The Asia Foundation

Thursday, August 23, 2010
5:30 networking reception, 6-7:30 p.m. program
Location: Commonwealth San Francisco Club Office
MLF: Asia-Pacific Affairs
Cost: MEMBERS FREE, $20 non-members

Following the overthrow of the misogynistic Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the situation for women seemed to enter a promising era. A Ministry of Women was established, and a new constitution guaranteed women 25-percent representation in the legislature. But progress has been stymied in Afghanistan and regionally. More than 80 percent of Afghan women are illiterate and many remain victims of violence. Our experts will address the key challenges that hamper progress in both Afghanistan and South Asia and present possible solutions. The panel will argue that improving the situation of women is the most effective way to ensure sustainable development in the region.

Katherine Brown: Truman National Security Project Fellow; Former Communications and Public Events Advisor, U.S. Embassy Kabul; NGO Worker; Former White House Staffer
Kate Francis: Assistant Director, Women’s Empowerment Program, the Asia Foundation.
Olga Oliker: Senior International Policy Analyst, the RAND Corporation

Program Organizer: Paul Clarke
In association with the Truman National Security Project Educational Institute, The Asia Foundation and the Asia Society of Northern California.

Purchase tickets here.

In an article in The Economist’s Banyan column about shifts in the West’s strategy in Afghanistan, and areas in which new strategy could possibly bring positive change, findings from The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll are cited.  Read the full article: “Fighting on Afghans’ behalf.”

San Francisco and Kabul

The Asia Foundation welcomes Sheilagh Henry as its Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan. Ms. Henry has over 15 years of experience in the areas of humanitarian assistance, organizational development, and project management.

Most recently, Ms. Henry held the position of Field Coordinator for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Kabul. Based in Afghanistan since 2007, first as the Department of Peacekeeping’s head of Humanitarian Coordination for the Northern Region, and then with OCHA, Ms. Henry oversaw the final production of the 2009 Humanitarian Action Plan for Afghanistan, the 2008 Central Emergency Response Fund proposal and implementation, and the creation of a disaster vulnerability database in collaboration with the Afghanistan Natural Disaster Management Authority.

In 2006, Ms. Henry worked with OCHA in Sudan where she was responsible for facilitation of UN, INGO, and donor consensus on priority areas of humanitarian reform and initiation of an inter-agency action and contingency plan. From 2003 to 2005, she worked with GOAL – a humanitarian non-profit based in Ireland – in Angola and Indonesia. In Angola she designed and supervised gender, HIV/AIDS, and human rights programs. In Indonesia, she led GOAL’s initial assessment of the tsunami in Aceh, established an operational office and base camps, and initiated programs in water sanitation, health and hygiene, waste management, education, and camp management. She has completed work in Africa, Latin America, Asia, Europe, North America, and the Middle East.

Ms. Henry has a Bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from University of Waterloo and a Master’s degree in International Planning and Development from the University of Guelph. She is registered as one of six accredited Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP) Humanitarian Auditors.

The Asia Foundation’s Kabul office was re-established in February 2002 to launch programs in areas vital to the political, social, economic, and intellectual development of post-Taliban Afghanistan. The Asia Foundation also conducts their informative annual “Survey of the Afghan People” — the largest, most-comprehensive public opinion poll conducted in Afghanistan. Read more about the Foundation’s programs in Afghanistan.

For more information, please visit our Press Room.

In a broadcast of NPR’s “All Things Considered” program about poppy fields in Afghanistan, Seth Jones of the Rand Corporation cites The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll findings on the country’s drug trade. Listen to the interview or read the full transcript: “Plan For Afghan Poppy Fields Examined.”

In an article on The Diplomat about South Korea’s rise as a military power and its presence in Afghanistan, The Asia Foundation’s Center for U.S.-Korea Policy Director Scott Snyder is quoted on sensitivities surrounding South Korea’s deployment of troops to Afghanistan. Read the full article: “South Korea’s Secret War.”

In a Huffington Post blog piece about Afghan President Karzai’s May visit to Washington, D.C., and the influential role Afghan ministers play in decision making, The Asia Foundation is recommended as an organization that the State Department should connect the ministers with during their visit in order to raise their visibility with the American public. Read the full article: “Charlie Rose Meet Dr. Z.”

