Seventy-five years after the onset of Asia’s Cold War, the world remains focused on the geopolitics of inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, an emerging community of more than 33,000 refugees from North Korea currently live in South Korea; half aspiring to become entrepreneurs. Despite the potential insight the refugee community could offer, there is insufficient data and limited understanding of their circumstances and specific needs. To fill this gap, The Asia Foundation produced a report on “North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential.”
Co-hosted with UC Berkeley’s Institute of East Asian Studies, The Asia Foundation is proud to present this important discussion on the lives of refugee entrepreneurs. Expert panelists will discuss insights from North Korean refugee entrepreneurs and offer a set of strategic recommendations to bolster social inclusion and support refugee entrepreneurs in Korea.
Featuring Kwang Kim, Country Representative, Korea, The Asia Foundation
Panelist/Discussants Oassama Hassenein, Distinguished Panelist and Chairman, Rising Tide Fund and Rising Tide Foundation David Kang, Maria Crutcher Professor in International Relations, Business and East Asian Languages and Cultures | Director, Korean Studies Institute, University of Southern California Daehyeon Park, Founder and CEO, Woorion | Asia Foundation Development Fellow
Moderator Vinnie Aggarwal, Professor of Political Science, Director, Berkeley APEC Study Center, UC Berkeley
If you require an accommodation for effective communication (ASL interpreting/CART captioning, alternative media formats, etc.) in order to fully participate, please contact [email protected] 7-10 days in advance of the event.
The Asia Foundation is proud to support the Bay Area Council’s 11th annual Chinese New Year Celebration honoring former California Governor Edmund Brown with the Bay Area Council Global Leadership Award for his leadership in growing subnational ties with China on issues like trade and climate change. We recognize his contributions in making climate change a cornerstone of his work with China going into the Year of the Ox.
Featuring
San Francisco Mayor London Breed
Assembly Member Phil Ting
Chinese Consul General Wang Donghua
Chef Martin Yan
California State Controller Betty Yee
The Covid-19 pandemic alone has plunged over 490 million people back into poverty, magnifying inequalities around the world. How can Asia lead the world in harnessing the power of technology for change?
The Asia Foundation is pleased to support The Economist’s inaugural Technology for Change Week Asia, a virtual summit bringing together 700+ leading policymakers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers from major corporations, big tech, finance and NGOs. The week-long event will explore the issues affecting over five billion citizens in Asia and discuss how technology and data-driven solutions can mitigate the growing divide between the connectivity haves and have nots.
Please join us for a special Asia Foundation presentation on Go Digital ASEAN in the “Action Hour: Case Studies” as part of Day three’s theme on “education and re-skilling: digital inclusivity for disadvantaged youth and future-proofing jobs.” Please check your local time/day for our presentation on March 11, 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM HKT (GMT+8h.)
Go Digital ASEAN is a digital skills training initiative to unlock economic opportunity and help minimize the negative impact from the Covid-19 crisis across the region. Endorsed by all 10 Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat, and supported by Google.org, the project will reach 200,000 micro-entrepreneurs, women, and youth in rural and isolated communities.
Featuring Meloney C. Lindberg, Country Representative, Cambodia, The Asia Foundation Marion Neubronner, Senior assistant director, National University of Singapore
Seventy-five years after the onset of Asia’s Cold War, the world remains focused on the geopolitics of inter-Korean relations. Meanwhile, an emerging community of more than 33,000 refugees from North Korea currently live in South Korea; half aspire to become entrepreneurs. Despite the potential insight the refugee community could offer, there is insufficient data and limited understanding of their circumstances and specific needs. To fill this gap, The Asia Foundation produced North Korean Refugee Entrepreneurs in South Korea: Unveiling Korea’s Hidden Potential, conducting a series of interviews and a landmark survey of 131 refugee entrepreneurs.
The Asia Foundation and the Korea Economic Institute hosted an in-depth discussion of this report which offers a window into the lives of refugee entrepreneurs, exploring their aspirations, experiences, challenges, and opportunities amid discrimination, limited financial access, and barriers in culture and language. Experts discussed insights from North Korean refugee entrepreneurs and offered a set of strategic recommendations to bolster social inclusion and support refugee entrepreneurs in Korea.
Featuring Randall Jones, Non-Resident Fellow, Korea Economic Institute and Professional Fellow, Columbia University Center on Japanese Economy and Business Kwang Kim, Country Representative, The Asia Foundation Korea Scott Snyder, Senior Fellow for Korea Studies and Director of the Program on U.S. – Korea Policy, Council on Foreign Relations
Moderator Ambassador Kathleen Stephens, President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute, and Trustee of The Asia Foundation
Southeast Asian leaders are accustomed to fluctuating levels of attention from the United States, but U.S. policy for Southeast Asia in the past four years might be described as more than a fluctuation. Changes in diplomatic direction and trade policy have led to a loss of U.S. focus and influence in the region, while heightened U.S.-China tensions have often placed Southeast Asia countries in the crossfire. Given the region’s strategic importance, it is imperative that the United States engage with Southeast Asia and its regional organization, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, in a reliable and consistent manner.
