by The Asia Foundation | April 19, 2024
Google.org, Google’s philanthropic arm, has provided $15M to The Asia Foundation to launch the APAC Cybersecurity Fund in partnership with CyberPeace Institute and Global Cyber Alliance to bolster the cyber capabilities of 300,000 underserved micro and small businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises. Working with implementing organizations and universities across the region, The Asia Foundation aims to equip local communities and students via upskilling tools and cyber clinics to protect against online risks. The initiative will span 13 locations, including Bangladesh, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The APAC Cybersecurity Fund aims to strengthen the Asia-Pacific region’s cybersecurity ecosystem by equipping micro and small businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises with skills to navigate the Internet safely and confidently. Entrepreneurs skilled at identifying and mitigating cyberattacks will bolster the region’s digital economy growth. Through training, the project works to improve the targeted sectors’ awareness and knowledge of basic cyber hygiene. At the same time, the project’s initiatives for regulatory reform include policy dialogues and localized research on cyber threats. The project is also piloting two university-based cyber clinics in Pakistan and Singapore to expand community outreach on cyber hygiene essentials.
by The Asia Foundation | April 19, 2024
This project employs formative research to generate evidence about child trafficking victims in three target sectors in Nepal—the adult entertainment sector, cross-border trafficking forced labor in brick kilns, garment and carpet manufacturing, and domestic work. It also aims to generate data and evidence on child trafficking in Nepal that will inform the design of effective, culturally appropriate, and responsive programmatic interventions.
by The Asia Foundation | April 17, 2024
This paper is part of the Navigating Successful Policy Reform series undertaken by Coalitions for Change and the Institute for Human Security and Social Change at La Trobe University. It is one of three case studies exploring developmental policy reforms in Vanuatu, Kenya, and Indonesia that demonstrate politically smart and learning-oriented ways of working to achieve change in challenging political contexts. In particular, the cases investigate whether those reform stories are similar to the development entrepreneurship model that has been highly successful in the Philippines.
by The Asia Foundation | April 12, 2024
This research project explores the peace process that surrounded the 2015 Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement. It focuses on the successes and failures of international support for peacebuilding at that time, drawing together findings that policymakers and practitioners in Myanmar and internationally can apply. While future efforts to find peace in Myanmar will look very different from those of the past, it is vital that lessons from the past are taken on board.
by The Asia Foundation | April 12, 2024
USAID and Pact, Inc., through The Asia Foundation, launched the five-year (2023 to 2028) Media and Civil Society Strengthening (MACCS) in Mongolia project to support citizen participation and public access to information in Mongolia. Implemented in partnership with international consortium partners the International Research and Exchanges Board and Omdena, the project aims to empower local actors to ensure Mongolia’s vibrant democracy grows even stronger and more resilient through empowered civic organizations that are supported by professional, unbiased media.
by The Asia Foundation | March 15, 2024
Digital trade agreements (DTAs) are instrumental in expanding the benefits of the digital economy in emerging Asia. Moreover, economies in Asia and the Pacific have been the key architects of trade rules for the digital era. DTAs set trade rules and economic collaboration in the digital economy and establish the minimum framework in which data and transactions are performed digitally among economies. For consumers and small and medium enterprises, these agreements enhance data protection measures and enable access to new markets.
This publication reviews the landscape of digital trade and digital economy agreements (DEAs) in Asia and the Pacific. First, it describes the coverage of the provisions of the DTAs and DEAs. Second, it describes the implementation and impacts of DTAs and DEAs.
Subsequently, the study analyzes the future evolution of DTAs and DEAs’ scope. There are three main reasons why their “anatomy” and contents are bound to evolve. First, Asia-Pacific economies are already adopting domestic policies that can have implications on digital trade and market access. The second driver of tomorrow’s digital regulations is business interest in new rules. A third component is the emergence of new stakeholders like content creators.
Finally, the study identifies trends looking ahead, such as the continued expansion of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, calls by the United States private sector to promote trade rules conducive to the adoption of AI and cloud computing, and focused discussions among ASEAN Member States on the Digital Economy Framework Agreement.
by The Asia Foundation | March 15, 2024
Women’s equal access to economic opportunities is imperative for future growth and prosperity in Asia and the Pacific. The participation of women in the labor force is also critical to women’s advancement and achieving gender equality in the region. However, research has shown that one critical barrier for women to enter the labor force is the double burden of care and household responsibilities that disproportionately fall on women. This burden is particularly acute in Asia. To advance women’s economic security and opportunities, there is an urgent need to establish a robust care economy ecosystem that redistributes the burden of care through effective care policies and investments in promising care delivery systems. The Asia Foundation’s approach to building resilient care ecosystems centers on three key pillars: elevate the care agenda at a national level through influencing care policy, program delivery, and advocacy, improve coordination and collaboration between diverse stakeholders within the care ecosystem, and build the evidence and global knowledge base around care to inform the design and delivery of effective care delivery that increases choice for carers and those needing care.
by The Asia Foundation | February 29, 2024 |
In Timor-Leste, The Asia Foundation works with local partners to advance citizens’ rights and access to justice, strengthen civil society voices, develop economic growth opportunities, and safeguard women’s rights. Current flagship programs focus on good governance, inclusive economic growth, and women’s empowerment.
by The Asia Foundation | February 22, 2024 |
The Asia Foundation has worked in Lao People’s Democratic Republic since 1958. We work with local partners and the Lao government to improve governance and access to justice for all citizens, advance women’s rights and opportunities, help communities manage development and safeguard their natural environment, increase access to information, and promote Laos’ international cooperation.
by The Asia Foundation | February 20, 2024
Mapping of Civil Society Organizations in the Governance Sector in the Maldives was commissioned by The Asia Foundation’s South Asia Grants Program, funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau for South and Central Asian Affairs. Riyan Pvt. Ltd. conducted the research, which examined the operational landscape of civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the governance sector in the Maldives. There are 1,204 CSOs registered in the Maldives, with around six percent classified as working in the governance sector. The research utilized mixed methods, including a desk review, qualitative analysis of focus group discussions and key informant interviews, and quantitative surveys.
The study examined the regulatory environment and operations of CSOs in the Maldives to better understand their activities, capacities, funding, governance, challenges, and opportunities. The study revealed that most Maldivian CSOs in the governance sector are registered in Malé and work at a regional, national, or international level rather than the community level. The majority of these CSOs encompassed multiple focus areas, indicating the ability to respond to communities’ diverse and changing needs. However, this also suggests that CSOs may lack expertise in specific focus areas, hindering their ability to work in the governance space. Challenges included capacity, funding, information dissemination, collaboration, and public perception misconceptions about CSOs. Based on the study’s findings, key recommendations for addressing challenges facing governance-focused CSOs were identified in relation to organizational structures, networking and capacity building, access to CSO services, funding structures, state-CSO partnerships, and public awareness and perception.
