities. The main issues discussed included CIDA’s food security strategy and the priorities of the Canadian Food Security Policy Group, as well as Canada’s trade and investment agenda in the Asia-Pacific.

• CIDA’s Food Security Priority and the Food Security Policy Group (PDF 410 Kb)
  Sheri Arnott, Senior Policy Advisor, Food Security and Nutrition, World Vision
• Canadian Trade and Investment Agenda
  Gauri Sreenivasan, Policy Coordinator, CCIC
  
  
  A summary report of all the presentations as well as the main discussion points was prepared by a consultant and is available for download:
• The Right to Land and Food: Land Investments, Food Security, and the Canadian Agenda in the Asia-Pacific (PDF …)
  Sara Klimes, Consultant

Day 2 – April 16, 2010

On April 17, 2010 the APWG held its annual working session during which members discussed the priorities of the working group and drafted the 2010-2011 APWG Work Plan. During that day, Dominique Caouette, assistant professor of political science at the Université de Montréal, also gave a presentation on emerging trends in Asian regionalism.

• Emerging Multilateral Dynamics: Asian Regionalism and Transnational Civil Society (PDF 2.38 Mb)
• Dominique Caouette, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Université de Montréal

The Asia-Pacific Working Group Fall Symposium
The “Convergence of Crises: Impacts of the Financial, Food, and Climate Crises in Asia” will be the focus of the Asia-Pacific Working Group” (APWG) Fall Symposium on October 19, 2009. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Walden Bello, Senior Analyst at Focus on the Global South and Member of Congress in the Philippines’ House of Representatives. The event will be held at the Best Western Victoria Park Suites, 377 O’Connor Street, Ottawa. The morning will be a public meeting featuring Dr. Bello and other speakers, the afternoon will be a working meeting of the APWG. Additional details are provided in the Agenda.

Agenda (PDF 84 Kb)

APWG Spring Symposium
The Symposium will be held March 30 - 31, 2009 in Strathmere, Ontario. The theme for the 2 day event will be civil society consultation, with the following panel discussions: 

• The current context of Government-CSO Consultations regarding Canadian development policy in Asia and the Pacific
• The Status of Human Rights Consultations in light of the Universal Periodic Review Process
• Civil Society Consultation and the Asian Development Bank: The Case of the Environment, Indigenous People and Involuntary Resettlement Safeguard Policies

We look forward to having speakers from Indonesia and the United States to share their work on advocating for the improvement of the ADB's Safeguard Policies on the Environment, Indigenous People and the Involuntarily Resettled (IR), and a speaker from Cambodia expanding on a case study of IR due to an ADB project. The second day will provide the opportunity for country coalition updates and work-planning for the year ahead. (agenda) (PDF 29 Kb)

China in the World: Implications for Development
This public event is being organized by CCIC’s Africa-Canada Forum and Asia-Pacific Working Group and the University of Ottawa’s African Studies Research Laboratory. Firoze Manji, Director of Fahamu and Pambazuka News, will speak on China in Africa, and Charles Burton, Associate Professor of Political Science at Brock University, on China in Asia. The conference will be held on April 16 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm at the University of Ottawa, Desmarais Building, room 1160. Interpretation in French and English will be provided. (biographical notes) (PDF 13 Kb) (poster) (PDF 23 Kb)

On November 23, 2007, CCIC's Asia-Pacific Working Group invited Dr. Walden Bello to Ottawa to speak on alternatives to regional development in Asia and on the trends and perspectives affecting the region for the coming years.

The session is available in the following audio and text files (in English only):

• Regional Alternatives (PDF 34 Kb) (MP3 9.24 Mb)
• Trends and Perspectives (PDF 25 KB) (MP3 6.49 Mb)
• Q&A (PDF 33 Kb) (MP3 9.16 Mb)

Dr. Walden Bello is the 2003 recipient of the Right Livelihood Award (also known as the Alternative Nobel Prize), cited for playing a crucial and complementary role in developing the theoretical and practical bases for a world order that benefits all people. He has published extensively on globalization and local responses to its effects and is active in movements seeking alternative policy frameworks as options to existing, mainstream policy regimes.

Dr. Bello is a Professor of Sociology at the University of the Philippines and the co-founder, former Executive Director, and senior analyst at Focus on Global South, a research and advocacy institute based in Bangkok. Dr. Bello was in Canada as a Distinguished Visiting Professor in International Development Studies at St. Mary's University in Halifax.