Critical Issues
Virtual Event – Addressing the Covid-Related Challenges Facing the Pacific Islands
Washington, DC, Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Events Post
While swift measures on border control taken by Pacific Island governments to contain the spread of Covid-19 spared the region a health crisis on the scale faced in other parts of the world, the social and economic implications of the pandemic have been catastrophic for the region’s fragile economies. Rising unemployment in the tourism and other se… Read more
Virtual Summit and Workshop – Pacific Cyber Dialogue
Papua New Guinea, November 17-20, 2020
Events Post
In the past five years, new undersea cable projects and other internet infrastructure improvements have begun connecting Pacific internet users to faster and more accessible digital resources. At the same time, greater connectivity has also brought new cybersecurity challenges for civil society, the private sector, and government. With small popula… Read more
Where Are India’s Working Women?
March 9, 2016
Blog Post
India is one of the youngest countries in the world, with a significant segment of its 1.2 billion population in the age group of 20-35. By 2020, it is estimated that the average age in the country will be 29. For an economy that is growing at an annual rate of 7 percent…
Responding to Conflict in Asia: Why Good Data is Needed
December 16, 2015
Blog Post
The new set of post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals includes for the first time a target that specifically sets out to promote peaceful and inclusive societies, marking an increase in awareness that peace and security is critical for sustainable development.
Post-2015 Development Agenda Needs Standalone Goal on Gender Equality
March 4, 2015
Blog Post
It has been more than a century since the world first celebrated March 8 as International Women’s Day. This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women when representatives from 189 governments signed the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action…
Can India’s Youth Change Pervasive Culture of Violence and Abuse?
March 4, 2015
Blog Post
It is estimated that every 20 minutes a rape occurs in India. Those who work on the front lines of providing legal and health services to victims say that the reported cases are just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, it is widely accepted that close to 90 percent of rape incidences in India happen within the household…
Indonesia’s Forests Disappearing at Record Rates
February 25, 2015
Blog Post
In early November, less than one month after Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s inauguration, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, the newly installed Environment and Forestry minister, announced that the government would extend an existing moratorium on the issuance of new permits for logging in primary forests in an effort to halt deforestation. While environmentalists and concerned citizens alike certainly welcomed this news, the road ahead to improving forest and land governance in Indonesia is steep.
A New Era of Development Finance
February 11, 2015
Blog Post
The global development landscape has changed dramatically in the last 15 years. In 2000, bilateral Development Assistance Committee (DAC) donors (UK, U.S., Japan, France) and multilateral institutions like the World Bank dominated the provision of aid. Today, the face of aid is increasingly Asian.
Editor’s Picks: 2014 Must Reads
December 23, 2014
Blog Post
Season’s Greetings! On behalf of In Asia’s editorial board and bloggers, we thank you for your engagement and continued readership throughout the year. We’ll be taking a short break, but will return on January 7. In the meantime, catch up on our must-read pieces and highlights on the most pressing events and issues in Asia throughout 2014.
Desecuritizing Transboundary Water in South Asia
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
Severe floods in the Kashmir region of Northern India and Pakistan over the past few weeks have taken 450 lives so far, and uprooted thousands of residents on both sides of the highly politicized border. Heavy monsoon rains caused the Chenab and Jhelum rivers (tributaries of the Indus River system) to overflow their banks…
Financing the Costs of Climate Change in Disaster-Prone Asian Nations
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
Disaster insurance has quickly risen up the global policy agenda in the last few years, where phrases like “loss and damage mechanisms” and “micro-insurance schemes” are catching fire in climate change discussions about how to finance the costs…
Emerging Chinese Foundations Expand Role in Disaster Management
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
Last month, the One Foundation, one of China’s most visible charitable organizations, presented a new strategy to government officials and national researchers that marks a major shift in the approach to disaster mitigation in the country.
Water Scarcity a Threat to Mongolia’s Sustainable Development
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
A new report from the Asian Development Bank sent a warning signal to Mongolia that, despite its wealth of natural resources and pristine image, the country faces a severe water scarcity and quality crisis – one that could leave its growing capital…
Engaging Asia’s Private Sector in Disaster Risk Management
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
Heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan and India since early September have resulted in some of the worst flooding in decades, requiring immediate relief response, as hundreds of people have already lost their lives and millions more are affected.
