Logistics
Date & Time: Thursday, June 4, 2026 | 9:30AM CEST / 2:30PM ICT
Online Platform: Zoom (will be livestreamed on GDC YouTube channel)
Co-hosting Organizations: Asia Centre, Global Democracy Coalition
Livestream Details: https://youtube.com/live/5io8aaZOYI0?feature=share
Background
Across Asia, recent years have witnessed repeated waves of democratic mobilisation challenging authoritarian governance, corruption, elite capture, and democratic backsliding. From South Korea and Bangladesh to Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and beyond, popular movements have demonstrated the continued public demand for accountability, participation, and political change.
Yet despite moments of political rupture and democratic opening, durable democratic consolidation often remains elusive. Across the region, democratic transitions continue to face recurring patterns of institutional fragility, fragmented opposition forces, shrinking civic space, and the resilience or reconfiguration of authoritarian power.
At the same time, the nature of democratic mobilisation itself is changing. Movements today are often faster, decentralised, digitally connected, and highly visible, yet they frequently struggle to build long-term institutional continuity or sustainable political pathways once moments of mobilisation begin to fade.
Rather than focusing on individual country cases or short-term political developments, this webinar creates space to reflect on broader structural and regional questions emerging across Asia. It explores why democratic openings so often fail to translate into lasting democratic practice, what has fundamentally changed in the democratic landscape of the 2020s, and whether democratic actors may need to rethink some of the assumptions, strategies, and frameworks that have traditionally shaped democracy support efforts.
The discussion will serve as a conceptual entry point to the 2026 GDC Asia Regional Forum in Seoul, helping frame deeper conversations around democratic renewal, democratic resilience, and the evolving nature of democratic practice in the region.
Objectives
- Examine recurring patterns limiting democratic consolidation across Asia
- Explore how democratic mobilisation and political participation are evolving in the region
- Reflect on the structural tensions between democratic openings and institutional continuity
- Surface emerging questions around democratic resilience, authoritarian adaptation, and civic participation
- Generate conceptual framing and strategic questions to inform discussions at the GDC Asia Regional Forum in Seoul
Speakers / Experts Profiles
Ananya Kundu
Founder and Executive Director, White Dor Solidarity Network (WDSN)
Ananya Kundu is a young peace advocate, feminist researcher and human rights defender based in India. She has worked for the last 6+ years with diverse vulnerable communities in South Asia on issues of migration, racism, human rights and gender justice. Ananya works on feminist movement building and evidence-led advocacy. She specialises in the usage of feminist participatory, consultative methodologies in research and project design that focus on community-based consultations and involve a process of power sharing. She has led feminist participatory research projects in India and Afghanistan, and has authored multiple reports such as “Echoes of Alarm: Afghan Women’s Testimonies of Gender Apartheid and the Growing Threat of Religious Extremism” (2025), “ Har Taraf Maruf! Har Taraf Maruf! (The Morality Police are Everywhere): Surveillance and Fear in the Face of the Vice and Virtue Laws in Afghanistan” (2025), “The Reality of Racism for Women Migrant Workers from North-east India in Delhi” (2024), “India Afghan Refugee Community Conversations” (2023) and more. She holds an MA in Gender Studies and a BA in English Language and Literature. She formerly worked as the Country Coordinator for India at the Women’s Regional Network and is currently the Senior Researcher and Gender Specialist at FARAGEER, a Afghan women’s rights organisation. She is a youth advisor at the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership, Australian National University and the Founder and Director of the White Dot Solidarity Network, a youth peace collective in India.
Ika Ningtyas
Fact-Checking Coordinator, Tempo, and Advisory Board Member, SAFEnet
Ika Ningtyas is the Secretary-General of Indonesia’s Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI). She develops and oversees programmes related to safeguarding press freedom and journalism. This includes research, campaigns, advocacy and support to members and organisations in Indonesia, Southeast Asia and internationally.
Ika is also managing the fact checking programme at TEMPO. In her career as a journalist and press freedom activist for 15 years, she has worked on in-depth digital rights research, investigations, and advocacy campaigns. At present, she is particularly focused on issues related to media freedom and mis-disinformation. She is also an advisory member of Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet).
MODERATOR: Dr. James Gomez
Regional Director, Asia Centre and Member of the Global Democracy Coalition Steering Group
Dr. James Gomez is the Regional Director of Asia Centre. He is a highly qualified communications expert with over 30 years of international experience working for international NGOs, intergovernmental organisations, public and private universities, research institutes and think tanks. At Asia Centre, he is leading the efforts to make the Centre and its programming AI-ready and ensure its projects consider the impact of other technological developments. Specific initiatives undertaken by Dr Gomez include: digital transformation project to integrate AI tools into the Centre’s operations; policy research to help political parties track and positively influence AI legislation; addressing implications of technological developments for digital security; and planning for Asia Centre’s 2025 conference “AI and Governance in Asia: Civil Society, Democracy and Media.”
Jeremiah Tomas
Former Youth Chair, Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
Jeremiah Tomas is a Filipino youth leader, trainer, and civil society advocate actively engaged in democratic development, youth participation, and international cooperation across Asia and beyond. He previously served as Youth Chair of the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and as Regional Representative to the International Federation of Liberal Youth, where he helped lead regional initiatives focused on civic engagement, political education, and youth empowerment.
He is also an international trainer and facilitator within IFLRY, contributing to leadership development programs, political academies, and cross-cultural dialogue initiatives. Jeremiah has participated in democracy and election observation missions, global youth summits, and multilateral discussions on inclusive governance and civic participation. Passionate about building bridges across cultures and generations, his work focuses on empowering young leaders, strengthening democratic values, and fostering meaningful collaboration within civil society and public life.
Narayan Adhikari
South East Asia Lead, Accountability Lab Nepal
Narayan Adhikari is a global thought leader, social entrepreneur, and strategic advisor specializing in open governance, climate resilience, and civic innovation. As the Co-founder and South Asia Representative for Accountability Lab, he has designed globally recognized accountability tools, including Integrity Icon and CivActs, earning the organization the 2018 UN Anti-Corruption Excellence Award. He is also the driving force behind the Open Gov Hub Kathmandu, a facility providing catalytic support to over 100 civic entrepreneurs who leverage civic tech, convening, and narrative building to advance democratic governance.
Deeply involved in high-level diplomacy and systemic state reform, Mr. Adhikari serves on Nepal’s Governance Reform Commission, appointed following the historic Gen-Z protests to align state mechanisms with the aspirations of a new generation. Globally, he served as the 2023 Co-Chair for the C7 (Open and Resilient Society), advising G7 members, and currently serves on the Board of Trustees for RESULTS UK. He also acts as a strategic advisor to the global #ShiftThePower movement and the Climate Tank for Seeds of Peace in South Asia.Bridging on-the-ground impact with high-level academia, Narayan teaches university courses on leadership and shapes governance research design at elite institutions, including the London School of Economics (LSE) and the University of Manchester, bringing a vital Global South practitioner’s perspective. Recognized as one of Business360 Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People to Watch,” he is an Aspen Institute New Voices Fellow, a BMW Foundation Responsible Leader, and a Stanford Business School alumnus. His expert insights on institutional reform are regularly featured in major media outlets such as the BBC, Al-Jazeera, South China Morning Post, Kathmandu Post, Onlinekhabar, and Republica.