Asia Monitor Resource Centre

07/09/2026

https://c.org/VdMkhjttFG
dear all,

to update you, we have got a total of 8,000 physical signatures online and from Grassroots people in Sri lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan!

Pls join US to call for

Tax the Rich, Not the Poor, to Finance Universal Social Protection!

02/09/2026

Former AMRC Director Sanjiv Pandita recently sat down with the Asian Labour Review to share a beautiful and touching tribute to his mentor and our former director, Apo Leong.

Through Sanjiv's memories, we get a glimpse of Apo not just as a leader, but as a humble, voracious reader, a true "street fighter" for the working class, and someone who believed fiercely in building grassroots worker power from the bottom up.

His favorite mantra—“organise, organise, organise”—continues to inspire the work we do today. We highly recommend taking a few minutes to read this profound reflection on his life and impact.

Editor’s Note: On Friday, 14 August 2026, Apo Leong, who had made enormous, decades-long contributions to Asia’s labour movement, passed away in Hong Kong. Apo, who grew up in Macau and moved to Hong Kong as a teeanger, worked tirelessly as a labour reporter, organiser, campaigner and leader. He...

31/08/2026

https://c.org/rhVgcDdtHT
Hi all, we’ve reached over 5,600 signatures on this petition both online and physically—thank you so much for your support! Would you help us keep the momentum going by sharing? Posting to Facebook groups, Instagram stories, WhatsApp, or sending it directly via text or email all make a big difference. Thanks for being part of this!

19/08/2026

✊🌍 Endorsement! Call to Action on the Right to Universal Social Protection during Times of War and Accelerated Climate Change 🌍✊
We are gathering endorsements for the Declaration from the WSF2026 Activities Series on “Social Protection Under Fire: Grassroots Voices and Collective Resilience” held in Benin, August 2026.
Already signed by 23 co-organisers — including AMRC, AROSP, ASEC, Darazo Health Volunteers Network, End Austerity Campaign, FTUDC, Global Peace Study for Sustainable Development in Africa, Home Net Nepal, HNSEA, KPRI, LEF, LEWU, LDC Watch, NCWL, OSHE Foundation Bangladesh, PMRS, SAAPE, SPELL, YCOWA, WOPO, WPC, Rural Reconstruction Nepal, and Action Le Vert — this Declaration affirms that universal social protection, decent work, peace, human rights, and social justice are indispensable for sustainable development and leaving no one behind.
📢 Our Call to Action:
- Stop wars and redirect military spending towards peace, rebuilding, and social protection.
- Strengthen gender-responsive social protection systems for all, ensuring income security, pensions, healthcare, childcare, maternity protection, and basic services.
- Guarantee rights and protection for women, girls, migrants, refugees, informal workers, and displaced communities.
- Ensure climate-adaptive policies, tax justice, and progressive taxation to fund universal social protection.
- Unite civil society to establish a UN Universal Social Protection Day to advance this struggle globally.
👉 Endorse our Declaration before 15 October 2026: https://forms.gle/LEtY5hRGgM6HEXhG6
📄 More details (English & French): https://bit.ly/4wUHMn1
Together, we make another world possible! 🌐💪

15/08/2026

𝐈𝐧 𝐌𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐨-𝐥𝐚𝐦 (𝐀𝐩𝐨 𝐋𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐠): 𝐏𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐬𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐋𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞

It is with profound sorrow and deep respect that we bid farewell to Apo Leong, a lifelong champion of the international working class and a cornerstone of the Asian labour movement.

From the early 1970s onward, Apo dedicated his life to the emancipation of labour. At a time when industrial workers faced unchecked corporate power, authoritarian regimes, and perilous working conditions, he stood steadfast on the frontlines. Recognising that capital transcends borders, he began his work with the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee and later headed the Asia Monitor Resource Centre (AMRC) as its first Asian director, helping to bring isolated movements together into a unified regional front.. Through his leadership, activists and workers across Asia—from shop floors to rural communities—gained strategic solidarity, action-oriented research, and steadfast personal support. Apo walked alongside local organisers across the continent, ensuring no worker fought alone.

