Through the International Peoples Assembly, feminist gatherings, policy discussions, and public mobilizations, movements from across the Global South will challenge colonial debt system and dependency, corporate influence, and neoliberal economic policies that deepen inequality, while advancing alternatives rooted in their lived experiences and demands.
What’s at stake in Bangkok?
Economic policy and financial decisions made by international financial institutions like the IMF and WB have significant consequences on human rights, including access to healthcare, education, housing, and essential public services. Debt servicing and repayments, austerity measures and unfair loan conditionalities can place these rights further out of reach, particularly for women and marginalized populations.
Against this backdrop, ESCR-Net members and allies will participate in both official discussions within the Civil Society Policy Forum and independent movement-led spaces, bringing forward our shared political demands for debt justice, accountability, democratic participation, and rights-based development policies that respond to people’s needs.
Key Events and Mobilizations
All times are in Bangkok, Thailand (ICT).
October 11
The Southern Caucus on Sovereign Industrialization, Economic Change and Cooperation
Organized by IBON International, this gathering will explore strategies for sovereign industrialization, economic transformation, and cooperation among Global South countries.
Location: 515 Victory Hall, Phaya Thai Road, Bangkok.
October 12
International Peoples Assembly: From Debt and Domination to Justice and Liberation
ESCR-Net, the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), and Recourse will help convene a thematic workshop on debt, taxation, fiscal justice, and international finance, exploring ways to challenge unequal financial structures.
Location: Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok.
Feminist Festival of Resistance and Alternatives: Building Beyond Extraction and Imperialism
Co-organized by MENAFem, IBON International, WEDO, ESCR-Net, and other partners, the festival will highlight feminist responses to extractive economic models and visions for a different future.
Location: De Prime Rangnam Hotel, Bangkok.
October 13-14
The Feminist Learning Space: Women Rebuild the World — Educate, Organise and Mobilise
APWLD, JASS, ESCR-Net, MENAFem, and other partners will come together for two days of political education, exchange, and organizing across feminist movements.
Location: The Sukosol Hotel, Bangkok.
October 13
Strengthening IFI Accountability and Access to Justice for Affected Communities
ESCR-Net, APMDD, KHRC, and MENAFem will examine barriers to remedy for people harmed by international financial institutions and discuss legal and advocacy strategies to address them.
Time: 4:30–6:00 PM
Location: Ambassador Hotel, Room 7, Bangkok.
October 15
Feminist Counter Docket: Women Rebuild the World
Organized by JASS, APWLD, ESCR-Net, IAP, IBON International, and allies, this gathering will bring women’s testimonies and experiences into the public record, documenting the consequences of development decisions and presenting community-led alternatives.
The event will also provide an opportunity to highlight Our Voices Count!, an interactive platform that documents the impacts of IMF and World Bank policies and projects through testimonies from the Global South.
Location: Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
Rethinking IMF Surveillance and Lending in an Era of Overlapping Shocks
At the Civil Society Policy Forum, MENAFem, ESCR-Net, KHRC, and partners will examine IMF lending and surveillance practices amid overlapping crises, questioning whether existing approaches adequately protect social and economic rights.
Time: 11:00 AM–12:30 PM
Location: Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok.
Join online via Zoom
October 16
Legal Strategy Convening: Access to Justice and Accountability of International Financial Institutions
ESCR-Net and its members will explore legal avenues to hold financial institutions accountable and strengthen access to remedy for affected communities.
Location: Ambassador Hotel, Bangkok.
Global Day of Action
Organized by APMDD, the march will take demands for debt justice and systemic economic change to the streets of Bangkok.
Location and time: To be confirmed.
Beyond the Annual Meetings
The conversations and mobilizations in Bangkok extend beyond a single week. They are part of ongoing efforts by social movements to reclaim decision-making power over economic systems and policies that affect their lives.
ESCR-Net and its members will continue working across regions to challenge unjust financial structures, strengthen accountability, and co-imagine and support alternatives shaped by those most affected.
The people affected by economic decisions must have the power and resources to shape them.
