CIVICUS discusses the latest summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) with Cornelius Damar Hanung, Southeast Asia Programme Manager at the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), a regional human rights organisation.
Member states have gathered in Vientiane, Laos, for the 45th ASEAN Summit, with the conflict in Myanmar high on the agenda and China likely to influence discussions. Meaningful outcomes are unlikely given the extremely limited opportunities for civil society engagement in a host country with closed civic space.