Apo’s legacy is woven into more than four decades of campaigns for the fundamental rights of grassroots workers and victims, occupational health and safety, fair wages, and cross-border solidarity. He mentored a generation of activists, teaching that true solidarity must be practical, international, and rooted in the daily struggles of ordinary people – offering not just strategic guidance, but warm, unwavering support to those on the frontlines of the fight for labour rights.

Though Apo has left us, his spirit endures in every worker and organizer who continues the fight for dignity and justice.

Apo Leong’s favourite slogan

Long live workers’ solidarity!

工人團結萬歲

Rest in power, Apo.

14/08/2026

https://c.org/HmTqpRRCy2
Dear all,

to update you, we have got a cumulative 1,386 1,3online signatures and 2,746 physical signatures from Grassroots people in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Cambodia, adding up to over 4,000 signatures in total for our petition!

Pls join AROSP - One Million Signature Petition

Tax the Rich, Not the Poor, to Finance Universal Social Protection!

14/08/2026

🌍✨ WSF2026 Activities Series: Social Protection Under Fire ✨🌍
Over a hundred participants — civil society organisations, networks, scholars, rights-based activists, campaigners, supporters, and co-organisers — joined online and in-person in Benin, 5–6 August 2026 for “Social Protection Under Fire: Grassroots Voices and Collective Resilience”.
Organised by the Asian Roundtable on Social Protection (AROSP) with 22 co-organisers from Asia, Africa, and across the globe, the sessions brought together evidence-based inputs, testimonies from affected communities, civil society analysis, and collective strategy building.
💡 Highlights:
Two sessions (2.5 hrs + 1.5 hrs) with opening remarks, a moment of silence, presentations, panel discussions, reflections, short interventions, and a collective closing.
Discussions on wars, geopolitical conflicts, forced migration, food & energy crises, employment insecurity, and weakened social protection systems.
Special focus on harassment, exploitation, violence, and protection gaps affecting displaced women & girls, migrant domestic workers, informal workers, and returnee migrants.
📌 Themes Covered:
War, Geopolitics, and Grassroots Rights – Impact of war, militarization, and power struggles on livelihoods, mobility, and social protection.
Migrant Workers, Displacement, and Resilience – Community resilience in addressing displacement, violence, health, food, energy, education, shelter, and protection gaps.
Collective Advocacy for Social Protection in Emergencies – Strategies to strengthen universal social protection for vulnerable groups during crises.
📂 Resources:
Presentations: https://bit.ly/3S2396o
Joint Declaration: https://bit.ly/4wUHMn1
Endorse the Declaration: https://forms.gle/MTfyb9FdEXPaP9Yc7
Recordings:
Day 1 ▶ https://youtube.com/live/2H_RamhHpEk?feature=share
Day 2 ▶ https://youtu.be/jsQoEljamaE
Together, we amplify grassroots voices and strengthen collective resilience for universal social protection. 💪🌐
&Girls

05/08/2026

🌍 INVITATION – WSF2026 Activities Series
Theme 6: Health, Wellbeing & Social Protection
Topic: “Social Protection Under Fire: Grassroots Voices and Collective Resilience”
📅 Date: 5–6 August 2026
5th August: from 9:00 to 11:30 (UTC+1 Cotonus); 15:00 - 17:30 (GMT+7),
6th August: from 9:00 to 10:30 (UTC+1 Cotonus); 15:00 - 16:30 (GMT+7),
📍 Location: Potocou, Benin (in-person – AMPHI JEAN PLIYA 1 (5th August) and ILACI - 6 (6th August): Universite a Godomey: https://share.google/p9XI3Fk8EHXVTmIbG

💻 Online: Join via Zoom (same link for Part 1 & Part 2)
👉 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/E6m7G9niRjCgc2nYDm5fdA

✨ Highlights:
Impact of wars & crises on workers’ social protection
Voices of migrant workers facing conflict, displacement & job loss
Community resilience & solidarity economy approaches
Advocacy strategies for vulnerable groups
Civil society united against militarization, austerity & inequality

🎤 Speakers include: Walden Bello (Philippines), Anwar Sastro Maruf (Indonesia), Sabreen AbeedAllah (Palestine), Oluwatoyin Towobola (Nigeria), Manjula Pradeep (India), Reshma Shakya (Nepal), Roberto Bissio (Uruguay), Vijaya Kumar (Sri Lanka), Suntaree Saeng-ging (Thailand) & more.

