A three-day inter-regional human rights seminar in Ulaanbaatar for practitioners from Asia and Europe, followed by a two-day training. No fee, with accommodation and meals covered. Applications close 31 August 2026.
The Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights has run since the 1990s as the human rights strand of the Asia-Europe Meeting. It brings government officials, national human rights institutions, civil society and academics into the same room for several days of structured discussion — a format that exists precisely because those groups rarely talk to each other at length.
The 2026 edition is the 24th, hosted in Ulaanbaatar under the theme "The Future of Human Rights – From Local to Global".
Five days in total: a three-day seminar from 12 to 14 October, then a two-day training programme on 15 and 16 October. Working language is English.
Nationals of ASEM partner countries across Asia and Europe who work on human rights — whether from a government agency, a national human rights institution, civil society, an international or regional organisation, or a relevant part of the private sector. You need working English and demonstrable knowledge of the field.
This is a practitioner seminar rather than a student conference. Applicants are expected to bring case experience to the discussion.
There is no registration or participation fee. Accommodation and meals are provided for the duration. Civil society representatives can claim airfare reimbursement — a provision that exists so participation is not limited to those with institutional travel budgets.
Applications close 31 August 2026 and are handled by the organisers through the Asia-Europe Foundation. Use the official link on this page; we do not take applications for this programme.
Mongolia admits many nationalities visa-free for short stays, but rules vary and change; confirm your own position early, because the seminar sits in mid-October when Ulaanbaatar is already cold and flights via Seoul, Beijing or Istanbul fill up.
The airfare reimbursement for civil society representatives is paid against receipts, so budget for fronting the ticket.
The seminar is deliberately multi-stakeholder, and selection reflects that: the organisers are assembling a balanced room across sectors and across the Asian and European halves of ASEM. A concrete account of the human rights work you do, and what you would bring to a discussion on moving from local practice to global frameworks, is worth more than a general statement of interest.
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