A Conversation with Chinese Fellow, Environmental NGO Leader Lican Liu
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
In Asia editor Alma Freeman recently interviewed co-founder and Director of Programs and Communications at the Greenovation Hub, a grassroots NGO that focuses on environmental protection and innovation in China.
Photo Blog: Critical Issue – Climate Change & Water Resource Management
September 17, 2014
Blog Post
Images of the major rivers of Asia – including the mighty Mekong that snakes through Southeast Asia and the Ganges and other revered rivers that bisect the subcontinent – might seem at odds with the sobering fact that Asia is the world’s driest…
Photo Exhibit: Asia’s Critical Issues Through the Lens of Award-Winning Photographers
August 13, 2014
Blog Post
This year, The Asia Foundation marks its 60th anniversary with a year-long global conversation on critical issues facing the region today. As part of this dialogue, the Foundation has organized a photography exhibition, “Critical Issues Facing Asia: Marking 60 Years,”at the World…
What Do Increasing Attacks Against Soft Targets in Thailand’s South Signal?
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
Following the first-round meeting in February 2013 between the Thai Government and the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) rebel group that marked the start of surprise peace talks, insurgents have primarily targeted hard targets such as military and police personnel. However, following the breakdown of talks in July 2013…
Minorities within the Minority: Indigenous Communities in the Bangsamoro
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
In March this year, a major milestone passed in the 40-year effort to end hostilities in the Philippines between the national government and Muslim separatist fronts. The government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) signed a Comprehensive…
Latest Ethnic Clashes Reveal Fissures in Sri Lanka’s Post-War Society
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
In June 2014, almost five years after the end of the longstanding civil war in Sri Lanka, violent clashes broke out in several small towns in the south, including Aluthgama, Beruwela, and Dharga Town. The tensions were fueled by reports that a Muslim man had allegedly attacked…
The Struggle Against Religious Conflict in Pakistan
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
On the third day of Eid-ul Fitar last week, two Hindu trader brothers from district Umerkot in Sindh Province were murdered in front of their home. An Ahmadi doctor was murdered in Chiniot in May 2014 while a Hazara Shia community in Quetta was attacked and two brothers were murdered by Lashakr-e-Jhangvi on Eid-ul Fitar in July 2014. The killing of Rashid Rehman…
Subnational Conflict: The Dark Underbelly of a Rising Asia
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
Asia’s rise has been momentous. Since the early 1960s, Asia has grown richer faster than any other region in the world. In 1990, 56 percent of people in East Asia and 54 percent in South Asia lived on under $1.25 a day (PPP). By 2010, these rates had fallen to 12 percent and 31 percent…
Q&A with Indonesian Fellow, Women’s Movement Leader Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
In Asia editor Alma Freeman recently interviewed Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah, Indonesia country director for the Asian Muslim Action Network (AMAN), which focuses on the role of women in peace building and inter-faith cooperation. Kholifah was selected as one of the 10 inaugural 2014 Asia Foundation Development Fellows.
Photo Blog: Critical Issue – Ethnic and Religious Conflict
August 6, 2014
Blog Post
Subnational conflicts are the most deadly, widespread, and enduring violent conflicts in Asia. Recent studies by The Asia Foundation indicate that more people have died in the region’s 26 subnational conflicts than in international conflicts during the past 20 years. In South and Southeast Asia, active conflicts affect regions that are roughly the size of Indonesia…
Bangladesh’s Development Surprise: A Model for Developing Countries
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
By many metrics, Bangladesh’s development trajectory is a unique success story, especially since the 1990s when democratic rule was reinstated and extensive economic reforms were made. Poverty incidence has fallen from 60 percent to around 30 percent.
Reexamining Growth and Poverty in Myanmar
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
International data indicate that Myanmar’s current growth rate is about 7 percent, which by any measure should indicate progress and pride. Macroeconomic reforms have been extensive. The unrealistic legal exchange rate, which at one point was about 150 times…
Poverty, Inequality, and the Negative Effects of Mongolia’s Economic Downturn
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
For the last four years, Mongolia has had one of the fastest growing economies in the world, clocking double-digit growth on the back of a mining boom. The effects of this growth are obvious, especially in the capital, Ulaanbaatar, where cranes dominate the skyline…
Fellow Marcia Czarina Corazon Medina-Guce on Reform in the Philippines
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
In Asia editor Alma Freeman recently interviewed Philippine local governance leader Marcia Czarina Corazon Medina-Guce on President Aquino’s ambitious reform agenda and progress on poverty reduction and inclusive development.
