Events^ from the Rest of Us (07.07.2025)
Policy-shaping knowledge moments from outside the mainstream
Today’s Events^ dispatch is the first of many 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 and you are encouraged to investigate further.
Calendar
July 2025
11 July 2025, Singapore: Building Responsible Smart Cities: A Toolkit for Public and Private Sector Action, organised by UNDP, Institute for Human Rights and Business, and the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities at Singapore University of Technology and Design. (*)
12 July 2025, Chiang Mai, Thailand: Reimagining Digital Identity: Towards Responsible Digital Identity Practice among Karen Refugees in Thailand, organised by Chiang Mai University and Goldsmiths, University of London.
17-19 July 2025, Chiang Mai, Thailand: Decolonizing Southeast Asia Studies Conference, organised by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development at Chiang Mai University and the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin Madison, supported by the Henry Luce Foundation
24 July 2025, Manila, Philippines: The Evolution of Tech Governance in Southeast Asia, Spotlight on the Philippines, organised by Tech for Good Institute (Singapore) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology of the Philippines (DICT).
25 July 2025, Online webinar: In Search of Thailand’s New Industrial Strategy, organised by the Thailand Studies Programme of ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute (Singapore)
By 31 July 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Malaysia’s National AI Action Plan 2026-20230, public comment and consultation survey.
August 2025
04 August 2025, Jakarta, Indonesia: WAN-IFRA AI Forum 2025 Jakarta, organised by WAN-IFRA (World Association of News Publishers) and KG Media Group Indonesia (*)
12-13 August 2025, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: inaugural ASEAN AI Malaysia Summit 2025, organised by Malaysia’s Ministry for Digital.
21-22 August 2025, Bangkok, Thailand: 10th International Conference - AI and Governance in Asia: Civil Society, Democracy and Media, organised by The Asia Centre.
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