Hanoi, Vietnam – April 10 – 12, 2009

Asia is one of the fastest-changing regions in the world. Considering this, the Asian Dialogue on Sexuality and Geopolitics had the politics of sexuality as a broad focus. Under this umbrella, it focused more specifically on the political processes, actors and outcomes that have shaped sexuality and sexuality-related issues in the region. The researchers and activists participating in this Dialogue  seeked to identify “tipping points” for policy interventions and came up with recommendations for policy change in Asian countries and throughout the region. Towards this end, the four focal points that apply to all the Regional Dialogues – namely, political processes, economies, religion and science – were used as conceptual tools to guide the discussions during this Dialogue and help shed light on the above-mentioned institutions and processes in Asia. They also helped to identify issues that could become important in the near future in this fast-changing region, and thus concretize the “tipping points” for future action. Simultaneously, they set the stage for weaving together an understanding of how the macro institutions and processes in this region overlap and intersect with one another, thus enriching the conceptual tools (political processes, economies, religion and science) themselves.