“Defending Democracy” is a synthesis of the various priority areas on defending and promoting democracy, identified by Asian pro-democracy stakeholders within a two-year process (2024-2025). The document is meant to be a navigational tool for pro-democracy stakeholders in creating initiatives that promote and protect democracy in the region. The process to create this document included various national and subregional consultations and thematic discussions, culminating in the 2025 Asia Democracy Assembly held in Bangkok on November 1 and 2, 2025, which gathered more than 300 stakeholders. The findings relay 6 areas stakeholders should focus on to catalyze effective pro-democracy initiatives across the region. These six priority areas include: addressing shrinking spaces, enabling a more synergized movement building, democratizing the digital space, accentuating pro-democracy narratives and riding cultural shifts, enabling genuine inclusion in our movements and the society, and strengthening international solidarity. The process to create this publication was led by the Innovations for Change – East Asia, and the Asia Democracy Network, with the hope that it will help stakeholders navigate the ever-shifting democracy landscape in the region.
Download the document below to explore the region’s roadmap to progressing democracy and human rights in the Asia region.
