Civil society networks across Asia unite to demand debt cancellation, universal social protection,
climate justice and the protection of civic space.

Regional Solidarity for People-Centered Justice

Thirty-eight civil society networks and organisations from across Asia have come together to issue the Asia Regional People’s Declaration 2025, calling for urgent reforms to achieve economic justice, universal social protection, climate action, and democratic freedoms.

The declaration was adopted at the Asia Regional People’s Assembly 2025, held virtually on 28 October 2025, where more than 100 community leaders, civil society representatives, and academics participated. The Assembly’s outcomes will feed into several global and regional events, including the World Social Summit 2025 (Doha), Asia Pacific Social Forum (Bangkok), Asia Democracy Assembly, and International Civil Society Week 2025.

Download the Asia Regional People’s Declaration 2025 here.

Debt Crisis and Economic Justice

Civil society organisations warned that the debt crisis has strangled developing economies, leaving 831 million people in extreme poverty (World Bank, 2025). Currently, 118 developing countries are in debt distress (Martin & Waddock, 2024), with governments forced to slash budgets for health, education, social protection, and climate action to service debts.

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The declaration highlights that the austerity measures imposed by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs), guided by the World Bank and IMF, have created “a colonial debt architecture” that deepens poverty and inequality. Civil unrest in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kenya, and Indonesia is cited as evidence of the social fallout.

Key demands include:

• Unjust debt cancellation and an end to austerity.
• Establishment of a UN Framework Convention on Sovereign Debt.
• Reform of the international financial and tax architecture.
• Progressive taxation and wealth taxes to finance essential services.
• Increased public investment in health, education, and universal social protection.

Social Protection for Social Justice

While the ILO (2024) reports that 53.6% of Asia’s population now receives at least one social protection benefit, progress remains uneven. In South Asia, only 35.4% have access to cash benefits, and social protection spending remains at 11.8% of GDP—well below the global average of 19.3%.

Millions remain excluded—particularly women, informal and migrant workers, Dalits, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ groups—leaving them vulnerable to poverty and shocks from debt, austerity, and climate change.

The declaration emphasizes the need for rights-based, universal social protection systems financed through progressive taxation, debt relief, and elimination of illicit financial flows.

Key calls to action include:

• Establish universal, legally guaranteed social protection floors “from birth to death.”
• Ensure inclusive access for all marginalized groups.
• Fund public health, education, and care services through public, non-discriminatory systems.
• Institutionalize citizen participation and social audits to ensure accountability.
• Integrate social protection with decent work and fair wages.

Climate Change and Environmental Justice

Asia faces escalating climate disasters—from record-breaking heatwaves in India and catastrophic floods in Pakistan to typhoons in the Philippines and melting Himalayan glaciers. These events have displaced millions and disrupted livelihoods, with 47 major fossil fuel and extractive companies accused of obstructing climate action (Kaminski, 2022).

The declaration calls for urgent, community-driven climate action, citing that “continued neglect of climate justice will fuel poverty, migration, and unrest among Asia’s young populations.”

Core demands include:

• A complete phase-out of fossil fuels and redirection of public finance to renewable energy.
• Grant-based climate finance for developing countries instead of debt-creating loans.
• Recognition of Indigenous and local governance in land-use decisions.
• Protection of environmental defenders and public participation in decision-making.
• Investment in early warning systems, youth-led climate research, and adaptation financing.
• Regional cooperation on climate-induced migration and shared water governance.

Democracy, Civic Space, and Human Rights

The declaration warns of a “rise of security states over welfare states” in Asia, characterized by shrinking civic space, surveillance, restrictions on foreign funding, and suppression of dissent.

It also expresses deep concern over the aid cuts announced by the US and other Western governments, which have forced many CSOs in Asia and Africa to scale down operations or close. The resulting gap in advocacy, human rights work, and community empowerment is widening inequalities and weakening democracy.

Key appeals include:

• Protection of freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.
• Ending state-sponsored surveillance and internet censorship.
• Inclusion of youth, women, and marginalized groups in decision-making.
• Upholding rule of law, transparency, and accountability.
• Western governments to reverse aid cuts and adopt locally driven financing models rooted in dignity and rights.
• Strengthen South–South cooperation to promote people-centered development.
• Recognition of civil society’s critical role in safeguarding democracy.

The declaration also condemns the ongoing genocide in Gaza, urging both Israel and Hamas to adhere to a ceasefire and uphold international humanitarian law.

A United People’s Movement

The declaration concludes with a strong message of solidarity across Asia and the Global South—urging governments, IFIs, and donor countries to “reimagine a development model founded on humanity, dignity, rights, and justice.”