Since Feb 2012, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for the Freedom has been operating in Dhaka, where again a new project office for South Asia has been opened. From 1994 – 2004, the Foundation had already worked in the region, but due to administrative issues, the operations were closed down.
Bangladesh is a secular state having moderate Islam. Being the third largest country in the region with 160 million inhabitants, it has, in the last few years, done many socialists experiments and broken new grounds for democracy.
Nazir Ahmad, State Information Commissioner
Due to special Constitutional provisions, the Indian Right to Information (RTI) Act 2005 did not automatically extend to the state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). When the state legislature passed its own act in 2009, civil society groups had been advocating for the adoption of a progressive Information Access law in J&K for many years. Even though the institutionalization of the Information Commission and with it the implementation of the Act was a slow process, it has now gained momentum.
In Germany, a Freedom of Information Law exists since 2005. However, compared to the South Asian area, it is hardly benefited from. This was confirmed by the participants of a delegation from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka during a visit program to Saxony and Berlin. All participants, jurists and collaborators from non-governmental organizations, actively contribute to the introduction and implementation of Freedom Information Laws in their respective countries.
TANSTIA-FNF Service Centre has been working for the development of the SME sector in the state of TamilNadu in India since 1992 with the support of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF). TFSC alongwith its parent body TANSTIA (TamilNadu Small and Tiny Industries Association) has actively contributed to Enterprise Promotion, Capacity building for Small and Medium Enterprises, Entrepreneurship Development and thereby wealth creation.
Chairman TFSC, Mr. Dhanapalan welcoming Minister of Industry Government of Sri Lanka, Rashid Baittudeen
TANSTIA-FNF Service Centre has since long been working for the promotion of the SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector in Tamil Nadu. They have been able to help the MSME sector with their consultancy, information services and cater to the training needs of the sector with a special focus on Tamil Nadu.
The 7th Annual South Asian Economics Students’ Meet (SAESM) - an annual regional ‘Mini Economic Summit’ - was held in Colombo with the participation of economics undergraduates from the University of Delhi, University of Dhaka (Bangladesh), Lahore University of Management Sciences (Pakistan), Tribhuvan University (Nepal) and the University of Colombo.
It was hosted by the Development Resource Centre of the Department of Economics, University of Colombo in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation and also with other co-sponsors of the event.
South Asia Visiting Programme team for Policing Reform, speaking with Dr B Sandhya, Inspector General, Ernakulam Range, Kerala
Sharing Indian experiences on the Right to Information (RTI) and Police Reforms with network partner from other South Asian countries – this was the goal of two visiting programs conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) with support of FNF. The participants were exposed to principles behind laws and policies as well as their implementation on various levels of governance.
What is the difference between moderation, facilitation, and training? How do I deal with difficult participants? How do I align the interests of participants with goals of the programme? How do I keep the discussion focused? How do I develop a programme on contentious issues? How do I manage crises?
Germany and France overcame their long years of enmity to cooperate together for economic reasons and today we find EU to be a successful model of a regional block, remarked Siegfried Herzog, the new Regional Director South Asia, Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit addressing a gathering of prominent businessmen from South Asia attending a seminar on “Trade Facilitation: A Catalyst for workable SAFTA” organized by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
Policing in South Asia has too often conjured up images of corruption, abuse of power and a wide gulf between the police and the community that they are supposed to serve. Nevertheless, “to the surprise of the police the community do want to trust them and have a police service that they can be proud of,” said Robert Miles, a former UK policeman who is working on community policing in Bangladesh.
The state of Jammu & Kashmir in India has suffered some of the worst conflict in the world over the last twenty years. As a way to peacefully help the people of the state deal with the problems associated with the conflict, as well as issues of local governance, FNF supports the work of its partner, the Centre for Dialogue & Reconciliation in bringing together civil society participants from across the state.
Media commentators at the conference
On the sidelines of the SAARC summit on April 29 the prime ministers of India and Pakistan met to discuss how to restart a dialogue process to build peaceful relations between the two countries. The Foundation along, with its partner Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR), supports this fragile process by organising dialogue forums for influential civil society actors.
FNF South Asia Regional Director Dr. René Klaff
“South Asia is the least integrated region of the world”, claims the Director General of the Pakistan Institute of Trade and Development Dr. Safdar Sohail. The state scholar calculates the loss up to 15 bn US-Dollars in the recent 16 years for lack of trade within in the region. As Sohail could not see any advance in the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) since its signing ceremony on January 6, 2004, he called himself a “SAFTA –Pessimist”.
