Rawand Ben Brahim, researcher at the European Strategy Research Institute (EUSTRAT) and PhD candidate in International Relations and Security Studies at Corvinus University, represented the European Youth Forum at the 4th ASEAN-EU Civil Society Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 13 to 15 October 2025.
Taking place alongside Malaysia's 2025 ASEAN Chairmanship, the biennial Forum brought together 52 civil society organizations from Southeast Asia and Europe to strengthen the EU-ASEAN Strategic Partnership. The Forum produced joint policy recommendations that were presented to the 6th ASEAN-EU Policy Dialogue on Human Rights, demonstrating civil society's role in shaping regional cooperation frameworks.
Selection for the Forum was highly competitive. Co-organized by six leading regional institutions: Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), Human Rights Working Group Indonesia, ASEAN Youth Forum, Raoul Wallenberg Institute, Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, and European Youth Forum; the Forum brought together 30 participants from EU (confirmed by the EU Delegation to ASEAN) and 30 from ASEAN and Timor-Leste organizations confirmed by the EU Delegation to ASEAN.
The three-day programme addressed critical themes for EU-ASEAN cooperation: civic space and democracy, climate change and environmental rights, and access to justice. Participants engaged directly with key stakeholders including EU Special Representative for Human Rights Kajsa Ollongren and EU Ambassador to ASEAN Sujiro Seam, as well as representatives from the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR).
Since the EU became ASEAN's Dialogue Partner in 1977, the two regions have maintained close relations governed by the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership (2023-2027). The Forum represents a key component of this partnership, demonstrating both regions' commitment to inclusive multilateral cooperation and civil society engagement in regional governance.
