The global trend of democratic backsliding, as well as lack of respect for human rights and the rule of law, are risks being exacerbated by the pandemic says Sweden. “We have seen several worrying signs of this – not least in Asia and the Pacific Region. The Government has therefore decided to allocate approximately USD…
Women workers at clothing factories in Asia are particularly hard hit during the corona pandemic. Finnish Finnwatch is now looking for a corporate team both at home and at EU level to ensure that human rights are observed in the production chains of the clothing industry in Asia. The pandemic has had a negative effect…
The murder of the black American George Floyd, who died by the hands of four local police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota in America, has led to global protests – including in the Nordic countries as well as in Asia. In Asia there has been protest in Japan and the Philippines – and a virtual protest…
The Swedish Ambassador to Philippines, H.E. Harald Fries paid a courtesy call to Mayor Joy Belmonte of Quezon City Government on 20th December 2019. The meeting was to discussed common priorities such as environmental sustainability, business development, and human rights as well as potential areas of collaboration like urban mass transportation and women empowerment.
H.E.Bjorn Haggmark, recently appointed Swedish Ambassador to Cambodia, met on 29th November 2019 with Mr Prak Sokhonn, Cambodia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the ministry where both parties discussed further cooperation. After the meeting, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesman Koy Koung spoke to reporters regarding the private discussions between the officials from Sweden and Cambodia. “During…
The ‘Nordic Initiative’ has launched training in Thailand to help educate migrant workers on human rights. This digital training will be available in Khmer, Burmese and Thai languages and is designed to promote ethical recruitment practices for migrant workers and improve working conditions in factories in Thailand. “We’re all excited about the next phase in…
Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) is a non-aligned, independent, non-governmental organization (NGO) promoting and protecting human rights in the Kingdom of Cambodia. CCHR currently has support from Sweden’s Diakonia (for the Human Rights Network Project), while the European Union is among many other international donors. Sida was also a direct donor previously. On 26 November…
The European Union has issued a statement on the conviction of four Chinese lawyers and human rights activists accused of state subversion in China. The sentences ranged from suspended prison terms to seven years of prison. The statement was made on 5 August and was also released by the Danish Embassy in Beijing. “The conviction this week of Zhai…
The economy in Asia-Pacific has been booming the last decades. But it comes at a price. As the economy has been growing the environment has been suffering. Asia-Pacific is responsible for over half of the global greenhouse gas emissions. In the past five years, the region permanently lost approximately 27,000 square meters of primary forest every day. Embassy…
