From September 25-30, 2022, the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience (ICSC), the Global Initiative for Justice, Truth and Reconciliation (GIJTR), and Asia Justice and Rights (AJAR) hosted an International Summit entitled “Protecting Ethnic and Cultural Diversity in the Asia and Pacific Region” in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The Summit brought together members of ICSC’s Asia & Pacific Network, Transitional Justice Asia Network, representatives from the Rohingya Diaspora, as well as regional and Indonesian CSOs working on refugee issues to share experiences and lessons learned related to human rights documentation, truth-telling, accountability, and memorialization across the region. Attended by 67 participants from 20 different countries, the Summit focused on challenges and opportunities in protecting ethnic and cultural diversity in the region and helped advance the Asia and the Pacific Network‘s strategic goal of developing new and expanded initiatives that contribute to strengthening the prevention of hatred and violent conflict in the region by promoting understanding, inclusion, and equal access to human rights and justice.

The week-long event included an array of workshops, trainings, panels, and roundtable sessions. In addition, the Summit offered participants the possibility to immerse themselves in the local context and participate in site visits and roundtable conversations on Indonesian memorialization and transitional justice processes.

The Summit also created opportunities for the Asia and the Pacific Network members to actively engage in the work carried out by ICSC’s GIJTR under its Rohingya Documentation Initiative, and develop a collaborative regional project supporting oral archives among Rohingya refugees. For more information, or to become involved, please contact Silvia Fernández, Global Networks Program Director.