by Genevieve B. Kupang and Javier Tolcachier
Youth-led protests by Generation Z are spreading across the globe, bringing down governments and causing major political upheaval.
At the heart of this psycho-social wave is the awakening of a generation fed up with the corrupt practices of the political class entrenched in power, coupled with socio-economic unrest and the perception of discrimination and lack of future opportunities for young people.
Beyond the exigency of political renewal, there is a strong call for coherence and upright behavior, a demand to dethrone the systemic hypocrisy of those who abuse their power and spend public funds as if they were their own. They are the “walang hiya” in Filipino, malu” in Bahasa Indonesia, and “लाज नलाग्नु” (laj nalagnu) in Nepali—shamelessly flaunting their excesses at the expense of ordinary people who can barely thrive in a democracy.
In the face of these events, arises the question whether this is just a succession of cathartic outbursts or the possibility of profound and lasting changes.
To address this question of profound historical significance in real time, an International Forum will be held on 28 October under the title ‘Can generational movements end systemic corruption? Lessons from Nepal, Indonesia, and the Philippines’.
The main objective of this Forum is to obtain accurate information and stimulate debate on these significant generational movements, contributing to the transformation of contemporary history with feasible proposals for lasting systemic change.
The event is a collaborative initiative of the World Humanist Forum (WHF), the World University Network for Innovation for Leaders (WUNI-L), the International Relations and External Links Offices of partner universities such as Baguio City Central University, Urdaneta City University, Negeri Malang University (UM), Bandung Islamic University and Tarlac Agricultural University, the International Press Agency Pressenza and Humanists Nepal. This convergence will bring together journalists, activists, educators, students, peace advocates, researchers, policy makers, youth leaders, and civil society stakeholders to examine a critical moment in societies and governance.
More than 500 students, faculty, and administrators from various educational institutions have confirmed their participation. They will be joined by partner members of the humanist movement from several continents. These contributions will provide the perspective of the new generations as the main protagonists of current events.
The programme will feature speakers as Professor Tasya Aspiranti and Professor Surya Desismansyah Eka, both from Indonesia, humanist activists Tulsi Maya Sigdel and Raghu Ghimire from Nepal, and to analyse the phenomenon from the Philippines, will take the floor the Mayor of Baguio City, Hon. Benjamin Magalong, Dr. Sonny Soriano (WUNI-L) and the general coordinator of the event, Dean of the Graduate School and International Relations Officer of Central University of Baguio City, Dr. Genevieve B. Kupang.
There will also be contributions from various parts of the world. Antonio Carvallo, Dorothy Adenga, Remigio Chilaule and Javier Tolcachier, members of the Secretariat of the World Humanist Forum, will participate in the sessions from the United Kingdom, Kenya, Argentina and Mozambique. Dr. Godfrey G. Mendoza, CHED-CAR Educational Supervisor II and in-charge of the International Affairs Service will participate from the Philippines. Ms. Sheena Pearl L. Pangda will be responsible for the presentations, while the closing message will be delivered by the president of the World Network of Universities for Innovation (WUNI-I), Dr. Robert Frederick Hayden and Remegio Van Eys Chilaule (WHF, Mozambique).
The Forum is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. (Philippine time), which corresponds to 4.45 p.m. in Nepal, 6 p.m. in Indonesia (Jakarta), 2 p.m. in Kenya, 1 p.m. CET, Mozambique and Egypt, and 8 a.m. in Buenos Aires, Brazil and Chile. Further time correspondences can be found at the website https://time.is/
The conclusions of the forum will be presented at the upcoming 4th Assembly of the World Humanist Forum to be held on 6 and 7 December this year. The spirit is that they will serve as a source of reflection and inspiration for ongoing actions for change and at the same time serve as a basis for future academic research.
The sessions of the International Forum ‘Can generational movements end systemic corruption? Lessons from Nepal, Indonesia and the Philippines’ can be accessed at this link (password 571546). Or you can get access to this link: https://heyzine.com/flip-book/4d4d67a6b9.html. The QR code is provided below.
