"Geocivic" Diplomacy: A New Approach in the World of International Relations

It cannot be denied that the current world order is in transition. Conversations and public discourse in various international forums are raising similar and resonant questions—has the unipolar world of the United States reached its end, and what comes next? Is it multipolar? Or will we witness the resurgence of a Cold War 2.0 with the rivalry between the US and China?

However, a new group of countries, known as the middle powers, has emerged. They possess sufficient political, economic, and military power to avoid immediately following the US and China, but instead move independently and strengthen their influence in their respective regions, such as Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, India, and Brazil. So far, there is no consensus among experts, diplomats, academics, thinkers, and others about the shape of the next world order.

However, discussions and conversations about the transition of the world order, the weakening of institutions such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, and so on, are only found among the international elite and are not present within civil society. Indeed, the nature of international relations is elitist, exclusive, and limited.

However, we tend to forget that the world order established after World War II and the post-Cold War era has laid a strong foundation and opened up space for civil society to get to know each other, connect, collaborate, and participate in international processes, regardless of the socio-political systems and cultures of their countries. Multilateral institutions have also opened up space for public participation in these processes. The UN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the European Union (EU) use the words "we the peoples" instead of "we the countries" in the opening sentences of their charters or constitutions/legal foundations.

If so, the question is why is the space for civil society participation in shaping the international order so limited? Nearly all international and regional mechanisms are top-down, with very few bottom-up. At the UN, civil society participation mechanisms are accommodated through the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). However, access is limited and depends on the accreditation process and capacity of the NGOs. Only 5,000 NGOs are accredited to ECOSOC, and this number is clearly not representative of the world's 8 billion people.

In ASEAN, NGO participation is accommodated through the interface dialogue mechanism with ASEAN leaders and the accreditation of ASEAN entities. However, it is unfortunate that the implementation of the interface dialogue depends on the host country, and the process of becoming an ASEAN entity is not easy. There are only 81 ASEAN entities registered in Annex 2 of the ASEAN Charter, and clearly this number does not represent the 600 million people of ASEAN.

Definition and character of geocivic diplomacy

Therefore, a bottom-up approach in international relations needs to be promoted, and this approach can be interpreted in terms of geocivic diplomacy. The word geocivic is taken from geography and civic. Geography symbolizes geographical areas and scope such as Southeast Asia. Civic comes from the Latin word "civicus" which means matters related to civil life.

The Oxford and Cambridge dictionaries define civics as the behavior, responsibilities, and duties of a society related to its city or region. In other words, geocivic diplomacy is a civil society movement that has agency over a clearly defined geographic area.

Geocivic diplomacy is characterized by a constructive and non-confrontational approach to the government. This is crucial because civil society movements that gather, collaborate, and advocate are often viewed with suspicion and distance from the government.

Another important characteristic is geocivic diplomacy, which aims to facilitate dialogue, discussion, and exchange of ideas between civil society and the government. Government involvement remains crucial, as it is undeniable that change or policy cannot be realized without collaboration with the government.

“Geocivic” diplomacy in ASEAN

Southeast Asia is a perfect geographic region to explore the application of geocivic diplomacy. ASEAN, as a regional organization, made a strategic decision in 2015 through the Kuala Lumpur Declaration to build a people-centered and people-oriented ASEAN community. This provides a strong foundation for geocivic diplomacy.

Dino Patti Djalal, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia (2014), founder and Chairman of the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia (FPCI) in his opinion piece "From Geopolitics to Geocivic: Building the ASEAN Community from the Ground Up" (The Jakarta Post, 2025) emphasized that ASEAN must become a geocivic community, meaning an ASEAN that is accepted, trusted, and respected by civil society in Southeast Asia. In addition to the existing foundation, the concept of ASEAN identity has also been developed and promoted since the adoption of the ASEAN Identity narrative at the 2020 ASEAN Summit in Vietnam.

Dewi Fortuna Anwar in the publication "ASEAN Identity: Now and Beyond" (2024) explains that the ASEAN Identity is a process of social construction formed through a balanced combination of constructed values and inherited values, aimed at strengthening the ASEAN Community.

Southeast Asia now possesses two essential modalities for the smooth conduct of geocivic diplomacy: ASEAN's people-centered and people-oriented vision and its identity narrative. Furthermore, the ASEAN community's character, which prioritizes dialogue over confrontation and seeks commonalities over differences, is a cultural modality that enables geocivic diplomacy to be constructive and progressive.

The goal of geocivic diplomacy in ASEAN is to build a bottom-up ASEAN community and make the ASEAN process a two-way street, based on concrete and real issues among ASEAN communities. These issues include climate change, employment, corruption, good governance, MSMEs, access to education, access to affordable healthcare, the digital economy, food security, cybersecurity, migrant workers, and so on.

ASEAN for the Peoples Conference

In practice, this geocivic diplomacy will be realized in the ASEAN for the Peoples Conference (AFPC), initiated by Dino Patti Djalal and held by FPCI on September 6-7, 2025, in Jakarta. The AFPC is a regional event in Southeast Asia that serves as a meeting point for NGOs from all ASEAN countries, discussing issues in various sessions and engaging in dialogue with state leaders.

As of the writing of this article, a total of 120 NGOs from all ASEAN countries will be present, approximately 100 speakers and moderators will participate in 20 discussion sessions over two days, and 5,000 public participants have already registered.

The AFPC is a test to determine whether ASEAN's people-centered and people-oriented vision and identity are reality or mere rhetoric and wishful thinking. The AFPC will also serve as a laboratory to test NGOs' sense of ownership and agency toward ASEAN.

If the AFPC succeeds in gathering momentum and encouraging more meaningful civil society participation, then geocivic diplomacy will be underway and ASEAN will be moving towards a geocivic community.

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This article by Calvin Khoe first appeared in Kompas on 29 August 2025. It is featured here as part of our Member Publications archive.