In Asia » SLIDESHOW

SLIDESHOW: Barriers to Women in Business

admin — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:00:40 +0000

The UN estimates that the Asia-Pacific economy would earn $89 billion every year if women were able to achieve their full economic potential. Economically empowering women builds better educated, healthier families and stronger communities, and decreases poverty. The Asia Foundation recently partnered with the U.S. Department of State and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to conduct a research report on barriers to women in business in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Continued efforts to better understand and address the barriers that limit women’s economic potential is vital for the growth of the Asia-Pacific region. Working with local partners, the Foundation identifies and targets specific constraints that women entrepreneurs face and provides them with a full range of tools, including networking, access to information and credit, and business management training. This slideshow features women entrepreneurs across Asia and reveals some of the barriers they face.

Surveying Afghanistan in 2012

admin — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 00:52:03 +0000

In June 2012, a team of Afghan pollsters – both men and women – fanned out across the country, often traveling long distances in difficult conditions, to gather first-hand opinions from nearly 6,300 Afghan citizens in all 34 provinces on a range of pressing topics. On November 14, the data and findings from these interviews will be released in The Asia Foundation’s eighth Survey of the Afghan People – the broadest and most comprehensive public opinion poll in the country. The seminal report sheds light on what Afghans think about security, corruption, women’s rights, the economy, development, and peace and reconciliation. The images in this slideshow were captured across various provinces as the survey work was conducted, and offer a rare glimpse of life in Afghanistan in 2012. Click here to RSVP to the release of the survey findings at The National Press Club in Washington D.C., on the morning of November 14. Stay tuned next week for poll analysis from our experts in Afghanistan.

Asia Foundation Delegation Visits Myanmar President U Thein Sein

admin — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 23:20:52 +0000

This past week, Asia Foundation President David D. Arnold led an official delegation to Burma (also known as Myanmar). During this historic visit, President Arnold called on the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw on October 23 to conduct substantive discussions on assistance for the country’s development and rule of law. See slideshow of the official visit to the presidential palace.

Asia Foundation delegation meet with President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein in Nay Pyi Taw.

Also during this trip to Burma, in a ceremony at the Parliamentary Library in Nay Pyi Taw, senior representatives of The Asia Foundation delivered a special collection of more than 600 volumes to the Burmese Parliament secretariat. To mark the donation, Mr. Arnold made a presentation to U Khin Aung Mint, Speaker of the Upper House and Thura U Shwe Mann, speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament, along with U.S. Ambassador to Burma Derek J. Mitchell and Dawn L. McCall, Coordinator for the Bureau of International Information Programs at the U.S. State Department. The event was attended by many members of Parliament, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who serves as chair of the Rule of Law Committee and who recently visited the Foundation in San Francisco. Dr. Soe Yin spoke words of appreciation as the president of Parliamentary Library and E-Library.

The Asia Foundation’s gift of books and periodicals focused on governance, democratization, and parliamentary procedure; it complements a U.S. Embassy in Rangoon donation of 200 titles. The Foundation and the U.S. Embassy donations to the parliamentary library are in response to a special request from the Burmese Parliament. The books will provide Burmese parliamentarians with information about key democracy and development issues facing the country.

Slideshow Series Documents Counter-Trafficking Efforts in Cambodia

admin — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 00:00:36 +0000

Approximately 35 percent of Cambodians live on less than a dollar a day, experiencing severe poverty. In cities and small towns, young people are vulnerable to false promises of jobs, or of marriage – and are trafficked into exploitative situations. Through a partnership with the Royal Government of Cambodia and with funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, The Asia Foundation launched a 3-year Countering Trafficking in Persons Program encompassing prevention of trafficking, protection of victims, and prosecution of perpetrators, as well as coordination within government and between government and civil society. This new 3-part slideshow series featuring images from humanitarian photographer Karl Grobl, documents the program’s work to address this issue in a holistic fashion, and takes you inside a short-term emergency care center for young girl trafficking victims; a hotel and restaurant school in Siem Reap that trains disadvantaged students for good jobs in the hospitality industry; and training sessions with Cambodian police officers in Phnom Penh. Watch slideshow.

