The Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium has received a grant from The Asia Foundation to convene an eminent group of scholars and non-profit executives to update Philanthropy and Law in South Asia (PALISA), the leading work on non-profit and philanthropic law in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka originally published by APPC in 2004.

Since first publication, however, significant changes have occurred in the legal and policy landscape for non-profits and philanthropy in each of the five countries then surveyed. For example, political strife has significantly affected the sectors in Nepal and Bangladesh. In India, the central government has proposed significant changes to the foreign contribution regulatory scheme, and state governments have taken steps to enhance philanthropic and non-profit regulation. New laws have been adopted and new institutions founded in Pakistan that were not fully reflected in the original PALISA work. Finally, after a period of relative calm, new hostilities in Sri Lanka have influenced the development of the sector there as well.

The work of updating will be led by Mark Sidel, Professor of Law at the University of Iowa and one of the original PALISA editors, and will document the combined experiences of these countries in response to recent developments in their respective legal and policy contexts. Professor Sidel will chair the sessions alongside Iftekhar Zaman of Transparency International Bangladesh, an APPC Board Member. Results from the update will be published on the APPC website, in its electronic newsletter, APPC Post, and on other websites on non-profit law and regulation.

For more information
For more on the project, contact Rory Tolentino at roryappc@pldtdsl.net or Mark Sidel at mark-sidel@uiowa.edu
To download the 2004 PALISA publication, go to http://www.asiapacificphilanthropy.org

Asia Pacific Philanthropy Consortium
Chief Executive: Rory Tolentino
T +632 426 6001 (local 4645)
T +632 426 1427 (direct line)
info@asiapacificphilanthropy.org
http://www.asiapacificphilanthropy.org