The Australian Greens supports the ongoing development of the Asia Pacific Greens Federation (APGF) secretariat which provides support and capacity-building for a region-wide network of green political parties and organisations.
APGF currently provides a forum for its members and associates to share experiences and work together regionally and globally. APGF has a multi-nation coordinating committee (APGCC) that currently meets monthly and oversees key processes and strategies. APGF also has a strong women’s network, a growing Asia Pacific Young Greens network, and undertakes ongoing work on the rights of indigenous peoples across APGF countries.
Organisations and parties that identify with green politics can apply to become members of the Federation; they are assessed on the basis of their organisational democracy and adherence to green principles. APGF is represented on the Global Greens Coordination body, the umbrella body for Green parties globally. There are three other regional green party federations – Africa, Americas and Europe that make up the Global Greens. The Global Greens Charter can be found at https://www.globalgreens.org/globalcharter.
There is a vast disparity among the different countries in the Asia-Pacific region in terms of the strength and capability of their Green political organisations. Many face huge challenges in the countries in which they operate on issues such as extreme environmental degradation, human rights, and gender equality including representation of women in parliament. The APGF Council and Secretariat work to develop and strengthen APGF by providing leadership, organising training, and developing a program of work within the network. This enables APGF to further contribute to the Global Greens and to have our experiences shared and heard on an international level.
Our grant currently funds an intern position which supports the administrative requirements of APGF.