Asia

On 17 April 2019, Indonesia held the world’s largest, and arguably most complicated, one-day election involved presidential, legislative (national and local), and senate elections – done simultaneously. Voters’ attention, however, was largely on the presidential election, which led to a turnout of 81%, the highest in Indonesia’s electoral history in the post-reform era.

Myanmar’s State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting the Czech Republic and Hungary – her first visit to Europe since the mass expulsion of the Rohingya. This could be a first step to reopen dialogue between Myanmar and the West – but tough questions need to be posed about her handling of the Rohingya question and other human rights concerns.

Afghanistan is a resource rich country with reserves estimated to worth around 3 trillion USD which almost have remained untapped. Afghanistan is prompt to invest in its extractive industry to cover the state expenses and budget deficits and to fund its development projects to alleviate poverty in the country.

Investment in infrastructure and channeling the revenues for equal development and enabling economic factors that would precipitate long-lasting and sustaining economic growth is important for making the best use of natural resources.

Heinrich Boell Stiftung (hbs) Pakistan organized an event to acknowledge the contributions of the cohort of Journalists on environment 

As the world celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the region of Southeast Asia highlights two compelling political phenomena: the emergent ‘authoritarian populism’  and the return to the ‘Asian Values’.

Since winning the presidency in 2016, Rodrigo Duterte’s regime has enacted policies of fear and repression that have eroded democratic norms and endorsed violations of fundamental rights.

Shubha Chacko is a prominent LGBTQ activist from India. On the occasion of the landmark Supreme Court judgment decriminalizing a portion of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, she writes on the long fight against section 377, the challenges ahead and what it means for the society at large.

Heinrich Boell Stiftung Islamabad-Pakistan's 's Ecology Programme coordinator, Mome Saleem organized and moderated a panel discussion on climate change and security dynamics at the 13th International Conference of the Bled Strategic Forum in Bled, Slovenia. The panel featured prominent leaders such as Former President of the Republic of Slovenia, Danilo Turk and Dean, Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston Univeersity and Former Vice Chancellor, Lahore University of Management Sciences (Pakistan), DR. Adil Najam.