Asia Foundation and Australian Agency for International Development Enter Strategic Partnership to Address Challenges in Conflict-Affected and Fragile Regions

SAN FRANCISCO and CANBERRA, Australia, April 11, 2010 - As the international community searches for new ways to deliver aid and
assistance in places affected by conflict and state fragility, the Australian
Agency for International Development (AusAID) and The Asia Foundation have
formed a strategic partnership to enhance current approaches and explore new
methods for supporting development, building peace and prosperity, and
improving aid effectiveness. The agreement was signed at the Australian
Embassy in Washington, D.C. on March 26, 2010 by Peter Baxter, Acting
Director General of AusAID, and Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO of The
Asia Foundation.

(Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090909/DC72536LOGO)

"This partnership is formed to bring together our collective experience
in order to better address some of the most challenging questions facing the
international community today," said Douglas Bereuter, president and CEO of
The Asia Foundation. "How can we think differently, and act differently, to
improve conditions for those in turbulent, fragile societies, where people
live in constant threat and development cannot take hold? The combined
experience of our two organizations includes nearly every conflict-affected
and fragile country in the Asia-Pacific region. I believe that this
partnership has the potential to transform the way we work together across
the region-and will contribute to global efforts to improve aid
effectiveness."

The goal of the partnership is to deepen and expand the strategies of
AusAID, The Asia Foundation, and the international community to deliver aid
and security in regions where the pace of development has fallen
dramatically, especially where conditions have deteriorated. The partnership
will include regular dialogue, collaboration, and joint program activities in
Asia through June 2013. This new international effort builds on AusAID's
expertise in post-conflict reconstruction and The Asia Foundation's
recognized strengths in working on protracted sub-national conflicts, and
building extensive networks in conflict-affected nations and regions.

Engagement between AusAID and The Asia Foundation has increased
significantly in recent years, and the partnership agreement covering the
next 39 months is designed to complement existing agreements at the country
level by promoting greater sharing of knowledge and strategic concepts
between the two organizations.

About The Asia Foundation

The Asia Foundation (www.asiafoundation.org) is a non-profit,
non-governmental organization committed to the development of a peaceful,
prosperous, just, and open Asia-Pacific region. The Foundation supports
programs in Asia that help improve governance, law, and civil society;
women's empowerment; economic reform and development; and international
relations. Drawing on more than 50 years of experience in Asia, the
Foundation collaborates with private and public partners to support
leadership and institutional development, exchanges, and policy research.

With 18 offices throughout Asia, an office in Washington, D.C., and its
headquarters in San Francisco, the Foundation addresses these issues on both
a country and regional level. In 2009, the Foundation provided more than
US$86 million in program support and distributed nearly one million books and
journals valued at over US$43 million.

About AusAID

AusAID (www.ausaid.gov.au) is the Australian Government agency
responsible for managing Australia's overseas aid program. The objective of
the aid program is to assist developing countries reduce poverty and achieve
sustainable development, in line with Australia's national interest. In
2009-10 Australia will provide US$3.8 billion worth of official development
assistance. Australia's aid program focuses on the Asia Pacific region. The
international community recognises Australia's leading role in the region,
particularly in PNG and the Pacific. The geographic focus of Australia's aid
program also makes sense given that two thirds of the world's poor, some 800
million people, live in the Asia Pacific, yet receive less than one third of
total aid flows. Australia's broadened aid program provides assistance to
Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and South America, primarily through
scholarships and by working through international and non-government
organisations.

    Contacts:
    The Asia Foundation
    Amy Ovalle
    Tel. +1-415-743-3340
    Email: aovalle@asiafound.org

    The Asia Foundation
    Brent Jones
    Tel. +1-415-238-0969
    Email: BJones@asiafound.org

Amy Ovalle, +1-415-743-3340, aovalle at asiafound.org, or Brent Jones, +1-415-238-0969, BJones at asiafound.org, both of The Asia Foundation