The Asia Foundation

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these...

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, several countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these environments are often troubled, and have frequently become the primary cause of prolonged conflict and fragility. Many citizens in conflict-affected and fragile regions have come to see their government as distant, unresponsive, inaccessible, or absent altogether. When citizens perceive states as illegitimate, many will simply avoid contact with their governments, and in some cases support violent challenges to state authority.

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the...

Since the 1990s, The Asia Foundation has supported programs aimed at accelerating the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) by civil society, government, and the private sector. Certain advances in ICT – such as the pervasive adoption of mobile telephones and the rapid spread of internet connectivity – have dramatically increased the speed of information processing, as well as the ease, frequency, and quality of communications in the developing world.

The Asia Foundation has been working with the Ministry of Justice in Sri Lanka since the 1960s on a variety of programs designed to improve the administration of justice. The first Community Mediation Boards of Sri Lanka were established in...

The Asia Foundation has been working with the Ministry of Justice in Sri Lanka since the 1960s on a variety of programs designed to improve the administration of justice. The first Community Mediation Boards of Sri Lanka were established in 1990 as an alternative form of dispute resolution, providing accessible, timely, and affordable justice by settling disputes between individuals, families, and small groups. Since then, the Foundation has supported the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) with the objective of facilitating the voluntary settlement of minor disputes using interest-based mediation. The Community Mediation Boards project is the Foundation’s longest-running program of assistance in Sri Lanka.

This handbook presents basic information on advocacy and how it can be pursued by private enterprises, government institutions and other organizations in Sri Lanka to establish and safeguard their rights. It was prepared by The Asia...

This handbook presents basic information on advocacy and how it can be pursued by private enterprises, government institutions and other organizations in Sri Lanka to establish and safeguard their rights. It was prepared by The Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka, through its Local Economic Governance Program, with financial support from the Australian Agency for International Development and the Department for International Development (UK). The handbook is largely adapted from a publication on policy advocacy for SMEs in Indonesia, prepared by The Asia Foundation in Indonesia. It has also drawn on advocacy materials developed Dr. Hetifah Sjaifudian Sumarto, an independent consultant to The Asia Foundation.

(Sri Lankan Version) This handbook presents basic information on advocacy and how it can be pursued by private enterprises, government institutions and other organizations in Sri Lanka to establish and safeguard their rights. It was...

(Sri Lankan Version) This handbook presents basic information on advocacy and how it can be pursued by private enterprises, government institutions and other organizations in Sri Lanka to establish and safeguard their rights. It was prepared by The Asia Foundation, Sri Lanka, through its Local Economic Governance Program, with financial support from the Australian Agency for International Development and the Department for International Development (UK). The handbook is largely adapted from a publication on policy advocacy for SMEs in Indonesia, prepared by The Asia Foundation in Indonesia. It has also drawn on advocacy materials developed Dr. Hetifah Sjaifudian Sumarto, an independent consultant to The Asia Foundation.

Application form for LankaCorps Fellows program. Applications should be submitted to: James Grant, Program Assistant, Asian American Exchange, The Asia Foundation, Tel: (415) 743-3303; E-mail:

Application form for LankaCorps Fellows program. Applications should be submitted to: James Grant, Program Assistant, Asian American Exchange, The Asia Foundation, Tel: (415) 743-3303; E-mail: jgrant@asiafound.org.

On January 30, 2006, five sponsoring agencies — The World Bank, The Asia Foundation, and the Governments of the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — launched a study in Colombo, Sri Lanka, titled, The Strategic Conflict...

On January 30, 2006, five sponsoring agencies — The World Bank, The Asia Foundation, and the Governments of the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom — launched a study in Colombo, Sri Lanka, titled, The Strategic Conflict Assessment – Aid, Conflict, and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka, to guide the international community to better support the Sri Lankan people’s bid for peace after more than 22 years of conflict.

Aid to Subnational Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas: Balancing Development, Governance, and Security

Subnational conflict is a widespread problem in Asia, affecting nearly two-thirds of the countries in South and Southeast Asia. While...

Aid to Subnational Conflict and Post-Conflict Areas: Balancing Development, Governance, and Security

Subnational conflict is a widespread problem in Asia, affecting nearly two-thirds of the countries in South and Southeast Asia. While most of Asia is rapidly developing, subnational conflict areas typically lag behind in key development indicators. Many of these regions have been afflicted by conflict for decades, leading to protracted cycles of under-development, poor governance and instability. These conditions create an environment that stifles local economic growth, prevents integration into the national and regional economies, and leads to deteriorating social services. The project team will focus on four cases of subnational conflicts and post-conflict in Asia: Mindanao and Sulu (Philippines), Southern Thailand, Northern and Eastern Sri Lanka, and Aceh (Indonesia).

