Ethnic DiscriminatioN and Religious Extremism 

We recommend that ASEAN member states:

1. Promote ASEAN-led workshops addressing ethnic inequalities to foster inclusivity, sustainability, and resilience and prevent violence and repression.

2. Eliminate nationalistic tendencies by cultivating unity through fair opportunities supported by the law and shared prosperity, reducing majority dominance.

3. Ratify and strengthen the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) to ensure regional alignment on human rights.

4. Refine identity-based policies1 across ASEAN to ensure poverty reduction and equity, addressing disparities across ethnic groups.

5. Establish timelines for transitioning from ethnic-based to needs-based policies, supported by studies on their effectiveness.

Thematic Group Organisations

1. Pusat KOMAS 

2. Sisters in Islam 

3. Iman Research

4. Gabungan Bertindak Malaysia

5. SERATA

6. SMILE Myanmar

7. Gusdurian Network (Indonesia)

8. The PATANI (Thailand)

9. Philipines Centre for Islam and Democracy (Philippines)

10. Sabah Youth Movement (SYM)

11. Namjai Community Association

12. Projek SAMA

13. Philippine Center for Islam and Democracy

14.  MSU-Illigan Institute of Technology 

15. Sulong Peace Philippines

16.  aXXelerate Philippines

For further details regarding this thematic cluster, kindly direct your inquiries to:

Name: Yogavelan Balamurli (Pusat KOMAS)

Email: yoga@komas.org