The Asia Foundation assembled an independent Task Force to examine the state of United States-Southeast Asia relations to address the greatest challenges and opportunities for the new U.S. administration and Congress. Join The Asia Foundation in rolling out its new report, Urgent Issues in U.S.-Southeast Asian Relations.
Featuring John J Brandon, Senior Director, International Relations Program, The Asia Foundation Alexander C. Feldman, Chairman, President, and CEO, U.S.-ASEAN Business Council Gregory B. Poling, Senior Fellow for Southeast Asia and Director, Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, Center for Strategic and International Studies Frank Jannuzi, President and CEO, Mike and Maureen Mansfield Foundation Barbara Weisel, Managing Director, Rock Creek Global Advisors
Moderator Catharin Dalpino, Professor Emeritus, Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University
Join The Asia Foundation to discuss its new report, Enduring the Pandemic: Rapid Survey on the Impact of Covid-19 on MSMEs in Tourism Sector and Households in Cambodia. To address the need for accurate data on how Covid-19 is disrupting micro and small enterprises, vulnerable workers, the informal economy, and heavily affected sectors, The Asia Foundation and its partners conducted a series of national surveys and case studies in six Southeast Asian countries: Cambodia, Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Timor-Leste.
The Covid-19 pandemic is leading to a dramatic rollback of economic progress across Southeast Asia. While the region has managed to contain the spread of the virus better than most others, the economic impact on the region has been devastating. Southeast Asia is highly integrated into the global economy, both with regard to trade and international travel. Since international travel stopped almost entirely in March, the tourism and business travel sectors have experienced unprecedented contraction. Many small businesses have closed permanently as they cannot survive the economic losses brought on by Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions. With each passing month, tens of millions more workers become at risk of sliding into poverty, including many in the middle class. As the pandemic drags on, temporary job losses have become permanent, and household incomes have plummeted.
Featuring Meloney Lindberg, Country Representative, Cambodia, The Asia Foundation Chan Sophal, Director, Centre for Policy Studies Ou Virak, Founder and President, Future Forum
Moderator John Brandon, Senior Director, International Relations Programs, The Asia Foundation
by The Asia Foundation | January 15, 2021 | Events
Watch the Forum’s framing session
With the advent of the recent intertwined global crises from the Arctic meltdown to increasing wildfires, and now Covid-19, an action for climate change and sustainable development no longer is perceived as an act for future consideration, but an imminent emergency to save our lives and the economy. Among many causes that have precipitated global warming, material production accounts for more than a fifth of global total emissions which are mostly used in construction projects according to UNESCAP. Against this backdrop, the 2020 Northeast Asia Policy Dialogue Forum focused on sustainable infrastructure from the national and regional perspectives.
Organized jointly by KDI School of Public Policy and Management and The Asia Foundation, this forum aims to catalyze sustainable infrastructure initiatives as means to achieving regional cooperation by facilitating the exchange of ideas among key opinion leaders in China, Japan, Mongolia, and Korea.
Featuring Jung Hun Cho, Member of the National Assembly, President of Transition Korea Party, Republic of Korea / former Member of the Presidential Committee on Northern Economic Cooperation Tae Yong Jung, Professor of Sustainable Development, Yonsei University / former Principal Climate Change Specialist, ADB
Co-hosted in partnership with the Asian Art Museum in celebration of the Margaret F. Williams Memorial Fellowship in Asian Art. A conversation with Indian artist Jas Charanjiva about her work “Don’t Mess with Me,” currently on view at the Asian Art Museum. A panel discussed sexual violence against women in South Asia and how artists and organizations like The Asia Foundation are working to address and combat the abuses.
Featuring Jas Charanjiva, Artist Abby Chen, Senior Associate Curator and Head of Contemporary Art, Asian Art Museum Nandita Baruah, Country Representative, India, The Asia Foundation
Moderator Jane Sloane, Senior Director, Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Program, The Asia Foundation
by The Asia Foundation | December 8, 2020 | Events
December 9, 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM KST
December 8, 10:00 PM – 1:00 AM PT
The unprecedented onset of the Covid-19 pandemic has put women at a particular position of risk both economically and socially. In a time of crisis, where resources and institutional capacities are constrained, innovative solutions spearheading in both the public and private sector are key in minimizing the disproportionate impact to women and girls and promoting their sustainable recovery and resilience.
The Asia Foundation and ASEAN Centre for Sustainable Development Studies and Dialogue (ACSDSD), with support from KDI School of School of Public Policy and Management, will convene a seminar to exchange knowledge and good practices of innovation for gender equality in ASEAN and Korea and discuss ideas for the way forward. The seminar will feature representatives from ASEAN region and Korea from both governments, private sector, academic, think tank and civil society organizations.
