In Asia: Weekly Insight and Features from Asia

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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Fourteen million girls under the age of 18 are married every year – one every three seconds. The rates are highest in South Asia, where 46 percent of girls marry before they reach 18. Child marriage can be one of the most devastating forms of violence and discrimination against women.

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On May 6, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak took the oath of office as Malaysia’s 7th prime minister before King Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah at the National Palace. Prime Minister Najib’s coalition, Barisan Nasional, returned to power when it won 133 of the 222 parliamentary seats to form the Federal Government.

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With only four days left before Malaysians cast their votes in the nation’s 13th general elections, both the Barisan Nasional and the Pakatan Rakyat are intensifying campaign efforts to win the hearts and minds of voters. Political giants from both sides of the competing coalitions, such as the incumbent prime minister, Najib Razak, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed, and opposition leaders Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang, and Hadi Awang have all attracted massive turnouts at their campaign events. Thousands of posters and flags cover almost every intersection in the country, with some party workers and supporters being more creative than others, making giant replicas of the scale, rocket, and moon from flags to represent their party logos.

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When we hear about the current slow pace of negotiations between the government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, we can lose sight of the many concrete achievements made over the years. As peacemakers on both sides of the negotiating table try to learn lessons from past peace efforts…

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Since the International Contact Group was formed in late 2009 to work with the Malaysian Facilitator in peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), I have traveled back and forth to Kuala Lumpur often.

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Malaysia’s 13th general elections must be called by June 2013. After the ruling Barisan Nasional lost its two thirds majority in the 2008 elections, the big question in the minds of citizens and political parties is whether BN will recapture its majority or lose further ground to the opposition.

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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.

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While many nations limped into the new year under the weight of somber economic forecasts, strong GDP predictions gave Asia a reason to ring in the Year of the Snake on a more positive note. This is certainly good news, but also consider this: over half of Asia’s population is women who, according to UN estimates…

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Women make up more than half of the population in Asia, and the UN estimates that the Asia-Pacific economy would earn an additional $89 billion annually if women were able to achieve their full economic potential in these countries. To examine this disparity, The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the U.S. Department of State…

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