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40 000 Burmese refugees granted the right to work in Thailand

Tens of thousands of people who have fled the war in Myanmar have long lived in camps in Thailand without the opportunity to work legally and support their families. As international aid has decreased sharply, the uncertainty is increasing further for these already vulnerable communities.

Through joint advocacy efforts by a progressive parliamentary partner in Thailand, civil society organisations and the SocDem Asia network, the situation has begun to change.

Organising relevant people to discuss solutions

In December 2024, policy workshops were organised where Thai politicians, researchers and representatives of Burmese communities met. In March 2025, a conference on Myanmar was held in the Thai parliament, focusing on living conditions and security in Thailand’s border areas.

This resulted in more concrete policy proposals regarding access to the labour market, education, healthcare and legal status for people from Myanmar in the country.

The Palme Center’s Thai partner organization adopted the proposals as part of their parliamentary agenda and pushed the issue alongside civil society.

When the Thai government finally took action, the result became that around 40 000 refugees from Myanmar got granted work permits in Thailand.

Improved conditions for Burmese refugees in Thailand

For many, this decision means legal income for the first time, greater security and increased dignity. At the same time, it opens the door to further discussions on education for children, access to healthcare and more long-term social inclusion.

Young and marginalised people take their place in South African politics

Through targeted training programmes such as youth academies and party-affiliated workshops, the Palme Center’s partner organisation ETU has helped political parties in Southern Africa to include young and marginalised groups more fully in their leadership positions.

Greater political inclusion

The results are clear: participants from the programmes have gone on to take up roles as local politicians, party officials and, in some cases, national leadership positions.

In South Africa, ETU contributed to policy processes within the ANC that resulted in decision making on greater inclusion, with LGBTQI people also being given a greater role in political leadership.

In Namibia, young people from the programme have taken up leadership roles and participated in key party processes at national level.

Overall, the parties have broadened their recruitment and are increasingly including new groups in political decision-making.

Strike gave Albanian oil workers a stronger voice

Albanian oil workers at the Chinese company Bankers Petroleum has, over the year, mobilised for better conditions and respect for collective agreements.

Over 60 percent of members took part in the demonstrations and a three-week strike, whilst several workers also went on hunger strike.

The workers, organised in the Union of the Hydrocarbon Sector, protested against low wages, delayed payments and the failure to comply with collective agreements. When dialogue with the company failed to yield results, the mobilisation intensified, which quickly attracted national attention.

An ongoing process that has already showed results

The increased pressure and intensification led to the Labour Inspectorate and the Ministry of Economy stepping in as mediators. The parties reached an initial agreement on a financial review of the company’s operations as a basis for addressing the demands.

The Palme Center contributed through international solidarity and advocacy work.

Although the process is still ongoing, the mobilisation has already strengthened the workers’ self-confidence, highlighted working conditions in the oil industry and contributed to a stronger social dialogue.

Youth mobilisation paved the way for new female leader in the Philippines

In San Jose del Monte, local politics has long been dominated by political dynasties, large campaign budgets and traditional electoral machinery.

New generation of voters proved otherwise

In the most recent local election, a new generation of voters showed that politics can also be built from the bottom up. With the support of hundreds of young volunteers, human rights lawyer Atty Ronalyn Pordan succeeded in winning a seat on the city council through a campaign built on dialogue and grassroot mobilisation.

Ronalyn Pordan was no typical candidate. For several years she has, as a lawyer, offered free legal advice to vulnerable groups in for example land- and labour disputes, and cases of violence against women.

Growing a campaign built on mobilisation instead of political dynasties

When she decided to run in the election, she lacked both financial resources and the backing of a political dynasty. Instead, her campaign was built on a growing a network of young people inspired by her work.

Through the Palme Center’s partner organisation, the Active Citizenship Foundation (ACF), several of the young volunteers received training in how to run so-called grassroots campaigns – campaigns based on dialogue and organisation rather than money. Young activists organized themselves into local teams, went door-to-door, visited small shops and spoke with families in their neighborhoods.

