In Asia today, more and more people are deprived of their human rights and basic needs. Market-driven economic policies widen social inequality. They cause food insecurity and environmental degradation; migration of labor and job insecurity; displace communities and distort cultural values. Consumerism, materialism, and the commodification of human beings are the result. Widespread social conflict, fundamentalism and civil wars encourage regional instability and increase human misery.
      Over the years APHD has endeavored to understand and address these issues from the perspective of the Gospel and the social teaching of the Church. Through its pursuit of integral human development, APHD is committed to nurturing a spirituality that underpins the struggles and hopes of the peoples of Asia.
      In this new millennium, APHD is further challenged to pursue its ideals of human development in solidarity with the poor, to strengthen unity and build capacity within the Partnership.

      Towards the building of a just and humane world, where peoples and structures reflect God’s reign of truth, justice, compassion, human dignity, freedom, peace and love,
      APHD, an association of Catholic agencies in Asia and outside Asia which are mandated by their respective national bishops’ conferences to work for integral and sustainable human development, seeks to be in solidarity with the poor, marginalized, and oppressed peoples of Asia in their efforts for empowerment, development, and the promotion of their dignity and rights; and to create among its members a partnership committed to sharing, learning and capacity building in the context of the Asian realities of poverty, exploitation and exclusion, and the unfolding challenges of globalization.

1. INTEGRAL HUMAN DEVELOPMENT is a process that enables peoples to meet their basic human needs and to free themselves from everything that is dehumanizing and oppressive. Through this process people can realize the full potential of their God-given gifts and talents towards the fullness of life. Structural transformation and a true change of heart must go hand in hand, if development is to be made holistic and sustainable.
2. SOLIDARITY springs from the gospel option for the poor. It demands being with the poor in the struggle for justice, and actively participating in efforts to achieve self-reliance and empowerment. It requires a personal conversion, a new relationship with one’s neighbor, with even the remotest human communities, and with nature itself.
3. PARTNERSHIP, a path to achieve solidarity with the oppressed peoples of Asia, is a relationship between and among equals who share a common vision that respects each one’s dignity, uniqueness and freedom. Mutual trust, the cornerstone of partnership, is nurtured and strengthened by open communication, honest dialogue, reciprocity, transparency and mutual accountability.
4. GENDER EQUALITY is a central value in the work of building an equitable and just society. The effective participation of women as decision-makers is crucial in ending inequality, fostering dignity, and enhancing development outcomes.
5. INTEGRITY OF CREATION demands that the development process be ecologically sustainable, and that the earth and its resources are cared for and cherished for future generations.
6. DIALOGUE AND COOPERATION with peoples of other religions and faiths, people’s movements, networks, and with all people of goodwill, irrespective of their gender, race, creed or caste are the ways to promote justice and human dignity.
7. PARTICIPATION AND CO-RESPONSIBILITY are hallmarks of people’s empowerment and development. People’s right to participate in processes that affect their lives is to be championed, and their struggle for identity and self-determination supported.
8. RESPECT AND SENSITIVITY to people’s values, symbols, beliefs, customs, and traditions means nurturing the cultural heritages present in Asia. People’s cultural values can become a force for change, and can provide enduring alternatives to ideologies that run counter to basic human values.
9. EQUALITY AND CONSENSUS means decisions are reached by consensus and where all members alike have an equal voice.

      In November 2001, the 8th APHD General Assembly revalidated APHD’s vision-mission statement, guiding principles and core values, partner groups, and current concerns and challenges. It also approved the framework of APHD’s Strategic Plan (AOP) for 2002-2005, with three strategic goals.
      In the run-up to the 2002 ExCo meeting, the Secretariat executed a Partnership-wide survey which identified seven (7) common approaches/strategies used by implementing members to pursue APHD’s goals and objectives. These were: (1) funding of long-term, focused programs, (2) education, (3) animation (organizing, federating, mobilizing), (4) capacity-building, (5) linkage/networking, (6) advocacy and campaigns, (7) and creation of fora.
      The workshops held during the 2002 ExCo meeting in Penang, Malaysia attempted to define the objectives that the Partnership intended to accomplish per strategic goal, identify particular strategies that Partner Agencies (PAs) could use to attain specific objectives, and list performance indicators. At the end of this particular meeting, it was decided to make use of PAs’ Project Officers (POs) in improving the implementation framework.
      During the APHD Project Officers’ Workshop held on 18-25 August 2002, the POs agreed on the meaning of three AOP goals: Goal 1 focusing on micro issues (manifested by micro-projects on the ground, within PAs’ Country Programs) ; Goal 2, on macro/regional/global issues (manifested by the Regional programs and Asia General projects); and Goal 3, on capacity-building and strengthening. AOP implementation framework underwent thorough screening, resulting in the definition of four objectives each for Goals 1 and 2 and three objectives for Goal 3. In addition, two more strategies were identified, making the total nine. These were: (8) research and documentation, and (9) communication materials. In addition, Workshop participants were also able to identify where in the AOP their programs and projects fit and to which goal(s) these programs and projects were contributing.
      The implementation framework underwent further review during the three Regional Assemblies held between September to November of 2002, resulting in the re-classification, clarification, and re-statement of problematic objectives, and the reduction of the number of objectives under Goals 1 and 2.
      Using the three AOP goals’ final objectives arrived at and agreed upon by the 2002 Regional Assemblies, the PO Workshop held in Bangkok on 27 January-3 February 2003 updated and improved the implementation framework, so that both activity and immediate impact (results) indicators are reflected against each objective and the means of verification identified.

      Our partner groups are the politically oppressed, economically exploited, socially marginalized and culturally alienated-peoples of Asia. These include (I) women (II) youth (III) children-at-risk (IV) minorities (V) tribal and indigenous peoples, (VI) the rural and urban poor, (VII) exploited and migrant workers, (VIII) people living with HIV and AIDS (IX) political dissenters for a just cause, and (X) victims of discrimination and conflict.
      Given the differences in every region, prioritization of focus sectors, groups and issues is made by the regions and programs.