InAsia

This week, we look back three decades to an Asia Foundation program that has transformed the delivery of justice in Bangladesh by making the country’s traditional system for mediating disputes, the shalish, more inclusive, more equitable, and more sensitive to the rights and interests of women and vulnerable groups. 

Our annual study tour brought eleven young diplomats from across Asia to the United States. Two of them joined us to discuss their experiences. 

 In 1936, the Philippines gave traditional farmers formal title to the lands they had farmed for generations. The Public Land Act was expected to boost agriculture by encouraging landowners to invest in their property, yet for years it didn’t work. The puzzle was why, and what to do about it.

Joining us for this tale of “thinking and working politically” is Erwin Tiamson, former director of the Philippines Land Management Bureau and attorney with our partner, the Foundation for Economic Freedom, which worked to change the law. Also with us is Jaime Faustino of The Asia Foundation’s Coalitions for Change.

Read more about "thinking and working politically" in our latest issue of the InAsia blog. 

In the restless borderlands between India and Bangladesh, new research documents the human impacts of climate disruption where the social compact is precarious.  Read the full blog post about this cutting-edge research on InAsia. 

Rural women have proven to be uniquely effective protectors of Indonesia’s vast and threatened forests. Joining us this week is Rahpriyanto Alam Surya Putra,  the director of The Asia Foundation’s Environmental Governance program in Indonesia, to talk about women’s forest stewardship and a project called the 100 Champions Network.

Read the full InAsia blog piece on the the project: Cultivating Women’s Forest Stewardship: The 100 Champions Network - The Asia Foundation

We explore the transformative journey of The Asia Foundation's Books for Asia, now reborn as Let's Read. Director Kyle Barker, alongside team members from Indonesia, Aryasatyani Sintadewi and Haura Najmakamila, delve into the pivotal shift from distributing millions of physical books since 1954 to pioneering digital storybooks in local languages.

This innovative leap into digital literacy aims to foster young readers' growth, reflecting the evolving landscape of publishing and the crucial role of digital access in education and development.

Check out the full Let's Read digital library and read Kyle Barker's blog chronicling the history of Books for Asia. 

February 1 marked the anniversary of the military coup that upended Myanmar’s democracy and plunged much of the country into open conflict. Three years later, popular resistance, from peaceful protests to armed insurgency, remains strong, particularly among communities in the country’s border regions, where central control has been contested since Myanmar was a British colony.

This week, we talked to independent researcher June N.S. about his latest publication about Chin State, Myanmar, Resistance and the Cost of the Coup in Chin State, Myanmar. 

InAsia explores Nepal's transformative journey into federalism following a civil war and political deadlock. With the 2015 constitution, Nepal embarked on a new governance path, decentralizing powers to provincial and local governments. We delve into the successes and challenges of this shift with insights from Professor Bipin Adhikari of Kathmandu University and Professor John Warhurst of Australian National University.

They share perspectives from the recent International Conference on Federalism in Kathmandu, discussing the global implications and lessons of Nepal's federalism experiment. Join us for a concise yet enlightening discussion on Nepal's political evolution and the broader impacts of federal governance.

Meet two political activists who have secret literary lives—or is it the other way around? We talk to our 2023 Asia Foundation Development Fellows Shazia Uzman and Jan Mikael de Lara Co. 

At the half-way point for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, where we are, how we can move forward, and a shout-out to Adam Smith.