New publication about Migration and Refugees in South Asia

Centre for South Asia Studies (CSAS) and KAS Rule of Law Programme Asia organised a regional conference on 'Mirgration and Refugees in South Asia: Quest for a New Legal Regime' in Kathmandu on 26 September 2018.

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung mourns the loss of Helmut Kohl

On the death of former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Chairman of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and former President of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering, writes:

Wasser in Südostasien

Eine Region vor neuen Herausforderungen

Das Thema Wasser ist im asiatischen Raum immer präsent. Bei stetig wachsenden Bevölkerungen werden Fragen nach dem Zugang zu ausreichendem Trinkwasser und sanitären Einrichtungen, nach Sauberkeit und Nachhaltigkeit sowie nach einem wirksamen Schutz vor den Folgen des Klimawandels immer drängender und beschäftigen die Region nachhaltig. Der folgende Beitrag soll zunächst die Frage klären, ob es ein Menschenrecht auf Wasser gibt, bevor die eben genannten Punkte aufgegriffen und kurz beleuchtet werden.

Update on the Rule of Law for Human Rights in ASEAN: A Path to Integration

As an update to the first regional base-line study on the rule of law in ASEAN which was published in 2011, this study analyses legislative and substantive changes that have taken place in the ten ASEAN member states since 2011, and whether these changes support or detract from ASEAN's vision of becoming a "rules-based" community. It also considers how the process of ASEAN integration has influenced activity towards the creation of stronger legal institutions within the ASEAN Member States.

Rule of Law for Good Environmental Governance

In the future, effective environmental protection will be a crucial objective for Asia: 29 out of the 30 most polluted cities in the world are located in Asia, in which, 7 out of 15 countries, with the highest total of CO2 emissions from fossil-fuel burning, cement production, and gas-flaring arises from Asian countries, 8 out of 10 countries with the highest amount of fresh water withdrawal occur in Asia. Weather disasters are abundant and are caused not only by climatic change due to environmental pollution, but also by a lack of proper land management.

Auch ohne Park-Kim-Gipfel

Moskaus Comeback auf der koreanischen Halbinsel?

Die ersehnten Bilder hat es nicht gegeben: Nach der südkoreanischen Präsidentin Park Geun-hye nahm auch der nordkoreanische Staatsführer Kim Jong-un nicht an den von Russlands Präsident Putin organisierten Feiern in Moskau zum 70. Jahrestag des Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs teil. Beide Eingeladenen wurden durch Sondergesandte vertreten. Obwohl es also nicht zu einer innerkoreanischen Annäherung auf europäischem Boden gekommen ist, gibt es Indizien, die dafür sprechen, dass stattdessen Russland über die koreanische Halbinsel Einfluss auf die demokratischen Mächte des Westens nehmen könnte.

Judicial Training in ASEAN

A Comparative Overview of Systems and Programs

As ASEAN moves forward to become a more integrated community by 2015,strengthening the capacities of ASEAN judiciaries, will be a requirement for stable and rules-based transitions throughout the region. This study, provides an overview of judicial training in the ten ASEAN member states and builds on the initial findings of the 2011 'Rule of Law for Human Rights in the ASEAN Region: A Baseline Study'. It aims to assist ASEAN judicial training institutions and other interested stakeholders in promoting cross-border collaboration on judicial training across ASEAN.

Development of Cambodian Administrative Law

In Cambodia significant laws have been developed since 1993 but some building stones of a strong building called ‘rule of law’ are still missing. Whereas comprehensive legislation has been adopted in the fields of civil law and criminal law in recent years important aspects of administrative law are still not covered by modern legislation.

RULE OF LAW : PERSPECTIVES FROM ASIA

A compilation of seven articles that showcases the wide-range of topics and issues that the Rule of Law Programme, Asia seeks to address through various projects and provides a glimpse into the scope of the programme. The articles blend both the theoretical frameworks and the practical on-ground experiences in the respective countries of the topics that the authors have chosen to discuss, deliberate and offer recommendations for action in the future.

„Landmark“ oder „Loophole“? (available in German)

ASEAN Declaration of Human Rights

On 18 November, the members of ASEAN issued a joint Declaration of Human Rights (AHRD). Observers did not expect it to comply with the desired international standards, yet hoped it would be a step forward. The result of the 21 ASEAN Summit in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, is controversial. Its text and the process involved make it clear that the Southeast Asian community still has a long way to go to guarantee comprehensive rights to its 600 million inhabitants.