With an increased life expectancy and rising literacy rate, children in Asia have a brighter future.

Canada concentrates its work in Asia, in the sectors identified above, in our development-partner countries, which include Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. Together with Afghanistan, a fragile state, they account for 70 percent of Canada's assistance to Asia. The programs vary depending on the specific needs of each region. For example:

• Within a consortium of donors, CIDA is supporting the public education system in Bangladesh. By building the capacity of systems and institutions, the Primary Education Development Program II is improving the quality of primary education for more than 17 million girls and boys. CIDA is also supporting non-formal schools administered by BRAC, a Bangladeshi organization. BRAC provides non-formal education to 1.3 million children (between 60 and 65 percent of them are girls) from poor areas of Bangladesh who have either dropped out of formal schools or have never attended.

• In Sri Lanka, CIDA is collaborating with CARE to empower community-based organizations in rural areas affected by conflict to contribute to improved income, food security, and access to health and education services for their members.

• Social development, democratic local governance, and gender equality are specific objectives of CIDA's assistance to Pakistan. In 2002, the Government of Pakistan made a commitment to these objectives by reserving 33 percent of local government seats for women. With the help of CIDA and the Aurat Foundation, a Pakistani non-governmental organization, more than 40,000 determined female counsellors are benefiting from a nationwide campaign to provide orientation, training and critical support to their efforts to make government more responsive to local development needs, particularly those of women and girls.

• For Cambodian farmers, securing land is perhaps the most important factor to increasing productivity and income, protecting the environment, and growing out of poverty. By investing in the regulatory capacity of the state to manage land, CIDA's contribution in Cambodia is expected to produce results that not only reduce poverty, but also promote equality, growth, and improved governance.

• Under strong Vietnamese leadership, CIDA supports legal and financial reforms needed for the country’s transition to a market economy while facilitating its integration into the world economy. Helping make the Vietnamese economy more diverse and competitive promotes employment and contributes to poverty reduction.

• In Indonesia, CIDA is supporting decentralization at two levels: working to improve the delivery of basic social services of local government institutions; and strengthening the capacity of civil-society organizations to voice concerns and hold governments to account. A flagship CIDA project fosters the growth of small and medium businesses, particularly those run by female entrepreneurs. CIDA is also working with multiple stakeholders to help the poor access the country’s rich natural resources in a sustainable and equitable manner. Finally, CIDA works with the Islamic education system in Indonesia to support inclusiveness and improve social cohesion.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan is a special case. Cooperation between CIDA, National Defence, Foreign Affairs and International Trade and other government departements has been essential in the comprehensive effort in Afghanistan. CIDA has been responding to the Afghan government’s priorities in social protection and rural livelihoods, security and the rule of law, and natural resource management and agriculture. Detailed information on CIDA's Afghanistan program is available on CIDA’s Afghanistan page.

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Humanitarian Action

Asia was recently devastated by two large-scale natural disasters: a tsunami in December 2004 affected Indonesia, Maldives, Southern India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, claiming upwards of 200,000 lives; and an October 2005 earthquake rendered an estimated 2.8 million people homeless, most severely in the mountainous region of Pakistan.

The Canadian response to the tsunami disaster has been generous. Short-term relief efforts have been completed and longer-term reconstruction is underway. Canada was also one of the first and leading donors in responding to the plight of victims of the Pakistan earthquake.

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Profile of the Region

CIDA is supporting reconstruction projects in communities that were devastated by the December 26, 2004 tsunami.

With a willingness to remove barriers to economic progress, Asia as a whole has been given a favourable economic forecast. Nevertheless, conflicts and volatile political situations in several countries, and tensions between nations, could destabilize this climate of increased prosperity.

Canada's approach to Asia takes into account a region that is emerging country by country. While some countries are ready to take charge of their own development, others remain in extreme poverty, and are vulnerable to destabilizing economic, environmental, and political forces.

The challenge in Asia is to encourage the region's increased prosperity while mediating its effects in a way that stabilizes the region and provides benefits to its poorest people, especially in countries where political reform falls well behind economic advancement. For this reason, and because of Asia's vast population, Canada's work in Asia will continue to concentrate on a limited number of key countries and sectors.

A multi-dimensional approach can also help emerging countries consolidate economic and political gains by developing the private sector and civil society. A projected increase in regional and global economic integration, backed by strong institutional bases and a willingness for change, reinforces this approach.