On 28 June 2019, the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA), will hold its Regional CSOs and Donor Community Dialogue. The event will focus on challenges related to funding much-needed human rights work in Asia.

The dialogue is a follow-up to a similar event held in Geneva last November, which was aimed to address fundraising challenges faced by civil society, human rights defenders, and advocates of democratic values in Asia. The discussions encouraged CSOs to develop innovative ways to raise and access funds. It also served to raise awareness amongst the donor community on the need to address fundraising challenges. Other issues that came up during the exchange included: the importance of raising resources within Asia; limited accessibility of funds for grassroots organisations; donor coordination; obstacles to disbursement of funds; and putting human rights at the centre of development. Overall, the event revealed the need for an ongoing dialogue between CSOs and donors to find practical solutions to the challenged faced.

The second CSOs and Donors Community Dialogue will be hosted in Bangkok on 28 June 2019, with the participation of key regional and international NGOs, and donor agencies. The Dialogue will: explore innovative ways to access the untapped funding sources; discuss strategies to ensure effective grant-making for human rights and CSOs working on sustainable development; and start building a multistakeholder network of organisations to take forward and institutionalise dialogues between CSOs and the donor community in Asia.