Gender democracy

Healthy democracies have proven to be more resilient in the face of crises and pandemics. However, in recent years, signs of democratic backsliding has become increasingly visible around the world, manifesting through political polarization and the weakening of the liberal international order. The Heinrich Böll Foundation East Asia Office and the Indo-Pacific Democracy Forum (IPDF) co-hosted a session at the 2025 KDF Global Forum titled “Parliamentarians’ Voices for Democratic Unity in the Indo-Pacific.” 

In an interview, Hong Kong activist Kaspar Wan talks about his experience of becoming a transman and the transgender rights movement in the city.

Population policies should be devised within a reproductive justice framework as women’s bodies have been easily objectified and utilised for national development when maternity is only understood as a woman’s duty. South Korea’s current pronatalist approaches have failed to address the real issues of low fertility trend.

Change is all around us; experiencing it can be exciting or worrisome, confusing or even disturbing. By contrast, the idea of “transition” stands to provide a sense of direction, in a sea of change and insecurity. Change may be happening to us; a transition has direction, it can be planned, perhaps even be initiated. It moves into a positive, sustainable direction – or so we hope. The equivalent German term “Wende” and its numerous composite terms play a prominent role in the programme of the German Green and in the international work of Heinrich Böll Stiftung (hbs).

8 March is International Women’s Day. Dr Ruby Lai shares her viewpoints on abortion and reproductive rights in Hong Kong and East Asia.