Notes from the Field
Confidence in Mindanao Peace Process Fragile
June 19, 2013
While the peace process in Mindanao has made tremendous progress over the past year, including the signing of a Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, there is still a long way to go. The current stage can be described as a “fragile transition,” where there is significant progress in the negotiation of a final settlement to the conflict…
Mongolia’s Young Women Leaders Inspire Merali Scholars
June 19, 2013
On June 9, the Zorig Foundation held its annual Young Women Leaders Event, which brought together 115 young women recipients of the Shirin Pandju Merali scholarship program. The recipients had a chance to meet one another and to hear the experiences of three successful women who rose to the top in spite of barriers…
Topics: Economic Development | Education | Exchanges | Literacy | Washington DC | Women's Empowerment
Countries: Mongolia
The Right Kind of Development: Building Peace in Thailand and Beyond
June 12, 2013
The Asia Foundation’s new study, “The Contested Corners of Asia,” highlights the growing importance of conflicts that occur within rather than between countries. In recent years, subnational conflicts between national governments and local rebel groups…
Lessons from Aceh: Early Focus on Institutions Critical to Cementing Peace
June 12, 2013
Aceh – Indonesia’s western-most province which endured three decades of a secessionist civil war that left at least 15,000 dead – is frequently cited as the best recent example in Asia of a successful peace process. However, eight years after the Helsinki accord brought an end to the conflict, new forms of localized violence are now emerging.
Data Visualization Site Examines Asia’s Subnational Conflicts
June 12, 2013
In conjunction with The Asia Foundation’s new study, “The Contested Corners of Asia: Subnational Conflict and International Development Assistance,” a just launched data visualization website provides further insight into one of the most pressing challenges in Asia today.
A Conversation with Lotus Circle Founding Member Masako Shinn
June 5, 2013
The Asia Foundation’s third annual Lotus Leadership Awards luncheon takes place this week on June 6 at New York’s Boathouse in Central Park, and In Asia sat down with Lotus Circle founding member and advisor, Masako Shinn, who joined the Foundation’s board in 2012
Topics: International Development | Lotus Circle | Trafficking | Washington DC | Women's Empowerment
Countries: Afghanistan | Burma / Myanmar | Cambodia | Japan | Laos | Nepal | Pakistan
Nandita Baruah Examines Realities & New Approaches to Combating Human Trafficking
June 5, 2013
Ahead of The Asia Foundation’s third annual Lotus Leadership Awards luncheon on June 6 in New York, which highlights work to end human trafficking in Asia, In Asia editor Alma Freeman caught up with counter-trafficking expert Nandita Baruah from her office in Nepal.
Topics: Corruption | Economic Development | Governance | International Development | Lotus Circle | Trafficking | Washington DC | Women's Empowerment
Countries: Bangladesh | Cambodia | India | Nepal
Migration Puts Cambodia’s Youth in Danger
June 5, 2013
Cambodian migrant workers sent home $256 million in remittances in 2012, 1.8 percent of the country’s GDP and the fourth highest percentage in Southeast Asia, according to a new report from the World Bank and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Topics: Economic Development | Governance | Law | Lotus Circle | Trafficking | Washington DC | Women's Empowerment
New Study to Reveal Impact of Foreign Aid on Asia’s Enduring Subnational Conflicts
May 29, 2013
On June 3 in Bangkok, The Asia Foundation will release a major new study, “The Contested Corners of Asia,” that examines subnational conflict, now the most deadly, widespread, and enduring form of violent conflict in Asia.
Topics: Conflict and Fragile Conditions | Development and Aid Effectiveness | Foreign Aid | International Development | Subnational Conflict
Countries: Indonesia | Philippines | Thailand
In 21st Century Asia, Civil Society Blossoms
May 22, 2013
With ongoing tensions in Northeast Asia – North Korea threatening war, pervasive struggles over island territory, and disputes over history and trade – there is a temptation to grow impatient with dialogue and diplomacy. But for more than 60 years, economic growth, peace, and stability in this region…

As demand for water for the 700 million people living in the world’s most densely-populated river basins – the Indus, Ganges, and Brahmaputra – rises, new tensions are surfacing that threaten South Asia’s stability. To respond, The Asia Foundation just announced an expansion of its partnership with the Skoll Global Threats Fund, to strengthen access to information on transboundary issues and foster a regional dialogue between stakeholders on the critical issue of international water sharing.