FES regional work

FES regional work in South Asia

FES regional activities in South Asia are geared towards members of the South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which embraces Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

This region has been affected more than almost any other in the world by conflicts within and between states. Several of these have recently erupted again or escalated further in the recent period. Now that the Taliban have reconsolidated in the border territory between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Afghan stabilisation hinges even more on a joint response from these two countries. Pakistan has also been shaken by a whole series of crises, not least the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Although tensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir have decreased considerably in the last few years, the issue has nonetheless not yet been resolved.

In the light of this tense security scenario, regional cooperation within SAARC is difficult, but there is no other option. The FES therefore hopes, through processes of dialogue and programmes of exchange, to contribute on a number of levels (politics, media, youth) to improving both bilateral relations and regional integration.

Surprisingly, many countries in South Asia have been displaying fairly high rates of economic growth despite the conflict-ridden environment. There is a problem, however, in that economic success does not translate automatically into social progress. In fact, the gap between town and country and between rich and poor is widening again almost everywhere. The FES consequently draws attention to social injustice in the region at international conferences and workshops. It has, for example, been advocating the implementation of ILO Convention 177 on the protection of homeworkers. 50 million people, most of them women, are employed in South Asia as homeworkers, usually without the protection of statutory minimum standards or social security provision.

Alongside security policy and socio-economic development, gender issues constitute the third pillar of regional FES activity in South Asia. In the face of massive discrimination against women in politics and society, the FES pursues two lines of work in this field: "Gender and Political Participation" (e.g. the role of women in political parties, quotas for women in politics) and "Gender and Work" (with a focus on organising women who work in the informal sector).