Asia is the world's largest continent, encompassing a large number of countries with a long history and a vibrant, rich culture. Countries are marked by very diverse societies in terms of e.g. religion, ethnicity and language, but also by different political systems and how thesse evolved. Consequently, the configuration of civil society, its dynamics, the way civil society organisations relate to their constituencies and design strategies, and how they are embedded in their social-political environment, varies from country to country.

The Knowledge Programme on Promoting Pluralism and the Knowledge Programme on West Asia are the two programmes with activities in this continent. Focal countries for Promoting Pluralism are Indonesia in South-East Asia, and India in South Asia. Starting from the different contexts in these countries, Hivos and its (academic) partners seek to generate knowledge on core issues related to pluralism and fundamentalism. The programme on West Asia concentrates on civil society dynamics in Syria and Iran and how civil society organisations contribute to opening up democracies.

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