🗣️ Moderators: Raquel Castillo (Philippines), Om Thapaliya (Nepal), Pang Delgra (Philippines)


&Girls

31/07/2026

🌍 INVITATION – WSF2026 Activities Series
Theme 6: Health, Wellbeing & Social Protection
Topic: “Social Protection Under Fire: Grassroots Voices and Collective Resilience”
📅 Date: 5–6 August 2026
5th August: from 9:00 to 11:30 (UTC+1 Cotonus); 15:00 - 17:30 (GMT+7),
6th August: from 9:00 to 10:30 (UTC+1 Cotonus); 15:00 - 16:30 (GMT+7),
📍 Location: Potocou, Benin (in-person – TBC)
💻 Online: Join via Zoom (same link for Part 1 & Part 2)
👉 Register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/E6m7G9niRjCgc2nYDm5fdA
✨ Highlights:
Impact of wars & crises on workers’ social protection
Voices of migrant workers facing conflict, displacement & job loss
Community resilience & solidarity economy approaches
Advocacy strategies for vulnerable groups
Civil society united against militarization, austerity & inequality
🎤 Speakers include: Walden Bello (Philippines), Anwar Sastro Maruf (Indonesia), Sabreen AbeedAllah (Palestine), Oluwatoyin Towobola (Nigeria), Manjula Pradeep (India), Reshma Shakya (Nepal), Roberto Bissio (Uruguay), Vijaya Kumar (Sri Lanka), Suntaree Saeng-ging (Thailand) & more.
🗣️ Moderators: Raquel Castillo (Philippines), Om Thapaliya (Nepal), Pang Delgra (Philippines)
📢 Join us to strengthen collective resilience and demand ✊ ✊
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23/07/2026

🌏✨ Civil Society at ASEAN High Level Conference on Social Protection ✨🌏

On 21–22 July 2026, six CSOs (Oxfam, WIEGO, HNSEA, IDWF, AROSP, AMRC) joined the ASEAN High Level Conference on Social Protection.

👩‍💼 Aura Sevilla (WIEGO) spoke on the panel “Social Enterprises as Catalysts for Inclusive Growth”, highlighting the critical role of civil society and social enterprises in achieving universal social protection.

📑 Our Policy Recommendations was submitted directly to the ASEAN Secretary. In the Policy paper, we recommend the ASEAN State members:
✅ Expand coverage beyond formal employment and across borders
✅ Make contributory schemes more accessible through flexible financing and administration
✅ Strengthen sustainable financing for universal and adequate social protection
✅ Advance gender‐responsive and care‐centred social protection systems
✅ Develop responsive social protection systems for climate change and labour market transitions
✅ Strengthen inclusive governance and social dialogue
🌐 We recommend the SOMSWD/ASEAN:
✅ Develop guidelines/manuals for informal economy workers
✅ Strengthen coordination & civil society feedback mechanisms
✅ Share knowledge on digital innovation & emergency financing
✅Establish an ASEAN Climate & Social Protection Facility
✅ Build intra‐ASEAN social security agreements for portability

👥 CSO participants also joined group discussions to input on the Draft ASEAN Declaration on Advancing Social Protection Towards a People-Centered Community.

📌 In the event, we shared with ASEAN member states (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Timor Leste) our Policy Recommendations and Policy Brief

💪 Together, WE are pushing for inclusive, gender-responsive, climate-responsive, and universal social protection across ASEAN.

📌 Read more:
👉 Policy Recommendations: https://www.wiego.org/advocacy-worker-education-resources/asean-informal-workers-social-protection/
👉 Policy Brief: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10kDhYwfQti1b9dhNgaOozBPv1LwJ-Pkz/view?usp=sharing
👉 Aura presentation: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1B3nQWhVd_fnpCTJ3EKGWodaVCZI3svFd/view?usp=sharing