The year 2024 has been an eventful year for pro-democracy advocates in Asia. Democracy advocates observed the relentless cooptation of democratic processes and institutions, which has significantly contributed to the advancement of autocracy. Significant elections have taken place in various countries across Asia, and due to political uncertainty, pro-democracy advocates have expressed concerns on the future of human rights and democracy in the region given the lack of prioritization to democratic reforms.
Meanwhile, political shifts in countries such as Thailand and Bangladesh remind us of the ever-evolving democratic landscape in the region. Complicating these shifts is the emergence of challenges such as mis- and disinformation, increased polarization, weakening of democratic institutions, securitization, climate change and illiberal influencing, among many others. Meanwhile, the conflict in Myanmar, and the situation in states such as Cambodia and Afghanistan among others, will continue to be negatively impacted by these challenges.
Clearly, pro-democracy civil society and advocates are facing multiple challenges in various fronts. The Asia Democracy Network (ADN) with its members publishes this report, “The 2024 Democracy Overview: Asian Democracy from the Eyes of Democracy Advocates and Grassroots Movements”. The report is a compilation of articles discussing Asia’s situation of democracy from the perspective of practitioners on the ground, and reflecting on the situation of democracy in 2024 from their unique sectoral perspective. The Democracy Overview highlights their unique view, sectoral priorities, and the specific challenges and approaches that they are taking to respond to challenges and advance democratization, as well as provide an opportunity for sectoral representatives to identify priority areas and future advocacies to advance democracy in Asia for the next few years.
ADN hopes that this glimpse of the situation of democracy in 2024 will help emphasize the need for greater synergized advocacy. We also hope that this will enable greater awareness of the issues presented, which can assist future strategies to resolve the fundamental challenges to democracy we are facing.