The campaign’s motto became “Kwento, hindi kwarta” – “Stories, not money”.

Winning a seat on the city council

The campaign quickly grew into a broad movement – the Purple Movement – which symbolised her feminist values and vision of a more inclusive political realm. When the votes were counted, it was clear that the grassroot mobilisation had succeeded. Despite limited resources, Ronalyn Pordan won a seat on the city council. The victory marks more than just an election result.

It shows that young people can change politics through organisation and participation. Today, many of the volunteers continue to work alongside Pordan on issues such as education, social services, youth participation and the protection of vulnerable groups.

Massive movement against corruption changes the Philippines political landscape

Following the 2025 election, the progressive Akbayan party is at the center of a new political dynamic in the Philippines. The party became the largest in the country’s party-list system and received a record number of votes, securing the maximum number of seats in Congress. This success is closely linked to a broad popular movement against corruption, with the party’s campaign emerging following revelations of widespread embezzlement linked to the state budget for flood protection.

Mobilizing locals, youths and civil society against corruption

Together with civil society organizations, local leaders and youth movements, Akbayan mobilized a national movement for accountability and reform. Demonstrations brought together thousands of people across the country and focused their attention on how political dynasties and clientelism enable systematic corruption.

 

Youth Against Kurakot

A key force in the mobilization was the young activists participating through the Akbayan Youth wing. Their ‘Youth Against Kurakot’ campaign organized a new generation of young people demanding transparency and accountability from those in power. The protests on EDSA – one of Manila’s main roads and a symbolic site in the Philippines’ democratic history – demonstrated a growing youth engagement in political change.

The collaboration with SSU has helped strengthen the act of organizing, political education and inclusive leadership within the youth movement. Through training and the exchange of experiences, more young people have become involved in the work for democracy and accountability.

Pressure on decision-makers to make a change

This mobilization has put strong pressure on decision-makers to push through reforms against political dynasties and strengthen anti-corruption legislation.

Civil society in Albania strengthen dialogue on labour law

When changes in Albanias labour law were adopted in 2024, the process drew strong criticism. The legislative changes were implemented without sufficient dialogue, which caused concern among employees and trade unions.

Center for Labor Rights logdes complaint

The Palme Center’s partner organisation Center for Labor Rights (CLR) drew attention to the shortcomings of this process through analyses, advocacy work and dialogue with responsible institutions. They also lodged a formal complaint with the country’s commisioner, who initiated an investigation of the legislative process.

The investigation showed that the requirements for consultation with affected actors had not been met. It was therefore recommended that the government strengthen the consultation process and involve the labour market to a greater extent through the national labour council.

Now more transparent decision-making and inclusion of civil society

As a result of CLR’s work, the responsible ministry is now committed to improving dialogue with civil society and trade unions in the event of future changes to labour legislation. This marks an important step towards more transparent decision-making processes and stronger empowerment for workers in Albania.

Legal Aid strengthen legal protection for trans women in Turkey

In 2025, Palme Center’s partner organisation Legal Aid helped to strengthen legal protection for trans women subjected to violence and arbitrary arrests. Ahead of Trans Pride Week in Istanbul, the organisation, together with the human rights organisation HRA Istanbul, coordinated on-site legal support during the demonstrations. Lawyers were present as observers and were able to intervene immediately when trans women were arrested.

Faster releases and documentation of human rights violations

These efforts led to faster releases and encouraged more trans women who had been subjected to violence to report abuse and initiate legal proceedings. The organisation also documented violations of human rights during arrests and in custody, which strengthened the legal possibilities of pursuing the cases further.

Raising political awareness for violence against trans women

Through joint actions with other human rights organisations, violence against trans women was highlighted through social media, panels and public discussions. Several cases were subsequently raised politically and brought to the attention of the Turkish parliament through questions and interpellations from MPs.