FES in Asia, achievements and aspirations

Did you know that Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung has 16 offices in 15 countries across Asia and the Pacific? Almost 100 FES staff based in Asia support work by hundreds more partners in over 18 countries from the region!

At the turn of the year, in a joint effort with colleagues in country offices in Asia, we fly you over the region to bring past highlights to celebrate and aspirations—to organize and stand for— in the year ahead. Together with partners and friends, FES teams from 16 FES offices across Asia will continue to #Stand4JustAsia and #Act4SocialJustice in 2018.

Photos by Amanda Mustard, Samsul Helal, Giulia Marchi, Dave Tacon, Jun Michael Park, and Binh Dang. 

"Bangladesh is a young and rising country and became recently a lower middle-income country. FES engages in this process with a strong focus on labour and social partnership, sustainable development and international cooperation. In 2017, FES Bangladesh in cooperation with its partners opened the first Academy of Work, an academic training programme for mid-level trade unionists from various sectors. We look forward to continue this work in 2018."

Franziska Korn, Director, FES Bangladesh

"In a deep examination of the current challenges of and backlash against globalization, through our work from Shanghai, we shed light on the way forward, identifying new approaches to tackle these trials. Together with Chinese decision-makers and academic experts, we focussed particularly on China’s position and how it can lay a constructive role in a multipolar world.

In 2018, we will continue to rethink globalization and, together with our partners in China, to address concerns about fairness, access, economic security, and social equity."

Stefan Pantekoek, Director, FES Shanghai

"In 2017, we introduced the Labour 4.0 discussion to Indonesia by organizing a large conference bringing together different government stake holders, trade unions, employers’ associations, businesspersons and academics. In 2018, we’ll celebrate 50 years since our office establishment. Moving forward, we hope to institutionalize cooperation with political parties on a country level."

Sergio Grassi, Director, FES Indonesia

Myanmar just recently transitioned from military to civilian rule. This transformation to an actual open and democratic society will take much longer, and our office will provide platforms for a national conversation about this process."

Alexey Yusupov, Director, FES Myanmar

"In 2017, Nepal completed local elections after 20 years in an overall free and fair process. FES was able to contribute to this important step with a civic education programme, well established across the country. To support the decentralization progress even further, we will reshape our activities become more inclusive and participatory, linking them up to our high-level seminars in the country’s capital to promote the dialogue between the central level and the citizens."

Annette Schlicht, Director, FES Nepal

"Maintaining and expanding our network of great partner organizations and individuals in the Philippines has been an important achievement for our office.

We will continue to build broader alliances to increase our impact on key issues in the country."

Johannes Kadura, Director, FES Philippines

"Over 2017, we managed to bring together partners from our different working areas to discuss Thailand’s future. Connecting people from different backgrounds while looking at big questions is very rewarding.

Next year, we plan to launch our first summer school with our new partner. This will gather young, engaged people—students of political science, of economics, science, arts and so on—that share a common interest in taking responsibility and shaping Thailand’s future."

Stine Klapper, Director, FES Thailand

"We have managed to bring social justice claims into the debate on the energy transition in Asia. Next year we are planning to go further on this path by enabling a dialogue among different interest groups in the region on how to achieve a socially just energy transition that involves everybody."

Yvonne Blos, Regional Coordinator for Climate and Energy, FES Vietnam