The Administrative Staff College of India announced a delegation of secretaries from the Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs who will visit India to take part in a management development workshop sponsored by The Asia Foundation. Read the full article: “ASCI Training Prog for Afghan Govt Officials kicks off.”

San Francisco and Canberra

As the international community searches for new ways to deliver aid and assistance in places affected by conflict and state fragility, the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and The Asia Foundation have formed a strategic partnership to enhance current approaches and explore new methods for supporting development, building peace and prosperity, and improving aid effectiveness. The agreement was signed at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C. on March 26, 2010 by Peter Baxter, Acting Director General of AusAID, and Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO of The Asia Foundation.

“This partnership is formed to bring together our collective experience in order to better address some of the most challenging questions facing the international community today,” said Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO of The Asia Foundation. “How can we think differently, and act differently, to improve conditions for those in turbulent, fragile societies, where people live in constant threat and development cannot take hold? The combined experience of our two organizations includes nearly every conflict-affected and fragile country in the Asia-Pacific region. I believe that this partnership has the potential to transform the way we work together across the region—and will contribute to global efforts to improve aid effectiveness.”

The goal of the partnership is to deepen and expand the strategies of AusAID, The Asia Foundation, and the international community to deliver aid and security in regions where the pace of development has fallen dramatically, especially where conditions have deteriorated. The partnership will include regular dialogue, collaboration, and joint program activities in Asia through June 2013. This new international effort builds on AusAID’s expertise in post-conflict reconstruction and The Asia Foundation’s recognized strengths in working on protracted sub-national conflicts, and building extensive networks in conflict-affected nations and regions.

Engagement between AusAID and The Asia Foundation has increased significantly in recent years, and the partnership agreement covering the next 39 months is designed to complement existing agreements at the country level by promoting greater sharing of knowledge and strategic concepts between the two organizations.

ABOUT AUSAID
AusAID is the Australian Government agency responsible for managing Australia’s overseas aid program. The objective of the aid program is to assist developing countries reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development, in line with Australia’s national interest. In 2009–10 Australia will provide $3.8 billion worth of official development assistance. Australia’s aid program focuses on the Asia Pacific region. The international community recognises Australia’s leading role in the region, particularly in PNG and the Pacific. The geographic focus of Australia’s aid program also makes sense given that two thirds of the world’s poor, some 800 million people, live in the Asia Pacific, yet receive less than one third of total aid flows. Australia’s broadened aid program provides assistance to Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South America, primarily through scholarships and by working through international and non-government organisations.

For more information, please visit our Press Room.

San Francisco

The Asia Foundation announced today it will begin repairs on the Lama-e-Shaheed Girls’ School in Kabul—a school with an enrollment of over 4,500 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. With funding from the Janet Ketcham Foundation, The Asia Foundation will make critical improvements on the school building, which was severely damaged during years of violent conflict and neglect, and also provide brand new textbooks and other educational materials.

The 155 teachers at Lama-e-Shaheed Girls’ School have to make do with outdated textbooks and inadequate educational materials. Because of limited space in the damaged building, students currently learn in makeshift classrooms in hallways, tents, and converted metal shipping containers on the school grounds.

In consultation with the Ministry of Education and the school’s principal, The Asia Foundation prepared construction plans to repair the school’s roof, walls, and wooden floors that have suffered water leaks. The number of classrooms will be increased by reconfiguring large hallways, and the science laboratory will be upgraded with modern equipment and visual aids. The Asia Foundation’s Books for Asia program will donate new English-language books–ranging from computer science and math to communications and political science–to supplement Afghan textbooks. The school’s plumbing will also be upgraded as it currently has only two functioning toilets.

“This generous grant from the Janet Ketcham Foundation enables us to help create a safe, positive learning environment for thousands of Afghan girls, who will help turn the tide on Afghanistan’s extremely low female literacy rate,” said Carol Yost, Director of The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment program. “We know from our ongoing comprehensive public opinion surveys of the Afghan people that most Afghans highly value education for girls as well as boys, and that parents say they see education as the key to a better future.”

For more information, please visit our Press Room.

In a Huffington Post blog post about what would happen to Afghanistan and its citizens if troops were pulled out of the country, The Asia Foundation’s Afghan poll findings about cell phone usage are cited. Read the full article: “Afghanistan: Fallen Soldier’s Mother Asks the Right Question.”