Photo Blog: Critical Issue – Poverty and Inequality
June 25, 2014
Blog Post
Despite the region’s dramatic growth, income inequality across much of Asia is rising, and poverty remains a stubborn issue to overcome. Some 700 million people across the region live on less than $1 a day. In response, governments are taking on urgent policy reforms needed to create jobs and foster inclusive growth…
Asia Foundation Launches Interactive Timeline
May 14, 2014
Blog Post
To mark its 60th anniversary, The Asia Foundation debuted on May 14 a living, interactive timeline of its six decades in Asia, including compelling archival video, audio interviews, oral histories, photographs, documents, and multimedia.
Human Rights Protection in Modern Cambodia: Building on Unstable Grounds
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
On January 3, ongoing street protests by garment workers in Cambodia’s capital, Phnom Penh, turned violent. Government troops opened fire into a crowd of civilians, killing four and leaving one person missing. A total of 23 civilians were arrested and 21 are still detained without bail.
Obama’s Asia Trip to Test Rebalancing Policy
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
This week President Obama travels to four Asian countries – Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Malaysia. In many respects, the president’s visit is to make up for his absence last October in Brunei and Indonesia to attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders meeting because of the U.S. government shutdown.
Access to Justice Constraints Fuel Conflict in Southern Thailand
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
Access to justice, security, and human rights protection rank among the core issues that fuel the protracted subnational conflict in southern Thailand and are central to the prospect of its future resolution. For the last decade, the southern border provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani have faced a resurgence of an indigenous…
A New Face of Policing in Timor-Leste
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
On March 27, the national police of Timor-Leste (PNTL) celebrated their 14th anniversary with full pomp and circumstance. For 24 years until 1999, the police in Timor were under the command of the Indonesia military. Now, it seems that memories of countrywide conflict and instability in this small tropical nation are receding.
Philippines Mobilizes for a Disability-Inclusive 2016 Presidential Election
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
In his 4th State of the Nation Address in June 2013, Philippine President Aquino praised a 30-year-old Makati resident Nino Aguirre who has no legs, but had laboriously climbed four floors to reach his polling station and cast his vote in the May 2013 midterm elections. While Mr. Aguirre’s feat demonstrated laudable…
A Conversation with Mongolian NGO Leader Badruun Gardi
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
Just back from an intensive, nine-day leadership training workshop in Singapore and the Philippines, which kicked off The Asia Foundation’s Development Fellows program, In Asia editor Alma Freeman interviewed one of the 10 inaugural Fellows from Mongolia, Badruun Gardi…
Photo Blog: Critical Issue – Access to Justice & Human Rights
April 23, 2014
Blog Post
Weak legal institutions and poorly functioning systems of justice pose challenges to citizens throughout Asia in resolving disputes, enforcing their rights, and accessing benefits to which they are legally entitled. This photo blog examines issues of access to justice and human rights through the lens of three countries
Asia Foundation’s 18 Country Reps Convene in D.C. to Discuss Asia’s Critical Issues
March 12, 2014
Blog Post
This year, The Asia Foundation is commemorating its 60th anniversary. Drawing on the expertise of local partners and our own development experts in the 18 countries where we work, we’re initiating a year-long, global conversation on six critical issues facing Asia.
The Women Leaders Who Drive Aquino’s Reform Agenda
March 5, 2014
Blog Post
For a president who was so greatly influenced by his mother and surrounded by sisters, it’s perhaps not that surprising that Simeon Benigno Aquino III has appointed women to some of the highest positions of his administration. A confirmed bachelor…
A Conversation with Nepali Journalist, Women’s Rights Advocate Jaya Luintel
March 5, 2014
Blog Post
Ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, In Asia editor Alma Freeman interviewed Nepali radio journalist and women’s rights advocate, Jaya Luintel, on women’s changing role in politics and society in Nepal, the country’s wide gender gap, and hopes of democratic momentum.
Corruption in the Philippines: Survey of Business Execs Reveals ‘Mixed’ Findings
January 22, 2014
Blog Post
On January 15, the results of the latest “SWS Survey of Enterprises on Corruption” were released during an afternoon session of the Good Governance Summit 2014. The previous survey in 2012 showed an impressive record low of 43 percent of business executives who considered corruption to be widespread.