Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Updates from Asia and the Pacific

9:30 – 10:30 am ET

Gender inequality in Asia and the Pacific is compounded by the current climate and environment crises, and the ever-evolving technology landscape in the region. The devastating socio-economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on women and girls who are at the frontlines, or are otherwise in vulnerable positions, set the region back by a generation in terms of achieving gender parity. Lingering issues remain around employment, loss of livelihoods, food hardship, and increased unpaid care and domestic workloads. The greater adoption of digital technologies spurred on by the pandemic has also led to increased sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women in online spaces.

The Asia Foundation’s decades-long engagement across Asia and the Pacific enables the Foundation to support effective, locally driven strategies to advance women’s empowerment, gender equality and social inclusion. We work with women’s, feminist, and youth networks in addition to governments across Asia and the Pacific to support women to lead in adaptation and risk reduction strategies focused on women’s economic empowerment, women’s and girls’ rights and security, and women’s political voice and leadership.

Join this in-person event with The Asia Foundation’s Senior Director for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Jane Sloane, who will provide an overview of the current challenges facing women and girls in Asia and the Pacific, while focusing on the Foundation’s work to address the gendered impacts of climate change and technology-facilitated violence.

Amplifying Change: Community-Centered Approaches to Ending Violence Against Women

9:30 – 11:00 am ET

Gender-based violence, specifically, violence against women and girls, and trafficking in persons, are pervasive occurrences that have seen a dramatic uptick in many countries due to conflict, climate change, Covid-19, and other ongoing conflicts and crises. Globally, one in three women experience physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime, mostly by an intimate partner, and 7 in 10 human trafficking victims are women and girls. Gender-based violence is mentally and/or physically devastating for survivors and has significant social and economic costs to survivors and their families. Cultures of violence erode the social and economic well-being and prosperity of communities and countries.

The Asia Foundation is a leader in supporting important community approaches to addressing gender-based violence and trafficking in Asia and the Pacific. This includes Timor-Leste, which has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. Data suggests that anywhere between 59% and 67% of women in Timor-Leste have experienced some form of intimate partner violence in their lifetime. Since 2014, The Asia Foundation’s Nabilan program (supported by the Australian Government) has been providing frontline service delivery, social norms change, and research to end violence against women and children in Timor-Leste. Nabilan partners with individuals, communities, activists, and institutions to foster gender equality and positive social norms to prevent violence. Thus far, thousands of clients have received legal, medical, psychosocial, and referral services.

Join The Asia Foundation’s gender experts to hear about programs that are having real impact in addressing gender-based violence and trafficking in Asia and the Pacific, and how approaches and strategies the Nabilan Program uses may be helpful as other countries grapple with violence against women.

Introductory remarks
Emma Lee Wilson, Policy Advisor, International Development, Embassy of Australia, Washington, DC

Moderator
Anna Bantug-Herrera, Director, Washington, D.C. Office, and Manager for Strategic Partnerships, The Asia Foundation

Featuring
Héctor Salazar Salame, Country Representative, Timor-Leste, The Asia Foundation
Ankita Panda
, Senior Program Officer, Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality, The Asia Foundation
Xylia Ingham, Nabilan Program Team Leader, The Asia Foundation

Seating is limited. Registration is required for this in-person-only event. 

From the Mekong to the Columbia: International Dialogue on Rivers and Their People with a Son of the Mekong in Salmon Country

PSU Native American Student and Community Center, 710 SW Jackson St, Portland
6:00 PM PT

Join international award-winning Lanna Tai community organizer and activist Khru Tee Niwat Roykaew for a dialogue with Columbia River people on why rivers matter. Khru Tee’s traditional knowledge bases of faith in human equality and respect for Nature challenge development assumptions about what a river is. As the Mekong undergoes rapid industrialization today, Columbia River people have experienced development in the form of big hydropower, timber, and agriculture for over 100 years. NGOs, local peoples’, and indigenous groups have organized to reclaim and redefine rivers and rights in both basins.

