News

India has become a major player in world affairs. It is in the midst of a geopolitical repositioning as it navigates its place in the evolving…

2021 marked the launch of the new FES Asia geopolitics programme. A key pillar is the FES Asia Strategic Foresight Group, an interdisciplinary network…

The COVID-19 pandemic has been eroding multilateralism and connectivity; principles that are needed the most to ensure a rapid and just recovery.…

Over the last decade, Asia has seen enormous physical and digital infrastructure connectivity projects. They have become both key pillars and levers…

Fascination with auspicious numbers is common in Asian cultures. In Mongolia, phone numbers have become a symbol of the widening gap between the rich…

Hanoi's migrant manual workers keep the city running, but their already precarious work and living conditions have worsened during the pandemic.

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Asia launches an interactive map that lets viewers explore the current state of social and ecological development in eight…

Despite numerous movements for freedom, justice and equality, Nepal is still struggling to consolidate its new democratic system.

Bangladesh is emerging as an important player in Asia’s new geopolitical theatre. FES and its partners invited some of the country’s top thought…

Since the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) came into force on 1 August 2020, Vietnam’s significant garment and footwear sector has been working…

The announcement of AUKUS consolidates a security-led conception of the Indo-Pacific over more prosperity-focused ideas championed for example by the…

Integrating feminist priorities into city planning is essential, not just for gender equity, but also for climate resilience and wider sustainability.…

Southeast Asia’s second most populous country is a flashpoint in the new geopolitics and geoeconomics of Asia. Filipino thought leaders and change…

Most ASEAN countries are rather reluctant to choose sides in the intensifying geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. There is a…

A European Indo-Pacific strategy that widens options for the regional actors is welcomed by New Delhi. The same can be said of AUKUS though explicit…

South Korea is deemed to be relatively behind on climate policy. So much so that the country was considered a “climate villain” by international…

Migrant workers from the Philippines leave home full of hopes and dreams; unknown to them are hidden costs of migration that can break their spirit.…

Our regional climate and energy project in Asia brought together practitioners, policy-makers and researchers to discuss common challenges and…

As geopolitical rivalry intensifies in both traditional and non-traditional domains, leadership around AI, emerging technologies and the increased…

FES Indonesia hosts capacity building for young people aiming to enhance awareness on key social, political and cultural issues, while equipping them…

A year and a half into the pandemic, the systemic implications of the crisis are engendering major shifts and, some will argue, sowed the seeds for…

Together with Ariunzaya Aysuh, Mongolia’s Minister of Labour and Social Protection, we discuss the challenges and successes in fighting the COVID-19…

The tourism sector of Nepal has been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers and unions call for more financial support and a boost for domestic…

In this episode, Jomo Kwame Sundaram, one of Malaysia's leading experts on the political economy of development, takes a closer look at the social and…

The South Korean population is ageing faster than any other in the world. Who bears the responsibility for the problem, and for fixing it, is hotly…

The announcement by Asia’s leading development bank to exit from financing fossil fuels made global headlines. While it would be a major step for a…

Small and landlocked states have their own unique set of challenges, but also opportunities, especially when caught in the midst of global power…

Worsening security conditions and societal polarization pose a risk to modest gains for gender justice. We explored three critical aspects.

As the schools were shut down, the government opted to replace in-class learning with various means of distance education. This has revealed the…

Greater Eurasia has always been subject to great power rivalries. A new map by FES puts the often-confusing multitude of smaller clashes, economic…

For four years, the Academy of Work has been training the next generation of trade union leaders in Bangladesh.

In our new season’s opening episode, we take a closer look at the latest developments in Afghanistan – the COVID-19 crisis, a difficult peace process,…

Indian women’s participation in the labour market is low and falling, despite numerous policies and interventions from government and other agencies.…

While many parts of the world are shifting away from fossil fuels, Southeast Asia remains a hot spot for coal expansion. A new report by Climate…

Bangladesh has no shortage of bright young people keen to boost the country’s development. But many lack the research and specific presentation skills…

Participants from across Mongolia collect crucial data in an Open Street Mapping project in an effort to make health and essential services available…

China’s recent commitment to reaching carbon neutrality by 2060 sends a powerful message, not only about what the country thinks it can achieve with…

The line between using technology to manage workers and using technology to control workers is a thin one. In an interview with FES, labour expert Dr…

Together with Christina Colclough, we talk about algorithmic decision-making and ways forward for the labour movement in the Asia-Pacific region.

The FES Nepal team spoke with the first resident director, Heinz Bongartz, about opening the FES office in Kathmandu and the role of social democracy…

We explore themes of social justice and the changes required in the global order to ensure a more equitable and just society during and after the…

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted billions of lives around the world. But the crisis is hitting already-vulnerable women and girls in several new…

Energy is first and foremost a human-impact story; however, Vietnamese journalists have so far been focussing on its technical and business angles. If…