Notes from the Field

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…

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Notes from the Field

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…

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Notes from the Field

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…

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Notes from the Field

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.

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Notes from the Field

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.

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Notes from the Field

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

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Notes from the Field

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.

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Notes from the Field

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).

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Notes from the Field

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.

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Notes from the Field

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…

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