In August, we are delighted to welcome seven new members to the APLN network:

Pou Sothirak is a Distinguished Senior Adviser to the Cambodian Center for Regional Studies (CCRS). He served as Cambodia’s Ambassador to Japan from 2005 to 2009 and was Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy from 1993 to 1998.

Da Wei is the Director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) and a Professor in the Department of International Relations at Tsinghua University. His research focuses on China-U.S. relations, as well as U.S. security and foreign policy.

Hina Rabbani Khar served as the first woman Foreign Minister of Pakistan from 2011-2013. She has been elected Member of Parliament for four terms and is currently serving as Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament of Pakistan.

Miriam Coronel-Ferrer is a founding member of the Southeast Asian Women Peace Mediators and served for three years on the UN Standby Team of Mediators. A retired professor of politics at the University of the Philippines, she is currently a senior fellow at the UN Institute for Disarmament Research and serves on the boards of the International Crisis Group and Interpeace.

Leituala Kuiniselani Toelupe Tago of Samoan descent is a regional public servant with nearly three decades of experience in the Pacific. She specialises in strategic leadership, social policy, development programming, organisational governance, change management, community engagement and institutional strengthening. Her deep knowledge of Pacific contexts and indigenous cultures; Pacific regionalism and commitment to Pacific-led development, continues to guide her journey as a Pacific professional and as the Dean for Research and Strategic Partnerships at the Pasifika Communities University (PCU).

Ilan Kiloe is an international legal practitioner and seasoned regional diplomat and civil servant. He has recently served as the Acting Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat. As the Secretariat’s longest-serving official and inaugural legal adviser, he has led high-level missions to the UN, EU and European Parliament, advancing regional priorities including climate change, decolonization, security and international cooperation.

Sione Tekiteki is a Pacific international relations and legal scholar, practitioner and former regional diplomat with over two decades of experience in Pacific regionalism and regional security. He is currently Senior Lecturer in Law and Pacific Lead at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), and previously served at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and as Clerk of the Parliament of Tonga.

The APLN is working hard to expand our network across the Asia Pacific region, improve engagement and diversity on gender, race, age, and nationality. We recognise that we have much work to do but are working hard to do better. The wealth of expertise and experience of our newest network members increase APLN’s reach and engagement with governments across the region, increasing its policy impact and effectiveness.

The APLN network is comprised of political, military, diplomatic and thought leaders who work to address the security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region with a particular focus on nuclear non-proliferation, risk reduction and disarmament. APLN members contribute to security policy debates through writing articles, papers, and group statements, engaging in direct discussions with regional governments, and debating the issues in public and private events.