Asia Foundation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Asia Foundation is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful, prosperous, and open Asia-Pacific region. Doug Bereuter serves as president of the foundation.

1 Origins
2 Mission
3 Global presence
4 Philanthrophy
5 Notes
6 External links

[edit] Origins

The Foundation was established by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in 1956 as part of the United States' Cold War goals of containing Communism by engaging in scholarly and cultural exchange with countries in Asia. It was funded secretly by the CIA until its association with the CIA was made public in 1967.^[1]

[edit] Mission

According to the Foundation's website, "The Foundation supports programs in Asia that help improve governance and law, economic reform and development, women's empowerment, and international relations. Drawing on 50 years of experience in Asia, the Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research."

[edit] Global presence

With a network of 18 offices throughout Asia (Kabul, Islamabad, Kathmandu, Colombo, Dhaka, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Dili, Manila, Hanoi, Phnom Penh, Hong Kong, Taipei, Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, and Ulaan Baatar) an office in Washington, D.C., and its headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both a country and regional level.

[edit] Philanthrophy

According to the Foundation's website, "In 2004, the Foundation provided more than $72 million in program support and distributed almost 800,000 books and educational materials valued at $28 million throughout Asia."