On September 13 and 14, 2024, The Asia Foundation organized a two-day workshop in Rangpur, Bangladesh as part of our Community-Driven Approach Promoting Religious Equality and Access to Justice project…
In 2023, we launched the Social Entrepreneurship for the Nation (WiNNER) competition to identify social enterprises that could engage and partner with subnational governments to address these continuing challenges. The competition was a collaboration between our USAID ERAT (Effective, Efficient, and Strong Governance) program and the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucracy Reform.
While many countries in Asia and the Pacific bear the hallmark features of societies committed to the rule of law, the reality is often very different due to a variety…
Le Thu Hien is currently the Program Director for The Asia Foundation in Vietnam overseeing the Foundation’s Governance for Inclusive Growth portfolio. Hien’s areas of technical expertise include good governance,…
Well-intentioned laws and policies still do not adequately protect Nepal from human trafficking. It could have international consequences.
Jobs may be scarce and the future uncertain for Timor-Leste’s surging youth population, but conversations with Timorese young people suggest that they are optimistic and committed to their country’s future.
The recent revisions to the Indonesian Penal Code (KUHP) have sparked discussions about personal freedoms and civil liberties. Key provisions address adultery, and stricter regulations on religious defamation. Concerns have been raised about the ambiguity of some legal language, which could lead to enforcement challenges and potential human rights implications, particularly for marginalized groups.
Bangladesh is at a pivotal juncture. Recent student-led uprisings are promising to open up shrinking civic spaces over the past 15 years. With the new interim government led by Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus, there is a renewed focus on the reforms necessary to address Bangladesh’s challenges.
Alternative dispute resolution continues to serve the poor and marginalized in Bangladesh, for whom the expensive and overloaded courts are often out of reach.
Indonesia’s prisons are bursting at the seams. An experiment in “restorative justice” offers a promising alternative to mass incarceration.
Since 2012, The Asia Foundation, in collaboration with the Australia Indonesia Partnership for Justice (AIPJ2), has been actively addressing disability issues within the justice sector. One of their key initiatives…
As part of the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, The Palermo Protocol is the first legal document to provide an internationally recognized definition of human trafficking. It serves…