The Asia Foundation Predictions for 2021

The Asia Foundation’s 18 country representatives offer their predictions of the stories that will dominate the news from the Asia-Pacific in the coming year. In Korea, an unequal, K-shaped recovery with “kimchi characteristics” is occurring, with starkly opposite realities between North and South Korea at one level, and within South Korea at another. Afghanistan Abdullah Ahmadzai Already reeling in 2020 from the impact of Covid-19, a deteriorating economy, and rising insecurity, Afghanistan enters 2021 with a top priority of reducing and eventually ending the violence by securing a peace agreement with the Taliban. Peace negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban resumed on January 5 in Qatar, and these talks are expected to determine Afghanistan’s future, including the country’s political system. More than ever before, political actors involved in these negotiations must act resolutely to ensure transparency in the peace process ..

January 22, 2021

North Korean Entrepreneurs in South Korea

The Asia Foundation is launching a ground-breaking report on North Korean refugee entrepreneurs in South Korea. This captures the voices of 131 entrepreneurs portraying their challenges while pointing to a more optimistic and hopeful vision of the North Korean refugees living in South Korea. In the foreword, Dr. Andrei Lankov writes: “The growing North Korean refugee community in the South can be seen as a testing ground which can give us some foresight and warning about what is likely happening in North Korea now, and what is probably going to happen there in the future. Thus, this research and its findings are extremely important for everyone who cares about North Korea and I highly recommend it for everyone to read carefully.” Please find the attached PDF to see the report.

December 23, 2020

South Korea’s COVID-19 response: hard lessons on saving lives

Staff from The Asia Foundation Korea writes in DevPolicy on South Korea’s Covid-19 response, with potential implications to other countries. In the article, authors Kwang Kim, Kyung-sook Lee, and Jaemyung Lee break down the key elements of Korea’s response: making the most of the early window, planning for difficult public policy choices, practicing implementation playbook for future outbreaks. The authors point out that In 2015, Bill Gates suggested investing billions of dollars to develop “Germ Games,” analogous to investments in “War Games.” As Korea learned the hard way, the time to prepare is now. Please check the link below or the attached PDF to read the full article. Link: https://devpolicy.org/south-koreas-covid-19-response-20200609-1/

December 04, 2020

Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding in Asia: Lessons in South-South Cooperation

Conflict is a longstanding and persistent element of Asian domestic and international relations. As development cooperation increasingly focuses on connectivity between nations, regions, and continents, interstate and intrastate conflict becomes a critical variable of sustainable development. This volume exposes the contours of Asia’s complicated geopolitical landscape from the perspective of Asian countries affected by conflict, as well as countries trying to provide support to conflict-affected areas. The observations and suggestions supplied provide insights on how Asian countries can support peacebuilding initiatives and encourage sustainable development across the continent.

June 16, 2020

Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities in Korea

With generous support from Fondation CHANEL, The Asia Foundation implemented a one-year research project, Accelerate Women’s Entrepreneurship and Economic Opportunities in South Korea, to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province, including the current policy environment. The long-term goal of the project is to support women entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province to: (a) start and operate successful businesses as a viable career option; (b) improve their socio-economic well-being and that of their families and communities; and (c) enable them to contribute to and benefit from economic development. Please find the attachment to see the report.

April 20, 2020

Industrial Revolution 4.0 and the Future of Work: Implications for Asian Development Cooperation

Organized jointly by the Korea Development Institute School of Public Policy and Management and The Asia Foundation, the “Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation” (AADC) dialogue series brings together development experts and government officials from the Asia region and beyond to share perspectives and to facilitate mutual learning between and among “emerging” and “traditional” development actors. This year’s AADC dialogue discussed how Asian development cooperation could factor in the features of industrial revolution 4.0 (4IR) and to address the challenges posed by the future of work. The discussion included exploring present structural readiness in respective national contexts for the changing technological landscape, examining new types of partnerships in preparing for the transition, reviewing private sector-led strategies in tackling these challenges, and identifying areas of region-wide cooperation for mutual competitiveness.

December 26, 2019

Shifting to Planned Urbanization in Asia: The Role of The Role of Development and South-South Cooperation

Rapid urbanization is one of the most critical trends facing the world today. By 2025, Asia will be home to 60 percent of the world’s megacities, suggesting that the Asian century is also the urban century. While home to the world’s most populous cities, Asia also offers a trove of successful urban strategies and solutions. Begun in late 2010, the Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation series — hosted jointly by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and The Asia Foundation—has provided a forum for Asian officials, experts, policymakers, and practitioners of development and South-South cooperation to explore and debate ways of confronting the challenges and opportunities that the region faces. In 2017, the series focused on Asian lessons and partnerships addressing the region’s urbanization challenges, in the context of the NUA and SDGs.

April 02, 2019

Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation: Supporting Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding

Organized jointly by the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and The Asia Foundation, the Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation (AADC) dialogue series brings together development experts and government officials from the Asia region and beyond. In 2018, the AADC dialogues focus on conflict prevention and peacebuilding. This report covers the proceedings and outcomes of the Kathmandu meeting, featuring presentations and discussions by development experts, governments, academia, NGOs, and multilateral organizations across Asia.

June 25, 2018

Partners in Asian Development Cooperation: The Role of the NGOs and the Private Sector

Given the expansion and diversification of Asian led south south cooperation, this volume focuses on the role of Asian civil society and the private sector as partners in development and South-South cooperation. The volume examines development modalities and practical cases of non-government organizations and private enterprises in countries such as Korea, China, India, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Authors from government, civil society, business, and academia provide first hand insights into how non state actors are contributing to Asian development cooperation. This volume is a product of 2016 Asian Approaches to Development Cooperation (AADC) dialogue series co-hosted by the Korea Development Institute and The Asia Foundation.

December 14, 2017