Please join in person or remotely to discuss what these two great world rivers and their people can learn from each other’s histories, what we have in common today, and how we can collaborate.

Featuring

Khru Tee Niwat Roykaew – Director of Mekong School and Mekong-Lanna Waterkeeper, Awarded the 2022 Goldman Environmental Prize and The Asia Foundation’s 2023 Chang-Lin Tien Distinguished Leadership Award for his work with communities across northern Thailand
Dan Serres – Columbia Riverkeeper Advocacy Director
Steven Hawley – Environmental journalist, author, filmmaker

 

Tactical Alliances: Supporting Local Coalitions for Development in Asia

Coalitions—groups of individuals and organizations that work together to pursue a common policy goal or reform—are crucial to the achievement of development outcomes. For years, coalition building has been the centerpiece of some of The Asia Foundation’s most successful development initiatives and the achievement of milestone policy reforms. In 2023, the Foundation sought to elevate interest and debate on this experience through its publication On the Right Tack: Reflections on Coalition-Building Initiatives Across The Asia Foundation, which examined examples from Bangladesh, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Timor-Leste. The paper sheds light on the coalition-building modality, sharing insights on how coalitions emerge and function and how the approach can be adapted for application in other contexts.

Please join us for a discussion of these and other experiences with development coalitions, the approaches taken by coalition leaders, the role of external actors in supporting coalition building, and questions and considerations that remain to be addressed.

Featuring

Nicola Nixon, Senior Director, Governance, The Asia Foundation and principal author, On the Right Tack;
Thomas Parks, The Asia Foundation Country Representative, Thailand
Melisha Ghimre, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Shequal Foundation, Nepal
Toix Cerna, Civil Society Leader, Philippines
Kim McQuay, moderator, Acting Head of Programs and Managing Director, Program Specialists Group, The Asia Foundation

Virtual Event – What a Clean Energy Future Demands: Massive Shift in Global Supply Chains and Critical Materials

Critical materials are the foundations of the technologies on which modern life depends. These metals and materials are crucial for a green transition because they are used in everything from electric vehicles to batteries and wind turbines, among other energy-efficient technologies. In June 2023, The Asia Foundation and the Perth USAsia Centre brought together specialists from the Republic of Korea, Australia, and the United States, representing industry, academia, and the think tank communities, to discuss trilateral opportunities to secure future energy resources, collaborative efforts to support the development and supply of critical materials and the challenges and risks of supply chain disruptions. This two-day discussion produced a report, What a Clean Energy Future Demands: Massive Shift in Global Supply Chains, Critical Materials with recommendations on how trilateral cooperation can help build scalable, sustainable, and secure supply chains needed to tackle one of today’s most significant global challenges. Join us for the release of the report.

Featuring

  • Gordon Flake, founding Chief Executive Officer, Perth USAsia Centre, The University of Western Australia
  • Dr. Adam Simon, Arthur F. Thurnau, Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan.
  • Dr. Kyungjin Song, Executive Director, Innovative Economy Forum

Book Release – Southeast Asia’s Multipolar Future: Averting a New Cold War

Stanford’s Amb. Scot Marciel, former Ambassador to Myanmar and Indonesia, will discuss prospects of a “new Cold War” and how to avert it with The Asia Foundation’s Country Representative in Thailand Thomas Parks. A long-time resident in Thailand, Parks will present themes from his brand-new book, Southeast Asia’s Multipolar Future: Averting a New Cold War, including the role of Thailand and other Southeast Asian nations in a world where US-China competition dominates news headlines.

Featuring

Thomas Parks, Country Representative, Thailand, and ASEAN program manager, The Asia Foundation
Ambassador Scot Marciel, Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, US Ambassador to Indonesia from 2010 to 2013, and Myanmar from 2016 to 2020.

Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference on the Care Economy

Strengthening Care Policies and Intersectional Movements for Care Justice

In recent years, ongoing conflicts and crises have spurred the urgent need for action and political will to support a resilient care economy. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility, inadequacy, and injustice of the global childcare, eldercare, and disability care infrastructure. This has been exacerbated by more frequent climate emergencies and conflicts. Women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care responsibilities increased significantly due to school and daycare closures, heightened eldercare and disability care needs, lockdowns, and other disruptions. As a result, women were forced to reduce their work hours or drop out of the labor force entirely to meet their care demands. Many girls have not returned to school due to increased caregiving and domestic responsibilities, and early marriage. Despite these ongoing challenges, the care economy remains underinvested and understudied, particularly among resource-constrained countries.

Building on the Bali Care Economy Dialogue in November 2022 and recent regional and global convenings focused on care, the pre-conference will elevate regional perspectives on care while specifically focusing on concrete, tangible actions for change and lifting up intersectional movements for care justice.

The Women Deliver 2023 Pre-Conference on the Care Economy is a collaboration across a consortium of partners. It is co-organized by Women Deliver, The Asia Foundation, the Center for Global Development, WeProsper Coalition, and the International Labour Organization, in partnership with the Cadmus Group, the Early Childhood Development Action Network, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice, FEMNET, the Global Alliance for Care, the Hilton Foundation, the International Development Research Centre, the International Rescue Committee, Municipality of Bogota, Moving Minds Alliance, Pro Mujer, Sonke Gender Justice, and the UN Women Asia-Pacific Regional Office. 

TrustCon 2023: “Reducing Misinformation and Other Harms: A Conversation with Global South Non-profit Organizations”

The Asia Foundation Convenes Pioneering Panel on Connectivity for Vulnerable Groups

Trust and safety professionals worldwide are anticipating TrustCon 2023, a global conference focused on the safety of online platforms and communities. This year, The Asia Foundation is hosting a panel on July 11, 2023, entitled “Reducing Misinformation and Other Harms: A Conversation with Global South Non-profit Organizations” to provide an important dimension in understanding the complexities of the threat landscape.

Effective prevention of online harm requires collaboration and partnership among a diverse group of companies, governments, and organizations. Working on the front lines of digital safety, nonprofits – often operating under challenging political conditions – have played a crucial role in bridging gaps to address online harms. Providing the perspective from different corners of the Global South, the panel features four distinguished experts, including:

Jonathan Ong is an associate professor of Global Digital Media at the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and a Research Fellow at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center. His research focuses on global media ethics, digital politics, and the anthropology of humanitarianism. He has authored three books and over 25 journal articles, utilizing ethnography to understand the social identities and work arrangements of “paid trolls” and political public relations strategists in disinformation studies. Jonathan is renowned for his collaboration with humanitarian and human rights organizations, and his popular podcast, “Catch Me If You Can,” gained recognition as one of Spotify’s Top 5% Most Followed Podcasts globally in 2022.

Tilak Prasad Pathak is the executive director of the Center for Media Research Nepal (CMR Nepal), a research-oriented think tank with a strong commitment to freedom of expression and ethical media practices. Working closely with The Asia Foundation, as a partner organization in Nepal, CMR is one of the implementers for USAID’s Civil Society and Media Activity (CSM) in Nepal. Mr. Pathak has also been involved in research on Provincial Misinformation Monitoring and the Nepal Misinformation Landscape. He has co-authored several books/research reports, including Press and Civic Freedom Index (2022), Shrinking Media Space (2022), and Media Coverage of Nepali Labor Migrants During Covid-19 Pandemic (2020).

Mochamad Mustafa is the program director for Democracy and Governance at The Asia Foundation in Indonesia, with over 15 years of development experience. As the program director, he leads a portfolio of programs that promote tolerance, peace, freedom of religion and beliefs, democratic resilience, inclusive democracy, and digital literacy for micro and small enterprises. Most recently, he spearheaded a program to train influencers in vulnerable communities to act as citizen journalists and counter-message misinformation directly in their community. Mustafa’s expertise extends to critical areas such as gender equality, women’s empowerment, local governance, sociopolitical issues, regulatory reform, counter-violence extremism, freedom of religion and beliefs, and tolerance promotion.

