FOCUS Dispatch is a monthly newsletter from Focus on the Global South, featuring articles written by our staff members and allies discussing various issues within a specific themes every month, as well as a round-up of Focus’ publications and events. You can receive the Dispatch every month straight to your inbox by subscribing to our mailing list at focusweb.org/subscribe.

Recent Articles

Pride 2023: Celebrations and Protests in the Philippines

by Anisa | 07/07/2023 | Feature, FOCUS Dispatch, Philippines, Social Movements, Women | 0 Comments

Pride 2023 in the Philippines was marked with simultaneous actions and events across the country, spearheaded by different LGBTQIA+ coalitions, with some events supported officially by various local governments. The Pride festival in Quezon City for example which was...

Standing Up for Justice

by Anisa | 05/07/2023 | FOCUS Dispatch, Graphics, Mekong Region, Power and Democracy, Social Movements | 0 Comments

Artwork by Kyaw Linn Story by CDMer (Health Professional) The story is part of “Living the Coup: Collective Diary of Daily Life in Myanmar” initiated by SEA Junction in collaboration with Asia Justice Rights. The story follows two civil servants from Myanmar...

Peasant Agroecology Workshop: Agroecology and Sustainable Agriculture in the North and Northeastern Thailand

by Anisa | 28/04/2023 | Climate & Environment, Event, FOCUS Dispatch, Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, Mekong Region, Thailand | 0 Comments

by Kheetanat Wannaboworn On 7-9 April 2023, Focus on the Global South together with the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University; Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute...

Land Grabs and Injustice: The Struggles of Families in Tamol Leu Community

by Anisa | 27/04/2023 | Blog Post, Cambodia, FOCUS Dispatch, Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, Mekong Region, Power and Democracy | 0 Comments

by Ridan Sun Mrs. Toun Seng, a 55-year-old resident of the Tamol Leu community, shared her harrowing experience of being arrested and imprisoned for four months after raising concerns about burning garbage on her own land. Despite the hardships she has faced, Mrs....

Voices from the International Women’s Day Celebration in Cambodia

by Anisa | 31/03/2023 | Blog Post, Cambodia, FOCUS Dispatch, Mekong Region, Social Movements, Women | 0 Comments

On March 8th, women around the world celebrated International Women's Day, a day to recognize the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, as well as to raise awareness about the ongoing struggle for gender equality. In Cambodia, our staff had...

Empowering Women in Rural Cambodia: Highlights from the International Women’s Day Celebration

by Anisa | 31/03/2023 | Blog Post, Cambodia, FOCUS Dispatch, Mekong Region, Social Movements, Women | 0 Comments

Around 150 people from six villages gathered in the Lorpeang and Pich Chengva communities in Kampong Chhnang province on March 7th and 8th, 2023 to celebrate International Women's Day. The event aimed to raise awareness about women's issues and their role in community...

The Political Economy of a Predatory State Revisited: The Marcos-World Bank Partnership

by Anisa | 28/02/2023 | FOCUS Dispatch, Opinion/Analysis, Philippines, Power and Democracy, Trade and Investment | 0 Comments

By Walden Bello* (Presentation at the International Conference on “Dynamics of Change and Continuity in Philippine Political Economy: Martial Law and the Marcos Restoration,” Feb 24, 2023. This is a revised version of an article that originally appeared in Rappler,...

Ode to EDSA

by Galileo de Guzman Castillo | 28/02/2023 | Blog Post, FOCUS Dispatch, Philippines, Power and Democracy, Social Movements | 0 Comments

Text and Photos by Galileo de Guzman Castillo[i] 2023 February 25 Ode to EDSA The spirit lives on, here and now For ‘twasn’t a mere single bough Nor a fleeting moment Of thunderous lament Evoked by today’s irony And tragedy, ceasing would be Further tribulation...

Challenges and Prospects for Social Justice within Government’s economic agenda

by Anisa | 27/02/2023 | FOCUS Dispatch, Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, Opinion/Analysis, Philippines, Power and Democracy, Trade and Investment | 0 Comments

By Joseph Purugganan, Focus on the Global South* As Social Justice and human rights activists we take solace in the fact that social justice and human rights are enshrined in our Constitution. It is important to be reminded of this fact and to look at the promise of...

Infographics on Fisheries

by Anisa | 13/02/2023 | FOCUS Dispatch, Food Sovereignty and Agroecology, India, Posters and Infographics, The Commons | 0 Comments

Global trade in fisheries is highly unequal. While developed countries have amassed large fishing fleets that are highly subsidised, they are now using neoliberalism and ‘sustainability’ frameworks to rob developing countries of their ability to protect their fishing...