South Asia
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation provides various forms of support in South Asia focusing on India and Nepal as the two main countries where co-operations have been established. Rooted in a single proposal from the southern Indian state of Karnataka in 2002, activities were organized into regional projects in 2004. From the two original partner organizations in 2002 support has grown to encompass ten long-term co-operations.
Since 2004 a RLF office in Calcutta has been able to provide local support working with NGOs, higher education facilities as well as local think tanks and the media.
A regional bureau in New Delhi began operations in 2010.
Activities in southern Asia concentrate on the following:
• Strengthening democratic and social participation and enhancing opportunities for people belonging to disadvantaged groups with special consideration of the situation of women
• Propagating the peaceful coexistence of various ethnic, racial, social and religious groups
• Supporting new theoretical approaches to and hands-on activities for creating alternative societal and economical forms, including joint work with globalization critical movements and strengthening local and regional socialist forums
• Assisting projects and activities that work towards bettering the regional and international collaborations and security as well as those aimed at improving South-South relations
• Strengthening communication between civil society and governmental institutions
Within the premises of these general goals the foundation’s work focuses on four main points of interest: three in India and one in Nepal. In India this is political communication on international future-oriented topics, projects dealing with inter-religious and interethnic understanding and examination of the situation of women in different areas of life. In Nepal the foundation concentrates mainly on strengthening and professionalizing independent forms of media.
East and Southeast Asia
The Rosa Luxemburg Foundation (RLF) has been working with partner organisations in East and Southeast Asia since 2002. Presently, China and Vietnam are the main countries of focus.
For years, both China and Vietnam have been able to claim astonishing economic growth. This economic development is changing both countries and is creating new perspectives, challenges and problems for their citizens. In cooperation with partner organisations the RLF is searching for future oriented and achievable forms of society.
Until recently all work on cooperative projects has been overseen by the foundation’s main office in Berlin. In 2009 a RLF office was established in Hanoi/Vietnam and a further office in Beijing/China is under way.
RLS Vietnam: http://www.rosalux.vn
Social political education projects, advisory work, financial aid and political discourse in both countries aim at effectively supporting reform processes that strive towards democratic participation, social justice, economic productivity, political stability and ecologic compatibility.
In order to achieve this, especially within cooperation projects:
• democratic decision making processes in social-political and economic reform are supported,
• reformation of the political decision making system which reshapes social and economical policy is promoted,
• aid is given to education and structural policy measures affecting the job market and employment force within the given national framework,
• communication between local and regional civil and governmental institutions regarding democratic and social participation is strengthened,
• a political dialogue and the exchange of experiences addressing basic questions of societal development including the participation of select social groups (women, youth and minority groups) is promoted,
• an understanding of ways to approach sustainable growth in a complex network of economical dynamics, socialistic balance and natural environment is spread,
• regional and international communication dealing with questions of security and development is strengthened.
The target groups and partners include educational and research institutions, policy advisors for political parties, civil society organisations, governmental agencies at the community and regional level, political decision makers in national and local governmental departments as well as the media and media representatives.