Bangladesh’s Garment Workers

admin — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 01:32:40 +0000

In Bangladesh, the garment industry drives the country’s economic growth, contributing to an impressive 6 percent growth rate for nearly a decade. Bangladesh is now one of the world’s leading clothing exporters, second only to China, and the garment industry employs 3.6 million workers out of a total population of over 150 million. Most of the nation’s 4,500 factories are concentrated around the capital, Dhaka, and attract thousands of rural residents in search of jobs and a better life for their families. In this slideshow, award-winning photographer Conor Ashleigh visits a community and school for garment workers’ children in sprawling Ashulia, one of the country’s largest clothing manufacturing hubs.

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Calling for Peace in Southern Thailand

admin — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 01:00:57 +0000

Nearly 1,500 participants from local communities, government agencies, and the armed forces gathered in late May 2012 for a Peace Festival in Thailand’s conflict-affected Deep South. The Peace Festival is the culmination of a 2-year dialogue initiative launched by The Asia Foundation and local Thai partners. They gathered in the seaside community of Saiburi in Pattani province to show their support for ending conflict in the South, and to discuss four key issues that touch citizens’ daily lives: security, justice, education, and drug use among young people. Cultural performances highlighted the unique artistic traditions of the Malay-Muslim community in the region. Watch a brand-new slideshow from the festival.

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Keep Educating Afghanistan’s Girls

admin — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 01:50:51 +0000

Afghan women and girls have fought hard to achieve advances in education, political participation, and economic independence. Now, a decade after Taliban rule kept girls home, nearly 3 million girls attend school, compared to just 5,000 in 2001, and women currently represent 35 percent of the country’s workforce and are playing a greater role in politics. But, as the country’s security transitions to Afghan forces, and the international community reexamines its role, concerns mount that one of the most celebrated achievements – girls’ access to education – is at risk. This slideshow offers a glimpse into some of these achievements – and challenges – that lie ahead.
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AusAID, The Asia Foundation Address Critical Needs Across Asia-Pacific

admin — Thu, 31 May 2012 01:00:59 +0000

As Australia strives to close development gaps in places most affected by poverty, conflict, and instability, the Asia-Pacific region remains its highest priority area of focus. On May 29, 2012, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and The Asia Foundation announced an expansion of their Partnership Agreement over three years to address critical development challenges in the region. This landmark agreement is designed to complement existing programs at the country level and support additional strategic collaboration between the two organizations. Drawing on The Asia Foundation’s strong local networks and politically-informed program strategies, the expanded agreement will build on previous successful Foundation and AusAID collective experience to address critical development challenges.

This slideshow captures some highlights of programs stemming from our collaboration with AusAID that have been implemented across Asia since 2004.

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Community Mediation in Sri Lanka

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 01:01:33 +0000

For most Sri Lankans, resolving disputes through the nation’s beleaguered formal courts is not an option. Despite efforts to improve efficiency, courts are weighed down by excessive case loads and limited capacity, and high litigation costs make access to courts prohibitive for most. For decades, community mediation boards – made up of non-political, volunteer mediators who facilitate voluntary settlement of minor disputes – have helped to fill this void. In recent years, mediation services in Sri Lanka have expanded rapidly, and The Asia Foundation has played a key role in assisting the Ministry of Justice to reactivate non-functioning boards and establish new boards in the Northern and Eastern Provinces, where the conflict made it too difficult for the boards to function. This slideshow features these boards in action in the Northern towns of Kopay and Kayts.

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The Power of a Book in Sri Lanka

admin — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 01:02:26 +0000

As Sri Lanka emerges from a decades-long civil war, employment opportunities are rapidly shifting from the public to the private and technology sectors, where speaking English is required. But, for many Sri Lankans living in impoverished outskirts or the war-torn North, English-language books are a luxury and remain out of reach. Our Books for Asia program and local staff on the ground in Sri Lanka are helping to bridge that gap by distributing books to all sectors and areas of the country, including government ministries, remote primary and secondary schools, universities, and long-neglected schools and libraries in the North, previously isolated by the war. Watch this slideshow to learn how brand new texts are impacting the people of Sri Lanka.

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