First Regional Gathering in Five Years
2026 Virtual Asian
Humanist Conference
Reason, Rights, and Resilience
Disclaimer: Schedule is subject to change and the organiser does not guarantee the programme timings.
Why This Conference Matters
Asia's humanists, together again
Across Asia, apostasy and blasphemy laws still carry criminal penalties. LGBTQ+ people and women face rollback under theocratic governance. Secular education is squeezed out of classrooms shaped by religious curricula. And the people fighting these battles have mostly been fighting them alone — country by country, without a regional table to sit at.
The last Asian Humanist Conference was held in 2021. Five years on, we're bringing the region back into one (virtual) room: activists who've built the first legal atheist organisations in their countries, scholars reading the data on rising secularism, ex-believers who survived the fallout of leaving, and the emerging groups who are just getting started. Over two days, we don't just talk about resilience — we build the network that makes it possible.
The conference closes with something no single organisation could produce alone: a joint Asian Humanist Statement 2026, drafted live with participants and carried forward into advocacy work across the region — including submissions to UN human rights bodies.
Session Formats
KEYNOTE
Headline address from a leading international voice in the movement.
PRESENTATION
A 20–30 minute presentation from a speaker or partner organisation.
PLENARY
Whole-conference collaborative session — including the drafting of our joint statement.
Find Your Local Time
All sessions run 08:00–12:00 UTC on both days — timed to land in the late morning to early evening across most of Asia. Quick reference for key hubs:
| City | Offset | 08:00 UTC | 09:30 UTC | 11:00 UTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kuala Lumpur / Singapore / Manila / Taipei | UTC+8 | 4:00 PM | 5:30 PM | 7:00 PM |
| Jakarta | UTC+7 | 3:00 PM | 4:30 PM | 6:00 PM |
| Yangon | UTC+6:30 | 2:30 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:30 PM |
| Kathmandu | UTC+5:45 | 1:45 PM | 3:15 PM | 4:45 PM |
| Mumbai / New Delhi | UTC+5:30 | 1:30 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:30 PM |
| Istanbul | UTC+3 | 11:00 AM | 12:30 PM | 2:00 PM |
| US Eastern (EDT) | UTC−4 | 4:00 AM | 5:30 AM | 7:00 AM |
Day One — Saturday 3 October 2026
Reason: Roots & Reckoning
Day One asks where humanist thought in Asia actually comes from — and what the numbers, the philosophy, and the lived experience of leaving religion tell us about the region today.
08:00–08:15 UTC
OPENING
WELCOME TO AHC2026
Framing the theme, the network, and the two days ahead — and the five-year wait that brought us here.
08:15–08:30 UTC
PRESENTATION
How I Found and Joined the Humanism Movement
Neo Sree — Humanist Society Singapore
One engineer's path from an inherited faith to a chosen community — the conference's human opening note before the deep dives begin.
08:30–09:00 UTC
KEYNOTE
Greetings from FFRF
Dan Barker — Co-President, Freedom From Religion Foundation (USA)
A preacher-turned-atheist on stemming Christian nationalism and educating the public on freethought — a global movement veteran opening the floor to Asia.
09:00–09:30 UTC
PRESENTATION
Ateizm Derneği: A Decade of Organized Atheism and Refuge in a Muslim World
Onur Romano — Ateizm Derneği (Turkey)
From an underground congress to the first legally recognised atheist organisation in the Muslim world — and the cross-border refuge network built to protect apostates since.
09:30–10:00 UTC
PRESENTATION
Who Are the Non-Religious in Singapore?
Dr Paul Hedges — RSIS, Nanyang Technological University (Singapore)
New census data shows a sharp rise in “no religion” identity — what it actually means, and what it doesn't.
10:00–10:30 UTC
PRESENTATION
Humanism in South Asia
Uttam Niraula — Society for Humanism Nepal / Humanists International
How humanism took root across South Asia — told by the founder building it from the ground up in Nepal.
10:30–11:00 UTC
PLENARY
PLENARY SESSION WITH ALL SPEAKERS
All Day One speakers return for an open plenary session.
11:00–11:30 UTC
KEYNOTE
Special Address
Maggie Ardiente — Humanists International
Special address by the President of Humanists International, Maggie Ardiente.
11:30–12:00 UTC
CLOSING
DAY ONE RECAP
What we heard, what's ahead tomorrow
Day Two — Sunday 4 October 2026
Rights & Resilience: Frontlines and Futures
Day Two moves from ideas to the front line — the countries where blasphemy laws still carry real penalties, the classrooms where critical thinking is fought for, and the organisations turning belief into durable, resilient institutions. It closes with the region speaking as one.
08:00–08:10 UTC
OPENING
WELCOME BACK
A short recap of Day One and a look at what's ahead.
08:10–08:35 UTC
KEYNOTE
How HAPI Builds Capacity: Train, Organise, Practise, Lead
Alvin John Ballares — Humanist Alliance Philippines International
The Philippines' model for turning members into leaders — describing the framework for emerging Asian humanist groups to take home and adapt.
08:35–08:50 UTC
PRESENTATION
Ignorant Society
Alexander An
A short, pointed provocation on why institutions — governmental and corporate alike — have little use for people who think critically.
08:50–09:20 UTC
PRESENTATION
From Tradition to Tomorrow: How Humanist Values Can Guide Asia Through Rapid Social Change
Norhaiyah Mahmood — Sg Agora
An ex-Muslim humanist on why tradition and progress don't have to be opposing forces — and what pluralism actually asks of us.
09:20–09:30 UTC
BREAK
Networking Break
A short pause before we turn to programme
09:30–10:00 UTC
PRESENTATION
Blasphemy Laws & Freedom of Thought in Burma
Hein Htet Kyaw (Abu Bakr) — Burmese Atheists / Atheist Alliance International
Inside a state where criticising religion is a criminal offence — from an activist who has organised direct action against Myanmar's blasphemy laws from within.
10:00–10:30 UTC
PRESENTATION
Critical Thinking in Educational Reform: Eradicating Superstition in the Indian Context
Prof. Dr Sudesh Ghoderao — Federation of Indian Rationalist Associations (FIRA)
Article 51A(h) of India's Constitution mandates scientific temper — so why doesn't the classroom teach it? A case for curriculum reform, backed by two decades of MANS's live demonstrations exposing godmen and miracle claims.
10:30–11:00 UTC
PRESENTATION
Defending the Root: Humanism, Local Identity, and Civil Resilience in Contemporary Taiwan
Hong Kíng-bûn — Taiwanese Humanist Institute
How mother-tongue revitalisation and community-led disaster preparedness became two fronts of the same fight for Taiwan's democratic self-determination.
11:00–11:20 UTC
PRESENTATION
What does "Asian humanist cooperation" mean?
AJ SURIN — HUMANIST MALAYSIA
A foundational look at what "cooperation" means for humanist organizations across a vast, fragmented, and legally diverse region and what it will take to turn AHC2026's shared values into durable, coordinated action beyond the conference itself.
11:20–11:50 UTC
PLENARY
PLENARY SESSION WITH ALL SPEAKERS
All Day Two speakers return for an open plenary session.
11:50–12:00 UTC
CLOSING
CLOSING CEREMONY
Thanks, group photo, and the road to the next Asian Humanist Conference.
Post-Conference Outcome
Asian Humanist Statement 2026
Following the 2026 Virtual Asian Humanist Conference, delegates from across the region will adopt a joint statement articulating shared commitments to reason, human rights, secular governance, and the protection of non-religious minorities. The statement will be published here after the conference.