The Asia Foundation Co-Hosts 2023 Australasian Aid Conference

Canberra, November 17, 2023 — The Asia Foundation, in partnership with the Development Policy Centre at Australian National University (ANU), will host the 2023 Australasian Aid Conference December 5-7 at ANU’s Crawford School of Public Policy. This year’s themes include locally led development, gender equality and social inclusion, climate resilience, and aid effectiveness.

Now in its ninth year, the Australasian Aid Conference (AAC) unites researchers from Australia, the Pacific, and beyond who specialize in aid and international development policy to facilitate knowledge sharing, foster collaborative efforts, and enhance development in the community. The Asia Foundation provides grants and directly implements programs in over 20 countries through permanent offices across Asia and the Pacific, and Foundation experts from across the region will attend the conference.

The Asia Foundation’s President and CEO Laurel Miller will attend her first AAC as a keynote speaker.

From our Nepal office, Meghan Nalbo, country representative; Bishnu Adhikara, governance director; and Sovit Subedi, senior program officer, will discuss building effective and accountable states at the sub-national level through decentralization, federalism, and local service delivery initiatives.

Lavenia Rokoyucago, senior program officer in the Pacific Islands, will discuss using research for new partnerships, program entry points, and strengthening the local research community.

Adam Burke, senior director of our Conflict and Fragility team, and Nathan Shea, assistant director, will lead a conversation drawing on our recent report on the tensions and experiences of civil society peacebuilders, The State of Civic Peacebuilding in South and Southeast Asia, 2023.

Other Foundation staff will address regional issues like governance, leadership, gender equality, and social inclusion. Senior Directors Nicola Nixon, Anthea Mulakala, and Jane Sloane will lead discussions on empowering local leaders, strategies for major Asian development donors, and regional priorities for a global action plan on the care economy.

View registration details and read more about the panels in this year’s conference program.

The Development Policy Centre (Devpolicy) is an aid and development think tank that serves Australia, the region, and the global development community. Their work centers on independent research and initiatives that improve Australian aid, regional development, and global development policy insights.

The Asia Foundation is a nonprofit international development organization committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. Informed by 70 years of experience and deep local knowledge, our work is focused on governance, climate action, gender equity, education and leadership, inclusive growth, and international cooperation. We work in more than 20 countries through our 17 permanent country offices and programs across Asia and the Pacific, supported by a headquarters in San Francisco and an office in Washington, DC. Our funding comes from a diverse array of bilateral and multilateral development agencies, foundations, corporations, and individuals.

Read more about the Foundation’s work.

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