ASEAN GRASSROOTS PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLY (AGPA)

Greetings from Cambodian Grassroots Cross -sector Networks!

We are very pleased to inform and update you about our ASEAN Grassroots People’s Assembly
(AGPA) happening in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 13 -16th November 2012. AGPA is specifically
designed to coincide with and target the 2nd ASEAN Summit taking place in Cambodia 18 -20th
November.

What is AGPA?

AGPA is a four -day event combining cultural celebration and exchange with workshops to
analyse issues from a national and regional perspective culminating in a final day of rally action
to bring the issues and campaign for change to the attention of Cambodian and ASEAN leaders
as well as to the national, regional and international media.

AGPA will bring together 2000 activists and grassroots networks members from all around
Cambodia (and an extra 2000 on March Day 4) and 300 grassroots activists and partners from
the ASEAN region.

AGPA is a space for grassroots activists, networks and organizations to come toget her, share
experiences and join solidarity.

AGPA is being organized as a Cambodian process with the solidarity and involvement of our
regional allies and partners in ASEAN.

Who we are ?

AGPA is being organized by the Cambodian grassroots cross -sector networks core group. These
networks of people are farmers, fisher -folk, forestry activists, land activists, indigenous people,
women issues activists, labour activists, sex workers, youth activists, anti -eviction activists, anti –
capitalism activists, LGBT activists, artists, singers and more.

AGPA is being organized as a Cambodian process with the solidarity and involvement of our
regional allies and partners in ASEAN. It is an event born from grassroots activists, groups and
networks organizing and mobil izing in Cambodia in order to have their own voices and

problems heard directly from themselves, not mediated through NGOs or platforms dominated
by NGOs.

AGPA is not an end in itself; AGPA is a very important event on our journey to build a cross –
sector movement in Cambodia. We are just beginning to form relationships with regional
networks and friends.
This is a long -term process for us and we will take time to do this carefully, so we do not rush to
invite many regional friends to join every part of AGPA. Some parts of AGPA (Day 2), are
important for the Cambodian grassroots networks to consolidate their work so far and their
demands to the Cambodian gov ernment, so they remain closed to Cambodian networks and
only regional networks with whom we have built sufficient trust.

However, most parts of AGPA (Day 1, 3 and 4) are public and are open to all.

Who is invited to join the whole AGPA event?

Most of AGPA is open to all grassroots activists and allies from the region. However in order to
consolidate some core work of our cross sector networks, we will be holding some Cambodia –
only workshops and we will be inviting some specific partners to join for th ese closed
workshops (Day 2). For our cross sector core team, AGPA is not an end in itself – it is a very
important event on our journey of building trust and links together in Cambodia and in the
region. So we are taking time to build slowly and solidly an d with quality. We do not wish to
rush. We are building a movement, not only organizing an event.

The criteria for our invitations, which were agreed in our core team earlier this year, are the
following:

• Pro -grassroots activists, groups, netwo rks, NGOs – at a
local, national, regional, international level

• People -led groups and NGOs, where the voice of the people decides

• Organsiations who have already worked with us and whom we trust

Which parts of AGPA event are fully open to everyone?

Only some parts of AGPA will be limited. Many parts are fully open to the public and to any
friends and visitors from the region.

The public parts of AGPA are:

• Launch of AGPA on Day 1 – 13th November – everyone is welcome
to participate

• Our aim on Day 3 is to hold public forums – if not in one
space, then in a few spaces which are possible and allowable – these are public, everyone is
welcome to participate

• Our aim on Day 4 is to hold a public march and rally on the
streets of Phnom Penh – this is a public activity and so everyone is welcome to participate

In reality, the only part of AGPA which is invited -only is Day 2, when we will hold many
workshops with large numbers of Cambodian grassroots people so that it will strengthen our
sharing and strategizing for the Cambodian people?s movement -building purposes.

It has already been fully agreed that regional friends who are also organizing regional
workshops as part of AGPA are free to invite who they wish.

So we do hope that everyone who wishes to be part of AGPA will find their space, either in a
public forum, public march or a regionally -organised workshop.

For those who wish to join the public events, we would appreciate to hear from you in adva nce
with clear information about your groups and the numbers who will join. This will help us to
prepare these public events with strong logistical and security support.

Please contact: Sophea (Secretariat) chreksophea@gmail.com; Nareth (Campaigns Committ ee)
nareth20@yahoo.com

In solidarity!

AGPA core group