The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Asia and the Pacific

Goals and Commission

The countries of South, Southeast and East Asia in which the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is active are neither politically nor economically homogeneous. Striking differences exist in both political and economic terms. Democracies neighbor autocratic systems while some of the world’s poorest developing countries neighbor rapidly growing national economies.

Former planned economies are increasingly integrating elements of the market economy while other countries have long since reached the status of emerging and growth economies.

Being located near China and India, the two most populous countries in the world, smaller neighboring countries often feel threatened. This has led many to enter into unequal alliances with these regional powers. Regional and global questions are becoming increasingly important and there is heightened willingness to cooperate with neighboring countries. Not least because of their economic growth and their role in international organizations, China and India are becoming regional leaders and global players.

Economic growth remains the primary political objective of Asian governments. Increasingly, however, social stability and ecological concerns are also recognized as important criteria for political decisions. Socio-economic, political, cultural, ethnic and religious tensions often lead to serious conflict and there is a growing awareness that rule of law and legal stability are basic prerequisites for social, economic and political stability.

Established in 1925, the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is the oldest political foundation in Germany. It is a private and non-profit institution, committed to the ideals of social democracy named after the first democratically-elected German President, Friedrich Ebert. To this day, the foundation continues his legacy of shaping politics in the spirit of freedom, solidarity and social justice.

FES fulfills this task at home and abroad through political education programs, international cooperation and the promotion of study and research. At the center of the foundation’s work in Asia is the promotion of democratic development, the realization of social justice, crisis prevention and international dialogue.