In a Bloomberg News article about how mobile phones in Afghanistan can be effective means of communication for citizens, The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll findings are cited. Read the full article: “Fighting the Taliban With Cellphones.”

In a USAID press release announcing the religious leaders conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on “the role of religious and community leaders in advancing development in Asia,” The Asia Foundation is credited for co-hosting the three-day event March 21-24. Read the full article: “U.S. Sponsors Bangladesh Conference for Religious and Community Leaders on Advancing Development in Asia.”

During an interview on NPR’s “All Things Considered” with Michele Norris about Afghan poppy fields, Seth Jones of the Rand Corporation cites The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll findings about the drug trade and the government. Listen to the interview or read the full transcript: “Plan For Afghan Poppy Fields Examined.”

During a Charlie Rose Show interview with Columbia University professor, Hassan Abbas, and Seth Jones of the Rand Corporation, Jones references The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll findings. Read the transcript: “An Update and Discussion on Afghanistan and Pakistan: “Notes From the Cracked Ceiling.”

San Francisco and Kabul

The Asia Foundation recently appointed Katherine S. Hunter as its Deputy Country Representative in Afghanistan. Since joining The Asia Foundation in 1988, she has served in numerous leadership positions in the U.S. and in Asia.

Most recently, Ms. Hunter was the Luce Scholars Coordinator for two years, where she managed the successful placement of 34 young American professionals in Asian host institutions in ten countries, including the first-ever placement in Laos. Prior to that, Ms. Hunter served as Country Representative in Timor-Leste, from 2003 to 2007. Under her direction, the Foundation significantly expanded its program portfolio with new initiatives in conflict management, legal reform, and legislative development. Ms. Hunter has also served as the Foundation’s Country Representative in Mongolia, as well as Deputy Country Representative in Bangladesh and Mongolia.

Ms. Hunter previously held other positions at the Foundation, as well: Program Officer for the Foundation’s Center for Asian Pacific Affairs; Program Officer for the South Asia Regional Desk, in San Francisco; Program Officer for Women’s Political Participation, in the Washington D.C office; and Senior Director for the Women’s Political Participation program in Indonesia.

With an M.A. in international relations from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at The Johns Hopkins University, Ms. Hunter also holds an M.A. in museum practice from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and a B.A. in history from Mount Holyoke College.

The Asia Foundation’s Kabul office was re-established in February 2002 to launch programs in areas vital to the political, social, economic, and intellectual development of post-Taliban Afghanistan. The Asia Foundation also conducts their informative annual “Survey of the Afghan People” — the largest, most-comprehensive public opinion poll ever conducted in Afghanistan. Read more about the Foundation’s programs in Afghanistan.

For more information, please visit our Press Room.

An op-ed in The Guardian about the effectiveness of engaging in talks with the Taliban in Afghanistan cites findings from The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll. Read the full piece: “Empty diplomacy in Afghanistan.”

In his opening remarks at the January 28 Afghanistan Conference in London, Prime Minister Gordon Brown mentioned The Asia Foundation’s partnership with the Afghan Independent Directorate for Local Governance as well as the British, American, Canadian and Belgian governments, to launch the new performance-based governors’ fund. The fund will provide more finance for provincial governors based on need and evidence of accountability and effectiveness. Read the full transcript: “Afghanistan Conference – PM’s opening remarks.”

In a Christian Science Monitor article about the frustration that Afghans feel as a result of the slow pace of development progress there, findings from The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Afghan poll are cited. Read the full article: “Afghanistan war: gap grows between US efforts, Afghan expectations.”

The Embassy of Afghanistan announced on its homepage that Ambassador Said Jawad hosted a book signing event at the embassy author of the new book, Tall the Mountain, by Awista Ayub. The Asia Foundation is mentioned for co-hosting the event, and background on the Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment Program in Afghanistan are highlighted. Read the full article: “The Embassy Honors Author and Asia Foundation Partnership.”

In an interview on NPR’s Morning Edition with Afghanistan’s ambassador to the U.S. Said Jawad on his thoughts on President Obama’s plans to increase troop levels there, he mentions findings from The Asia Foundation’s 2009 Survey of the Afghan People. Listen to the interview: “Jawad: 18 Months Enough Time To Train Forces.