Prihesh Ratnayake, the head of Social Media Analysis at Hashtag Generation, collaborates closely with The Asia Foundation as a partner organization in Sri Lanka. Leading a passionate team of socially conscious Sri Lankans, Prihesh drives Hashtag Generation’s movement for meaningful civic and political engagement, with a particular focus on empowering youth. Leveraging the power of social and new media tools, they raise awareness and foster dialogue on critical social issues and pioneered efforts to develop a comprehensive approach for analyzing harmful speech online. Their impactful initiatives encompass promoting youth participation in decision-making, strengthening women’s civic and political engagement, and combating cyber threats such as misinformation and online hate speech.

Amelinda Pandu Kusumaningtyas is a research coordinator at the Center for Digital Society at Universitas Gadjah Mada, specializing in studying misinformation, disinformation, social changes, challenges in the digital era, and everyday feminism. She holds vast expertise in combatting misinformation prevalent in Indonesia. Her project portfolio encompasses a range of significant endeavors, such as Social Media 4 Peace and Social Media Content Moderation in Indonesia, Public Perception on Covid-19 Vaccine, Teenage-related Cyberbullying Cases in Indonesia, and Integrity of Election Ads and Campaigns on Social Media.

The panel is organized by The Asia Foundation’s Digital Technology, Policy, and Innovation team. To learn more about our work, please contact Toni Friedman at [email protected].

For more information, visit TSPA. 

Publication Launch – On the Right Tack: Reflections on Coalition-Building Initiatives Across The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation recently released a publication—On the Right Tack—which highlights six stories on using coalitions to achieve reform in different contexts. The publication captures stories from the Philippines, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Thailand, highlighting how diverse groups and stakeholders came together to work and address critical social issues in the region.

The launch brought together coalition leaders from Nepal, Bangladesh, Timor-Leste, and the Philippines who shared their experiences and learnings about working in coalitions.

Featured
Rehana Akter Ruma, Head of Projects and Program, Bangladesh Tanners Association
Melisha Ghimire, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Shequal Foundation, Nepal
Robert Y. Siy, Transport and Planning Expert
Samitha Aluwihare, CEO, East Timor Trading Group

Moderator
Lisa Denney, La Trobe University

Conflict in the Indo-Pacific Region: Rising Risks and Local Solutions

With conflict risks on the rise across Asia and the Pacific and geopolitical tensions mounting, the region has witnessed rising authoritarianism and receding democratic norms in recent years. Numerous political leaders have looked to bypass checks and balances on power, while identity-based campaigning has fomented chauvinist violence. Adding to an already difficult situation, the costs and consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and recent inflation have fueled mass frustrations with apparent economic inequalities, while the complicated impacts of online media and the growing effects of climate change further fuel volatility.

Despite these destabilizing trends, data presented in The Asia Foundation’s 2021 State of Conflict and Violence in Asia report shows that fatalities from civil wars and organized violence have declined significantly in recent decades. Given the rapid development of the region, governments have become more capable of ensuring security and stabilizing internal unrest. These gains have largely been achieved domestically, given limited international intervention and a minimal UN peacebuilding presence. At the same time, violence reduction through imposed security comes at a cost. Where underlying tensions simmer, the risk of future conflict remains.

Please join this in-person event hosted by The Asia Foundation, which supports local efforts to improve engagement between governments and citizens, for a discussion of these trends, featuring experts from Pakistan, the Philippines, and respected regional analysts—including specialists from the Foundation’s regional Conflict and Fragility team.

Featuring
Sidney Jones, Senior Adviser, Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, Indonesia; Adjunct Associate Professor, New York University
Azeema Cheema, Founding Director, Verso Consulting, Pakistan
Adam Burke, Senior Director, Conflict and Fragility, The Asia Foundation
Kathline Tolosa, Senior Program Officer, Peace and Stability, The Asia Foundation, Philippines

Moderator
Kim McQuay, Managing Director, Program Specialists Group, The Asia Foundation