There are 935 laws in Bangladesh that touch on the issue of policing in some way. Consequently, the system is highly irrational. The biggest stumbling block in achieving a reorganised and more effective police service has been the failure to pass legislation that updates the 1861 Police Act. But even in the absence of legislative action, there is a great deal of internal reform the Bangladesh Police can enact in order to update processes and procedures.
Dr. René Klaff, Regional Director South Asia, FNF alongwith the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon'ble Ratnasiri Wickremanayake and President SCCI, Tariq Sayeed inaugurating the Conclave in traditional SriLankan style
The 3rd SAARC Business Leaders Conclave (SBLC) was organized on 22-23 November 2009 at Colombo, Sri Lanka, by the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI), the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Sri Lanka (FCCISL), and the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF).
“Policing in the region is largely unprofessional and unaccountable”, said Sanjay Patil, expert on Policing in South Asia of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) at the beginning of the two-day round table conference on ‘Police Reforms in South Asia: Role of Civil Society’ in New Delhi.
Countless stories from around the globe testify to the power of the Right to Information (RTI) as a tool to increase transparency and accountability. As such, RTI is a master key in the hands of the people to demand other human rights from their governments. Just after returning to a democratic form of governance in 2009, Bangladesh’s National Assembly also passed a Right to Information Act.
The Young Liberals of Asia held its sixth leaders workshop and its annual general meeting on 4-9 November 2009 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The workshop, with the theme “Globalisation: The Future of Asia” was jointly organized with the
Liberal Youth South Asia (LYSA) and
Young Liberals & Democrats of Asia (YLDA).
The 2009 annual international conference of the Economic Freedom Network Asia was held at Siem Reap, the ancient and exciting city of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Over a 100 participants representing academia, think-tanks, industry, policy-makers, youth and others from almost 20 countries came together to network and exchange.
The three-day Intra-Kashmir Conference “Kashmir: Opportunities and Challenges Ahead” organised by the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) with support of the Foundation concluded with the call for resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan and putting an end to restrictions on trade across the Line of Control (LoC).
FNF staff members worldwide had a dual opportunity to exchange ideas, experiences and challenges faced as well as to learn more about the Foundation’s work in Germany. 20 staff members from 18 FNF country offices participated in the eight-day international training workshop on “Focal Issues, Local Environment & Successful Event Design” organized in Potsdam, Berlin & Gummersbach from 17-25 September, 2009 with Dr Rolf Freier and Mr. Rainer Erkens as the moderators.
It is not only prescribed in the constitution but it seen as an overall national interest: the establishment of equivalent living conditions throughout the federal territory or the maintenance of legal or economic unity renders federal regulation necessary in the national interest. Especially, this article 72 of the German Basic Law was attracting the attention, which in practice means poorer provinces are helped by those with higher tax income. But there is much more to be studied.
FNF- Partner Delegation meets the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka
Dr. René Klaff, Regional Director, FNF South Asia, and a high-ranking delegation of the Foundation's partner organization SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) met with the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Hon’ble Ratnasiri Wickremanayake, who was invited to inaugurate the upcoming 3rd SAARC Business Leaders' Conclave later this year in Colombo.
Minister for Human Resource Development, Mr Kapil Sibal unveiled the book
“You see, the watch is frozen at 5 to 12”, said columnist and chairman of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) BG Verghese, pointing at the cover of CHRI’s new report on Police Reforms “Feudal Forces: Reform Delayed - Moving from Force to Service in South Asian Policing”. The report was officially launched in New Delhi.
“South Asia needs to take concrete, correct and quick decisions to reap the benefits of economic integration.”
The SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI), the apex trade body of the South Asian region, organized a Roundtable on “SAFTA: Prospects and Opportunities for Trade in Services” in the capital city of Bhutan, Thimphu. The objective of the programme was to identify the constraints in trade liberalization in South Asia and to create awareness about the need and advantages within trade in services. The programme was supported by the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit.
While the Governments of India and Pakistan finally resume talking to each other after months of standstill, civil society stakeholders from both sides of the Line of Control have kept a dialogue alive even after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai, which cooled the temperature between the two nations down to a freezing point. These meetings are facilitated by the Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation (CDR) with the support of FNF.
Human Rights experts from South Asia during the program 'Rule of Law and Police Reforms'
Was the German police able to change from a force to a service? What can South Asia learn from this?
