What we’ve achieved together...
Reflecting on the 'Sapan' journey that started in 2021 with a simple question: If France and Germany can be part of the EU, why can’t we have a Southasia Union with soft borders, economic cooperation?
Dear friends and Sapan family,
As we usher out 2025, I want to express my gratitude to each and every one who joined us on the Southasia Peace Action Network (“Sapan”) journey, which started in March 2021.
What we’ve achieved together during the past four years exceeded our most optimistic dreams. Together we’ve advanced the objectives of Southasia* peace through a series of ground-breaking initiatives:
Some 135 organizations, hundreds of individuals, including many renowned public figures, have endorsed the Sapan Founding Charter.
We’ve fostered the importance of collaboration and civil dialogue through dozens of online and in-person discussions around issues ranging from sport, art and music to restorative justice and climate change.
Our global newsroom Sapan News now produces 2-4 syndicated features a week, providing context for headline news. Around 40 media outlets around the globe carry our articles.
We have done all this primarily on a voluntary basis. Since registering Sapan Foundation as a nonprofit and starting to fundraise, we can now cover operational costs, pay part-time editorial staff, and provide modest honoraria to our writers. Thanks to your support, 2025 was our most successful fundraising year and has positioned us to advance our project with greater intensity in the coming year.
Additionally:
Our Social Media Ethics Pledge, endorsed by many prominent journalists, lawyers, and professionals, is another example of our leadership in this space.
The documentary ‘Democracy in Debt: Sri Lanka Beyond the Headlines’, supported by the Pulitzer Center in 2024, was another tool for building community and engaging viewers as active citizens. Sinhala and Urdu versions completed in 2025 make it accessible to more audiences.
Sapan started in 2021 with a simple question – if France and Germany can be part of the European Union, why can’t we have a Southasia Union with soft borders, economic cooperation, and collaboration in all areas?
We are excited to meet the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead, to take the Sapan vision further. Thank you for being with us on this journey.
With love, hope, solidarity, and best wishes for the New Year and beyond in health and happiness to each of you, with thanks for all that you do to make the world a better place. Together, we are stronger.
Onward!
Beena Sarwar
*Why do we write ‘Southasia’ as one word?
Because our histories are intertwined, our futures interlinked, and our struggles deeply connected.
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