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. 

The irrepressible disability activist, Tanzila Khan, tries her hand at board game design. We take the game out for a spin.

You can learn more and purchase the board game: Woopie Town – Mayor of Woopie Town

In a world grappling with climate challenges, Mongolia's nomadic herders have a unique perspective to offer. Join us for an engaging interview with Asia Foundation Development Fellow alum Badruun Gardi as we explore the enduring relevance of nomadism in Mongolia and its valuable insights for addressing today's climate crisis.

The Asia Foundation’s country representative in Indonesia, Hana Satriyo,  is a veteran advocate  for women’s and minority rights and a champion against disinformation who’s worked tirelessly with government ministries, civil society, and local governments across the Indonesian archipelago.

 Dive into our impactful initiatives in Indonesia with Hana.

Learn more about our work in Indonesia.

Young in experience, but passionate in their commitments: a six-month fellowship invests in young leaders from Asia, the Pacific, and the United States. We sit down with 2023 LeadNext fellow,  Temuulen Enkhbat, to talk about her experience this year. 

Delving into geopolitical dynamics: navigating the rise of rivalries in Southeast Asia. Could the escalating U.S.-China tensions potentially lead to the emergence of a modern cold war divide in the region?

This July marks the 30th anniversary of a legal decision in the Philippines that has reverberated far beyond those shores. In 1993, a young attorney named Antonio Oposa sued the Philippine Department of the Environment and Natural Resources and its secretary, “Jun” Factoran, to halt logging in the nation’s vanishing old-growth forests. The remarkable aspect of the case is that he sued on behalf of generations as yet unborn.

The key holding of Minors Oposa vs. Factoran is now known as the Oposa Doctrine. It grants current generations legal standing to bring actions on behalf of future generations with respect to environmental rights.

Joining John and Tracie to talk about his famous case is lawyer and environmentalist Antonio Oposa. Also joining us is his longtime friend Erik Jensen, formerly with The Asia Foundation in Manila and now at Stanford Law School, who had a first-hand view of the event.

Much work—and some play—on a U.S. study tour for 15 mid-career Asian diplomats.

We caught up with two of the group in San Francisco, just as they were packing for home, to hear a few thoughts about their U.S. visit. Ms. Sujana Aryal is a protocol officer in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal, and Mr. Nguyen Dong Anh is vice-dean of faculty at the International Communications-and-Culture Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

It’s the United States’ year to host the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, whose 21 members reach from Russia to the Pacific and from South America to China. U.S. Senior Official for APEC Matt Murray joins us to talk about how the big job is coming along.  

Elise Hu spent four years as NPR’s first bureau chief in Seoul. She joins us to talk about her new book, a deeply reported and deeply reflective account of Korea’s world-challenging beauty industry.

Order a copy of her book Flawless: Lessons in Looks and Culture from the K-Beauty Capital. 

In the restless Rajshahi district of Bangladesh, a five-year experiment built a community warning system for religious freedom violations.

If all the world’s care workers were one national economy, it would be among the largest, in hours worked, in the world. It would also consist mostly of women, and they would be mostly unpaid.

“You can’t protect what you don’t love, and you can’t love what you don’t know.” Indonesian women harness the local power of social forestry.  

As president and CEO, David Arnold steered The Asia Foundation through 12 momentous years. 

Sri Lanka’s 75th anniversary arrives at a moment of peril and, perhaps, possibility for this nation of about 21 million in the Indian Ocean. 

A year and a half after the Taliban’s return to power, the hardships of daily life in Afghanistan are becoming dire. Yet, the government’s restrictive policies threaten to block even basic humanitarian aid. What is the way forward?