Asia

Instead of top-down reforms for the media, the countries in Southeast Asia need policies that prioritize the public’s interests.

Social media in ASEAN has quickly evolved from being a passive tool for knowledge consumption and entertainment to an active mechanism for change.

For decades, Myanmar was among the most isolated countries in the world. Although the process of democratization and the internet have changed things, people still cannot express themselves freely.

While the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act aims to counter rampant online harassment and terrorist content, it drew criticism for severely impacting citizens’ rights to expression and privacy.

Social media has played a critical role in influencing change in Afghanistan. The potential anonymity of the internet offers great opportunities for women.

The Indian national identity system, Aadhaar, was set up to empower disadvantaged groups and enable digital innovation. However, it has sparked protests.

Over the last years, Asia has undergone an impressive digital transformation. Large parts of the continent have turned from the world’s factory into a creative industry. Digitalization has become a driving force of social and economic change. This certainly means more opportunities for innovation and growth for many countries. However, on the flipside, if new technologies are in the wrong hands they can also be used as a mean to abuse power.

Although ASEAN’s new consensus document on migration is a giant step towards safeguarding the rights of migrant workers, it still sticks to putting skilled professionals and lower-skilled migrants in separate silos.

This manifesto shares the thoughts, expectations, concerns and recommendations of Afghan women in relation to women’s political participation, their role in security sector as well as their engagement in peace process in Afghanistan.

A small group discussion concerning Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) was held at the office of the Heinrich Boell Stiftung (hbs) Pakistan in 2017. Experts from the field of environment and former government officials who had been part of the EIA process were brought together. Some environment journalists were also in attendance.