Events^ from the Rest of Us (26.08.25)
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
August 2025
25-29 August 2025, Gwangju, Damyang and Seoul, Republic of Korea: The May 18 Academy 2025 for International Human Rights and Democracy Activists: Theme, “Global Democratic Backsliding and the Power of Solidarity”, organised by The May 18 Foundation. (Applications closed on 13 July.)
26-28 August 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Digital Rights in the Asia-Pacific assembly, organised by Architects of Diversity (OAD Malaysia), the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ Malaysia), the Initiative to Promote Tolerance and Prevent Violence (INITIATE.MY), Sinar Project, and EngageMedia
26-28 August 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: IEEE International Conference on AI for Sustainable Innovation 2025 (AI-SI 2025), organised by Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and IEEE Computer Society Malaysia Chapter (*)
26-28 August 2025, Bandung, Indonesia: International Conference on Networking, Intelligent Systems and IoT for sustainable development, organised by The University Center of Excellence for Intelligent Sensing-IoT at Telkom University of Indonesia (*)
27 August 2025, Singapore: “Weaponized Independence: Critical Minerals in a Fracturing World,” organised by National University of Singapore, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Hong Siew Ching Speaker and Seminar Series
28 August 2025, virtual: “AI Safety Governance in Southeast Asia,” organised by the AI Safety Asia and the Center for Technology and Innovation at the Brookings Institution (*)
29 August 2025, virtual, Southeast Asia: “Scam Compounds: Are You Aware Enough?”, organised by Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA). (*)
29 August 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: AI SAfety Meet-Up, organised by AI Safety Asia and BlueDot Impact.
31 August 2025, Taipei, Taiwan: DEADLINE: nominations for the 2025 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award, organised by the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.
31 August 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: DEADLINE TO APPLY TO JOIN: ASEAN Civil Society Conference / ASEAN People’s Forum 2025 14-15 October 2025, organised by ACSC/APF (APPLY BY 31 AUGUST; See Facebook page.)
September 2025
02-03 September 2025, Singapore: Global Anti-Scam Summit (GASS) Asia 2025, organised by Global Anti-Scam Alliance (*)
03 September 2025 (04 Sept early morning in SEA), Global, online: Expert Panel on AI Governance in Southeast Asia, organised by Duco (*)
03-05 September 2025, Johannesburg, South Africa: CTRL+J Africa, organised by the International Fund for Public Interest Media.
02-04 September 2025, Jakarta, Indonesia: The 5th Artificial Intelligence mInnovation Summit, organised by Kolaborasi Riset dan Inovasi Industri Kecerdasan Artifisial (KORIKA) and cTIs (*)
06-07 September 2025, Jakarta, Indonesia: ASEAN for the People’s Conference, organised by FPCI (Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia)
08 September 2025, 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 2025, Sydney, Australia: Financial Review Asia Summit 2025, organised by the Financial Review and Asia Society Australia (*)
9-11 September 2025, Hong Kong, SAR: “AVPN Global Conference 2025: Asian Leadership for an Inclusive World”, organised by Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). (*)
10-11 September 2025, 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
12 September 2025, 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 2025, online: Aboriginal English Voices - Improving Speech Technologies for Indigenous Users, oragnised by the University of Western Australia and Google. (*)
15-19 September 2025, 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.
25-26 September 2025, Bangkok, Thailand: 2nd International Conference on Women, Gender, and Leadership: Redefining the Power Paradigm, oragnised by IFERP.
30 September to 02 October 2025, 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 2025, 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