Human rights experts from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and the Maldives visited Germany to talk about police reforms. The goal of this week long visiting program was to exchange experiences and expertise which the participants will use for their work in South Asia.
“A law on police reform was not put into place by successive Pakistani governments. Why not put it into practice now with a newly and democratically elected government?” a participant asked at the consultation on “Police Reform in Pakistan”, which was facilitated by I. A. Rehmann, Director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), and Sanjay Patil from the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). Pakistan stands at a crossroads on a number of issues, including policing. An effective counter-insurgency strategy cannot be implemented without an efficient and trusted police force.
The aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai displays how fragile the relationship between Pakistan and India still is. Terrorism remains one of the biggest export hits in the little integrated region of South Asia. With a candle-lit demonstration more than 80 participants of the “South Asia Youth Summit 2008” united at India Gate in New Delhi against terrorism.
Democratic nations need democratic policing. Effective policing must be based on accountability, transparency and participation of people. Unfortunately, in post colonial South Asia, policing has not kept pace with democratic aspirations. Across the South Asian region, police reform and police accountability are key human rights concerns. Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI) has taken up these concerns on a regional level in its publication “Feudal Forces: Democratic Nations”.
“Securing an Access to Information Law in Sri Lanka” – a two days intensive workshop brought together Sri Lankan civil society organizations, advocates and the media on the subject of right to information.
The right to information is a unique human right, the touchstone for all freedoms to which the United Nations is consecrated. More than 70 countries have enacted laws to provide people access to government-held information.
says Dr. René Klaff, Regional Director, FNF South Asia, at the conference on India-Pakistan Economic Relations
Speaking at the conference organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and supported by Friedrich Naumann Stiftung für die Freiheit (FNF) together with its partner organization, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) in New-Delhi, Dr. Klaff shared the EU experience of Germany and France, where economic relations played a key role in easing out political tensions between the two countries and eventually laid the foundation of a strong European Union. A cordial relationship between the two biggest economies of South Asia would have a similar positive impact on the other smaller countries of the region. This would result in immense opportunities for all member countries of South Asia, he said.
Open Communication and Visibility are the goals of the 3 year young network of youth organisations in South Asia for the year 2008. This was decided by delegates of member organisations from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India in an Annual General Meeting and a strategy workshop, which also elected a new team of leaders.
The Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit together with its regional partner SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) intensifies the debate on Economic Freedom in South Asia
Speaking at the seminar on “Economic Freedom: A Stimulator for Achieving Business Excellence in South Asia” in Lahore, the newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, recognized that Economic Freedom was a prerequisite for prosperity and development in South Asia. Appreciating the business community as an engine for growth, he alleged that South Asian entrepreneurs had the determination and the imagination to ensure a transformation that could help achieve the noble objectives for which SAARC was created.
Group photo
A five day South Asian regional workshop on ‘Running a Successful Liberal Youth Organisation’ was organized by Liberal Youth South Asia (LYSA), supported by Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung.
From 6-13 October 2007, the Regional Office South Asia of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung für die Freiheit together with the Department for International Political Dialogue organized a week long study tour on the topic “Economic Freedom: A Liberal Strategy for Development” in Berlin, Germany and Brussels, Belgium.
The Friedrich-Naumann–Stiftung für die Freiheit together with its partner the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) organized a symposium in New Delhi on the topic “Doing Business in South Asia: Constraints and Impediments”.
Round Table being
held in the European
Parliament's building
This was the topic of the 3rd International Roundtable on "Constructing Peace, Deconstructing Terror" which was held in Brussels on 26/27. November 2006, jointly organized by the Mumbai-based Strategic Foresight Group, the liberal fraction of the European Parliament "Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE)" and the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation.
The Young Liberals and Democrats of Asia (YLDA) held their first international forum for 2007 in Colombo Sri Lanka. The programme was hosted by the Institute for Democracy and Leadership (IDL) and the Liberal Youth Guilds (LYGs) of Sri Lanka and sponsored by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung.
Talking to S. Asian
Business Leaders
Dr. Wolfgang Gerhardt, MP and Chairman of the Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation, underlined the importance of a functioning market economy for creation of a prosperous, open, peaceful South Asia, free from poverty and oppression.
Mohamed Jaleel, Minister for Trade and Economic Development, Republic of Maldives emphasized the importance of Free Trade and Minimum State Intervention as the key ingredients of contribution to regional economic growth of South Asia.
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