Be part of the growing network to advance human rights and peace research and education in Southeast Asia.
Be part of the growing network to advance human rights and peace research and education in Southeast Asia.
SHAPE-SEA is committed to advancing rigorous, inclusive, and context-sensitive knowledge production on human rights and peace education and research in Southeast Asia. Through research grants, collaborative scholarship, mentorship, and regional knowledge-sharing, the programme supports scholars in generating research that is grounded in local realities and responsive to emerging challenges. We seek to strengthen the capacity of Southeast Asian researchers while ensuring that knowledge moves beyond academic spaces to inform communities, practitioners, policymakers, and broader conversations on human rights and just peace. Looking ahead, SHAPE-SEA envisions a stronger and more connected regional knowledge ecosystem where research is not only produced, but shared, translated, and put into practice. We aim to deepen collaboration among Southeast Asian scholars, strengthen pathways between research and policy, and support evidence-based knowledge that can inform decision-making and contribute to meaningful policy change.
Ten years ago, SHAPE-SEA set out to build a community of scholars, educators, and practitioners committed to human rights and peace in Southeast Asia. Our first collection traced those early years, from 2015 to 2019. This special issue picks up where it left off. The years since have tested the region: a pandemic that deepened existing inequalities, democratic backsliding, shrinking civic space, and renewed pressure on academic freedom. Through all of it, our network kept researching, teaching, and speaking out. The stories gathered here come from fellows, grantees, partners, and communities across 11 countries in Southeast Asia. They show what a decade of collective work has made possible, and they ask what the next ten years will demand of us.
Southeast Asia stands at the frontline of the global climate crisis, facing rising sea levels, stronger typhoons, prolonged droughts, and extreme flooding that increasingly threaten ecosystems, economies, and livelihoods. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that rising temperatures are intensifying heatwaves, monsoon flooding, and other climate extremes across the region.
Supported by the: Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) through the Sustainable Mekong Research Network (SUMERNET)
Now Happening: Capacity Building Webinar titled Scholarly Freedom, Inquiry and Discourse co-hosted by SUMERNET, SHAPE-SEA, and SEA Coalition for Academic Freedom @info.seacaf — happening today, 30 June 2025 | 14:00–15:30 (ICT)
Moderated by SHAPE-SEA Executive Director, Dr. Vachararutai Boontinand, and featuring Research Grants Program 2023 Alumni Researcher, Bunly Soeung from Svay Rieng University, this session explores the state of scholarly freedom in Southeast Asia, and shares diverse research experiences among academics and scholars in the region.
Stay tuned for updates on human rights and peace situation in Southeast Asia!
![[Myanmar Translation] Peace and Conflict Transformation in Southeast Asia TRANSLATION BOOK](https://shapesea.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/SEACAF-Content-Cards-300x300.png)
Peace and conflict transformation translation in Myanmar langauge. For more information, visit: Kant Kaw Taw Library
A textbook examining frameworks and approaches to transforming conflict and building lasting peace in the region.
Join our efforts to advance human rights and peace research across Southeast Asia.
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