What people say about us
“The Asia Foundation does wonderful work, and it’s a great advantage in that it has a presence in so many countries. The Foundation, which has been there in the region for more than 60 years, understands the region, it can play a particular part in recreating or rearranging the nature of the relationship between Asia and America.”
“The Asia Foundation has helped Koreans to understand, learn from, and connect with the outside world. But more importantly, the Foundation can encourage Koreans to give help to others just as they received help in the past—to aid others in improving their life and career, and to build relationships with the international community.”
Han Sung-joo, former Korean Foreign Minister and Ambassador to the United States.
“I have seen how The Asia Foundation has played a crucial role in the peace process in the Philippines. And I also saw the impact of the work of The Asia Foundation in Nepal, when we visited. I could see how they support emerging leaders like myself to be more capable, so that in the future, we would be leading Asia towards progress.”
“The Asia Foundation understands the crucial role that innovation can play in international development… The Asia Foundation has been helping to push the boundaries of aid policy and practice throughout our region.”
Julie Bishop, Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs
“The Asia Foundation understands the crucial role that innovation can play in international development… The Asia Foundation has been helping to push the boundaries of aid policy and practice throughout our region.”
Julie Bishop, Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs
“Fortunately, in this world there are still organizations like The Asia Foundation… who emphasize the need to build peaceful and prosperous societies. In the process you have touched many lives and contributed to the development of many Afghans.”
Rula Ghani, First Lady of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
“The Asia Foundation has helped produce a spread of democratic and representative governments in Asia, has helped develop leaders of consequence, and has helped in the process of economic development.”
“My introduction to The Asia Foundation goes way back when I was still a student in Dhaka University, in the late 1950s. We would line up in the library to get a copy of the book and it was not available because the library didn’t have many copies. And then suddenly we got lots of these copies, almost each one of us got one copy of that book—textbooks that we were just looking for.”
Muhammad Yunus, Founder of Grameen Bank & Nobel Peace Prize winner
“The Asia Foundation has adapted very well to partnering with local institutions. Whether it’s status of women or equal access to economic activity or building, strengthening public institutions, all of these activities can be done in very agile partnerships between American institutions and international institutions and local, homegrown institutions.”
“I believe that among the best investments that The Asia Foundation makes are those made through Lotus Circle funds. We know that investing in women and girls – in education, in providing work skills, in promoting legal rights, in combating violence against women like human trafficking, and in enhancing civic and political participation – is a high-yield investment. The Asia Foundation’s Lotus Circle, through the generosity of individuals, tells her, she can. Nothing is more powerful, more life changing, more necessary to create a better world.”
Melanne Verveer, Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security, and first U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for global women’s issues from 2009 to 2013
“The Pacific Ocean is the ocean of the future. Both sides of the Pacific Ocean can form a peaceful community dedicated towards the development of allies, not antagonists, and The Asia Foundation plays a very strong role in that regard. I remember way back years ago 1978 when I was the first mayor to lead a delegation into China, and The Asia Foundation was always there to be of help. I am very grateful.”
“As one widely traveled through Asia and as a former Trustee of The Asia Foundation, I have always had the utmost admiration for the Books for Asia program. No one who loves books and people can fail to support and praise it.”
James Michener, Pulitzer Prize-winning author