The
priority areas in Asia for the Endowment in 1994 were the remaining
authoritarian countries. The region
includes the largest remaining Communist power, China, as well as several
of the last remaining closed countries of the world: Burma, Vietnam, Laos, and
North Korea.
NED support for programs targeted at these
countries increased in 1994, with a large proportion of overall Asia
programming concentrated on China. Support was provided for numerous
publications and advocacy programs as well as several projects designed to
spread democratic and free-market ideas. In Burma, NED supported a
daily short-wave broadcasting program, training for democratic party leaders,
human rights-oriented youth groups, and advocacy work including a newsletter
and video production. NED also continued its civic education and human rights
programs in Laos and Vietnam. The severity of the isolation of North Korea
continued to block all attempts to develop viable programs there.
In the
fragile and emerging democracies of South and Southeast Asia, NED supported a
wide variety of programs designed to consolidate newly-won democratic systems,
primarily support for civic participation programs, for the development of
civil society, and for fostering pluralism through trade union and private
sector development.
NED also
increased its involvement in region-wide efforts. FTUI carried out initiatives
focusing on worker rights, including child labor issues. NED supported an
unprecedented forum of prominent democratic leaders in the region, as well as
increased NGO coordination on the issue of the universality of human rights.
No comments:
Post a Comment