Asia-Pacific
Sub-regions and countries
Despite a lengthy history of democratic rule, the region has long been highly volatile. For example, there has been continuous tension between India and Pakistan, Maoist militancy in Nepal, ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka, and political disagreement in Bangladesh. The rise in religious fundamentalism, communal politics and religious, ethnic and social conflict has exacerbated the challenges facing the democratic order.
Key activities
- In South Asia, International IDEA will further use its citizen-led State of Democracy methodology to assess the structural and cultural barriers to women’s political participation.
- In Nepal, International IDEA supports the process leading up to a new Constitution: the Institute works to build capacity of key political actors and assist in forging consensus when differences threaten to upset the process by sharing its wealth of experience in political bargaining.
International IDEA is in the process of developing a new Asia-Pacific programme.
Past activities
- In Indonesia, between 1998 and 2006, International IDEA provided strategic advice to national actors in government and civil society on options relating to the electoral system and on the management of election management bodies. The Institute has facilitated the publication of voter-education material and has translated the International IDEA Handbooks Women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers and Democracy and Deep-rooted Conflict into Bahasa Indonesian as a resource for political dialogue.
- In Burma/Myanmar, International IDEA has worked with various opposition groups to establish a shared vision on the need for a pluralistic democracy. Workshops for these groups, such as the one held in November 2004, allowed them to share reconciliation experiences.
- Workshops have been held on inter-faith dialogue and gender and reconciliation in Sri Lanka. Attendees included policy makers and representatives form the Sinhala and Tamil communities.
International IDEA’s key partners in South Asia include: the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies and Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace in India; the Centre for Policy Alternatives and the Berghof Foundation for Conflict Studies in Sri Lanka; and The Burma Fund and the National Reconciliation Program in Burma/Myanmar.
