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SOUTH ASIAN REGIONAL RELATIONS
Drawing on its expertise and network of fieldoffices in the region, The Asia Foundation sup-ports programs that address regional challenges,and also facilitates India’s role as a resource fortraining and technical support to other countriesin the region.
n The Foundation supports initiatives toincrease civil society participation in theformulation and implementation of trans-boundary water governance policies. Forexample, a regional network of NGOs fromBangladesh, India, and Nepal uses right toinformation laws to obtain and analyze infor-mation on transboundary water agreementsand disseminate their findings through awebsite (http://waterbeyondborders.net/).
n The India-based Consumer Unity and TrustSociety (CUTS) led a consortium of partnersin Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lankain conducting research on the “Cost ofEconomic Non-Cooperation to Consumers inSouth Asia.” The findings of a 2011 studyhighlighted both tariff and non-tariff barriers,and received extensive media coverage innewspapers and online journals in the region.The second phase of the project is focused onpublic dialogue and advocacy among keystakeholders to remove trade barriers.
n Foundation partners in Bihar and WestBengal are working to build the capacityof law enforcement agencies, civil societyorganizations, and local communities tocombat cross border trafficking from Nepaland Bangladesh. In 2012, the Foundationsupported a study in Bangladesh, India,and Nepal to analyze labor trafficking withinSouth Asia, and plans to utilize the findingsto support program activities to counter theproblem within the region.
n India’s right to information (RTI) law passedin 2005 has been used effectively as a toolto combat corruption and promote goodgovernance and transparency. Drawing onthe Indian experience, in 2012 theFoundation initiated country diagnosticstudies in Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan,and Sri Lanka to assess the state of RTIimplementation, and will share the findingsin a regional workshop in 2013.
n Since 2010, the Foundation has administeredsix groups of Afghan university studentsattending month-long English-languagetraining programs at institutes in Bangalore,Chandigarh, and Hyderabad, India. It hasalso supported exchanges among civil societyleaders and Members of Parliament inSouth Asia.
Since 2007, the
Foundation has
distributed more
than 75,000 books to
schools and institutions
of higher education in
18 Indian states.
The Asia Foundation
supports a range of
innovative citizen-led
efforts to promote more
open and accountable
governance in India.
The Asia Foundation
has provided grant
support in India since
the 1950s. It established
a resident liaison office
in New Delhi in 2009.
The Asia Foundation has provided grant support to India since the 1950s, and opened a resident office inNew Delhi in 2009. Since then, it has focused on promoting open and accountable governance, furtheringwomen’s security, and supporting India’s constructive engagement in regional and global affairs. The Indiaoffice also serves as a focal point for the Foundation’s regional program activities in South Asia, and facili-tates utilization of Indian institutions and expertise in the region.
INDIA
HEADQUARTERS465 California Street, 9th FloorSan Francisco, CA 94104 USATel: (415) 982-4640Fax: (415) [email protected]
WASHINGTON, DC1779 Massachusetts Ave., NWSuite 815Washington, D.C. 20036 USATel: (202) 588-9420Fax: (202) [email protected]
INDIA114 Jor Bagh (First Floor)New Delhi - 110 003IndiaTel: +91-11-473-63100Fax: [email protected]
www.asiafoundation.org
INDIA AND THE WORLD
India’s rising role in global affairs includes increasingly active participation in internationaldevelopment and other arenas. The AsiaFoundation supports programs that facilitate Indianengagement in a range of international forums.
n In March 2012, the Foundation partneredwith Research and Information Systems forDeveloping Countries (RIS) to host an inter-national conference on Asian Approaches toDevelopment Cooperation (AADC) in NewDelhi. The meeting brought together morethan 50 participants from 19 differentcountries. The Foundation also has facilitatedthe participation of representatives of theGovernment of India in AADC meetings inAustralia, Korea, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka.
n India recently established the DevelopmentPartnership Administration (DPA), a newunit within the Ministry of External Affairsto coordinate India’s development coopera-tion efforts. In 2012, the Foundation provid-ed a grant to the Centre for Policy Research(CPR) to develop a comprehensive databaseof Indian development cooperation over thepast two decades and provide narratives onIndian bilateral development partnershipsthat will be shared with DPA and the public.
n Since 2007, the Foundation has supported18 young diplomats from India’s Ministry ofExternal Affairs to attend a two-week seminaron U.S. Foreign Policy at George WashingtonUniversity, followed by a two-week observa-tion program to different parts of the U.S.The exposure of these diplomats to policy-making in the U.S. has fostered a betterunderstanding of American foreign policyformulation among junior-level officersdestined for higher positions in the IndianForeign Service.
OPEN AND ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNANCE
In the midst of India’s rapid economic growthand social transformation, the country continuesto face serious governance challenges. The AsiaFoundation supports a range of innovativecitizen-led efforts to promote more open andaccountable governance in India.
n Transparent Chennai has gathered data onpublic services in three wards in the city ofChennai by networking with local residents,
and is using the data to advocate with localelected leaders for improved service delivery.
n Transparency International India has utilized social accountability tools to fight corruptionin the state of Bihar, and strengthen itsAdvocacy and Legal Advice Centre helplinefor victims of corruption. In a period of eightmonths, the helpline received 579 calls, themajority pertaining to various governmententitlement projects.
WOMEN’S SECURITY
Despite constitutional guarantees and laws thatprovide equality to women in India, the reality isthat women in urban and rural India continue toexperience violence on a day-to-day basis. TheAsia Foundation provides grants to local partnersto raise awareness and strengthen capacities forcountering violence against women.
n In Uttar Pradesh, Breakthrough Trust trained546 men and boys, 143 police personnel,and over 1,000 youth to counter violenceagainst women.
n The Society for Participatory Research inAsia (PRIA) has helped form and strengthenSocial Justice Committees in villages inSonepat District, Haryana, to ensure that casesof violence against Dalit women are recordedand pursued through the legal system.
BOOKS FOR ASIA
The Asia Foundation has partnered with theConfederation of Indian Industry since 2007 todistribute more than 75,000 books to schools andinstitutions of higher education in 18 Indianstates. In 2012, as part of the “Storytime in Asia”campaign to promote reading among schoolchild-ren, and to commemorate International LiteracyDay, the Foundation partnered with Teach forIndia to distribute 9,862 children’s books in fiveIndian cities.
LUCE SCHOLARS
For over four decades, the Foundation has administered the Luce Scholars program, whichpromotes and broadens an awareness of Asiaamong young American future leaders. In 2010,the Henry Luce Foundation extended the place-ment of Luce Scholars to South Asia for the firsttime in the program’s history, with Luce Scholarsnow serving annually in India. 02/2013
The Asia Foundation
is a nonprofit international
development organization
committed to improving
lives across a dynamic
and developing Asia.
Headquartered in San
Francisco, The Asia
Foundation works through
a network of offices in
17 Asian countries and in
Washington, DC. Working
with public and private
partners, the Foundation
receives funding from
a diverse group of
bilateral and multilateral
development agencies,
foundations, corporations,
and individuals.
