Events^ from the Rest of Us (03.09.25)
Policy-shaping knowledge moments from outside the mainstream
Today’s Events^ dispatch contains curated posts to keep you updated on knowledge shaping moments outside the mainstream Northern discourse. Please note that (margin*notes)^squared will initially focus on knowledge events in the Asia Pacific Region and from historically underrepresented groups. Please feel free to submit any upcoming events — seminars, conferences, webinars, workshops, etc — that you feel are relevant by dropping me a note.
I also believe it is vitally important to understand who funds knowledge moments that shape our public policy discourse. Events indicated with an (*) indicate activities that seem to be funded in part or in whole by a private sector entity (or the convening organisation receives private sector funding) and you are encouraged to investigate further.
Calendar
September 2025
02-03 September | Singapore | Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) Asia 2025 | organised by Global Anti-Scam Alliance (*)
03 September (04 Sept early morning in SEA) | Global, online | Expert Panel on AI Governance in Southeast Asia, organised by Duco (*)
03-05 September | Johannesburg, South Africa | CTRL+J Africa, organised by the International Fund for Public Interest Media.
02-04 September | Jakarta, Indonesia | The 5th Artificial Intelligence Innovation Summit, organised by Kolaborasi Riset dan Inovasi Industri Kecerdasan Artifisial (KORIKA) and cTIs (*)
06-07 September | Jakarta, Indonesia | ASEAN for the People’s Conference, organised by FPCI (Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia)
08 September | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | AI for Good [Educator] Conference, organised by National AI Office, Meta, and AI Singapore (*)
08 September | New York, USA and online | Unveiling the AI Harm Map: Tracking Harms, Demanding Accountability, a, UNGA80 side event organised by the Ethical AI Alliance
08 September | France, and online | A Digital Tax to Support Quality Journalism: Applying the Polluter Pays Principle to Big Tech Platforms, organised by the Forum on Information and Democracy
08-09 September | Manila, Philippines | 3rd Asian Development Bank Learning Week, organised by APCOM, ASEAN SOGIE Caucus, ILGA-Asia, Intersex Asia, and PSGDN
09 September | Sydney, Australia | Financial Review Asia Summit 2025, organised by the Financial Review and Asia Society Australia (*)
9-11 September | Hong Kong, SAR | “AVPN Global Conference 2025: Asian Leadership for an Inclusive World”, organised by Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). (*)
10-11 September | Yogyakarta, Indonesia | International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Technology (ICoAIT), organised by the Artificial Intelligence Research Group of the Informatics Department, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan
11 September | East Asia, online | AISA Tokyo AI Roundtable: AI safety in East Asia - "Accelerate with Foresight: Safeguards and Preparedness for East Asia's AI Future", organised by AI Safety Asia
12 September | Petaling Jaya, Malaysia | ASEAN AI Business Summit, organised by Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (ACCIM) and the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) (*)
19 September | Australia, online | Aboriginal English Voices - Improving Speech Technologies for Indigenous Users, oragnised by the University of Western Australia and Google. (*)
15-19 September | Bangkok, Thailand | United Nations Responsible Business and Human Rights Forum Asia-Pacific, organised by UNDP, UN Women, ILO, IOM, OHCHR, UNEP, UNICEF, UN Human Rights Special Procedures, Business and Human Rights.
15-20 September | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Seapunk Proto-College: 1 Week Pop-Up College About Protocols and Re-Imaginable SEAs (Southeast Asias), organised by Seapunk Studios and Summer of Protocols
17 September | Sydney, Australia | ASEAN in Focus 2025, organised by the University of Sydney, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
19-21 September | Goa, India | inSIG 2025, organised by India School on Internet Governance (inSIG), BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus, and Internet Society
22-28 September 2025 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 57th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting, organised by ASEAN (with related business delegation consultations) (*)
23-24 September 2025 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | Digital Nation Summit Kuala Lumpur (ASEAN Edition), organised by GSMA and hosted by Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) (*)
25 September | Sydney, Australia: Indonesia Research Showcase, organised by the University of Sydney, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre
25-26 September | Bangkok, Thailand | 2nd International Conference on Women, Gender, and Leadership: Redefining the Power Paradigm, oragnised by IFERP.
30 September to 02 October | Bangkok, Thailand | APRU Tech Policy Hackathon 2025, organised by Association of Pacific Rim Universities, Google, NUS Fintech Lab, data.org, and Capacity Accelerator Network (*)
30 September | Barcelona, Spain | Cultural Rights in the Digital Age: Inclusive Access, Fair Participation, and Rights-Based Governance, MONDIACULT 2025 Joint Side Event, organised by UNESCO, ICESCO, ILO, OHCHR, and UN Women
October 2025
07-08 October | Delhi, India | Trust and Safety Festival India, organised by the Trust and Safety Festival (*)
08-10 October | venue TBC | Enabling Accessibility and Inclusion through Digital Trade and E-commerce, organised by Asian Development Bank (ADB), ADB Institute and UN ESCAP