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, some countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these...

While much of Asia is developing rapidly, some countries and subnational regions remain caught in protracted cycles of conflict and fragility, leading to under-development, poor governance and instability. State-society relations in these environments are often troubled, and have frequently become the primary cause of prolonged conflict and fragility. Many citizens in conflict-affected and fragile regions have come to see their government as distant, unresponsive, inaccessible, or absent altogether. When citizens perceive states as illegitimate, many will simply avoid contact with their governments, and in some cases support violent challenges to state authority.

Advancing Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses

The Asia Foundation has a decades-long history of supporting broad-based economic growth across Asia through both public and private...

Advancing Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities for Small and Medium Businesses

The Asia Foundation has a decades-long history of supporting broad-based economic growth across Asia through both public and private channels. Through its Economic Development programs, the Foundation has assisted micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in accessing the legal information, financing, business services, and skills they need to enhance their competitiveness and profitability, thereby helping to create jobs and reduce poverty.

This Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA) follows and builds upon a previous assessment conducted for the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) in 2000 (Goodhand, 2001). Like the previous study, it aims to do three things: First,...

This Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA) follows and builds upon a previous assessment conducted for the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID) in 2000 (Goodhand, 2001). Like the previous study, it aims to do three things: First, to provide an analysis of the structures and dynamics of conflict and peace in Sri Lanka since 2000. Second, to examine how international engagement has interacted with conflict and peace dynamics, with a particular focus on aid donors during this time period. Third, to identify how the strategies and approaches of international donors can best engage with and help strengthen domestic peacebuilding efforts.

This report is part of a broader study entitled "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem 2005). Its focus is exclusively the North-East1 of Sri Lanka since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the...

This report is part of a broader study entitled "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem 2005). Its focus is exclusively the North-East1 of Sri Lanka since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) between the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in February 2002. The report explores changing issues, relationships, and trends at a micro level and provides a critique of the macro-level analysis that has informed the peace process in Sri Lanka to date.

This Sinhala and Tamil press review, conducted under the aegis of the second Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA2), "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem, 2005), sought to capture local perspectives on the island's...

This Sinhala and Tamil press review, conducted under the aegis of the second Strategic Conflict Assessment (SCA2), "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem, 2005), sought to capture local perspectives on the island's protracted conflict and Norwegian-brokered peace process as reflected in the vernacular press. While many local actors have been subject to closer scrutiny in relation to Sri Lanka's politics and peace process, there has been insufficient focus on the role of the vernacular media.

This report is a contribution to a broader study entitled, "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem, 2005), which examines the peace process in Sri Lanka with a particular focus on international engagement. This...

This report is a contribution to a broader study entitled, "Aid, Conflict and Peacebuilding in Sri Lanka" (Goodhand and Klem, 2005), which examines the peace process in Sri Lanka with a particular focus on international engagement. This particular background study focuses on the relationship between the economic agenda of the United Nations Front (UNF) government and the peace process it initiated by signing the February 2002 Ceasefire Agreement (CFA). The UNF government tried to carry out an extensive programme of reforms on the economic front while initiating a difficult process of political negotiations with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The basic conclusion of the study is that the political fallout from the economic reform program undermined the peace process, signified by the defeat of the UNF government in April 2004.

Ethnic conflict in the Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province continues to threaten the stability and development both of that region and the entire country. As a result, the Asia Foundation, the Foundation for Co-existence, and others are...

Ethnic conflict in the Sri Lanka’s Eastern Province continues to threaten the stability and development both of that region and the entire country. As a result, the Asia Foundation, the Foundation for Co-existence, and others are involved in efforts to develop a framework for early a warning and response to potential conflicts in the east. A necessary step in this process is research that offers an accurate assessment of public attitudes concerning this situation, a better understanding of the initial signs of conflict, and ways that conflict can be prevented. The purpose of this survey, based on individual interviews, was to systematically gauge ordinary citizens’ perceptions of conflict in the East, and to move beyond reliance on the “usual (key informant) suspects.” A secondary aim was to identify pressing issues that could be explored through a follow-up quantitative survey designed to measure changes in public perceptions of, and attitudes towards, the level of human security in the East.