South Asia

Overview

As an Asian subregion consisting of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and peninsular India, this region encompasses a wide range for geographies, from the Hindu Kush to the Himalayas. Home to some of the earliest civilizations in the world, South Asia has a long and storied history. Currently home to over 1.8 billion people, it is also considered to be one of the fastest growing economic regions. Despite this growth, there are still many development challenges that need to be addressed, including high rates of poverty, climate change risks, widening income inequality, and regional instability within and between countries.

Projects

UN Women Gender Data Training for Planning and Budgeting in Pakistan

The UN Women Gender Data Training for Planning and Budgeting in Pakistan training module, developed by Data-Pop Alliance for UN Women Pakistan, is designed to enhance the capacity of government and institutional stakeholders to effectively use gender data for informed policy-making and institutional reforms. This module is part of a broader training initiative aimed at integrating gender-sensitive approaches into planning, budgeting, and monitoring systems to promote equity and inclusiveness.

The five-day training module is structured into five key sections, combining presentations, group discussions, hands-on activities, and real-world case studies:

Introduction to Gender Data
Gendered Data Collection and Analysis
Ethical Use of Gender Data
Gender-Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB)
Applying Gender Data in Policy Formulation

This project represents a pivotal step in building capacity for evidence-based policymaking in Pakistan, advancing gender equity and institutional accountability.

UNFPA kNOwVAWdata Training on Harmful Practices

DPA, with funding from UNFPA and support from the University of Melbourne, developed a series of online training modules on ‘Harmful Practices’ against women. This course teaches participants the foundational principles of Child Marriage, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), gender-biased sex selection, and other harmful practices, and trains them on the best practices to collect, analyze, and interpret data on these topics. The course features case studies from around the globe, technical tutorials, instructional content on research techniques, interviews from experts, interactive elements, and asynchronous evaluation methods including quizzes and games to test users’ knowledge.

Increasing and Strengthening the Availability of Digital Sexual and Reproductive Health Services with Youth-Friendly Approaches in Latin America

In partnership with Fòs Feminista, DPA conducted a consultancy with the objective of updating Fòs Feminista‘ subject knowledge, with a focus on digital sexual and reproductive health services implemented by their partners in the LATAM, Africa, and Asia regions, as well as to generate an analysis of the different strategies and methodologies used to apply a youth-friendly approach in delivering sexual and reproductive health services digitally.

Human Mobility and Population Density in the Maldives

Supported by UNFPA Maldives and the National Bureau of Statistics, this project aimed to use Big Data to illuminate demographic features with significant implications for development policies and programs. Specifically, our partners at Fundazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) developed a prototype to analyze population density and movement patterns by leveraging call detail records (CDRs) and new data analytic techniques. The prototype utilized the temporal dynamics derived from mobile data while preserving the anonymity of mobile users.

Measuring the Unmeasured: Innovative Approaches to Measuring SDG Tier III Indicators

In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), DPA provided support to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Hub in Istanbul for the project “Measuring the Unmeasured” to contribute to SDG measurement and achievement. The effective use of data for public policy was of critical importance to the UN in its efforts to strengthen evidence-based programming and policy development. In particular, generating, analyzing, presenting, and using data was vital to global and regional efforts to monitor and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our project aimed to scope, develop, and test different methods for measuring Tier III indicators of high SDG priorities for 11 countries in the Arab States, Europe and Central Asia, and Asia Pacific, with the main goal of utilizing this information in policy responses.

Leveraging Big Data Sources to Map Demographic Impacts of COVID-19 in Maldives

In partnership with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Maldives and working closely with the National Bureau of Statistics of Maldives, this project sought to leverage Big Data sources, such as the mobile phone records (CDRs) and official statistics (household surveys) to provide data and study the effects of COVID-19 mobility restrictions on the population dynamics and mobility in the country. The study also analyzed the intricate relationships between attitudes, actual behavior and socioeconomic background in the Maldives by combining NBS survey data with movement patterns in a privacy-preserving manner. One of the main objectives of the project was to set a new benchmark for innovative application of mobile phone analytics in the region and beyond as a way to address population needs and monitor the impacts of shocks and stressors. The outputs of this projects included an analysis and policy paper with recommendations synthesizing key insights on the population dynamics obtained through CDR analysis and outlining applications towards advancement of five SDGs; and a capacity building-toolkit and ‘how-to” guide for using innovative data analytics methodologies and collecting and analyzing alternative data sources.

Strategic Evaluation of the World Food Programme’s (WFP) Use of Technology in Constrained Environments

This evaluation, developed in collaboration with ADE, examined the extent to which WFP effectively and efficiently deployed the most appropriate Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), and how, why, and under which conditions the use of these technologies contributed to management and program objectives. The team designed a mixed-methods approach consistent with WFP’s proposed analytical framework and outlined the factors affecting technological innovation and diffusion. Additionally, six case studies were conducted in Jordan, Niger, Iraq, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Bangladesh.

Landscape Mapping and Review of Technology-Based Interventions to Address Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation Across 13 Countries in Asia and Africa

The need to end child marriage and FGM has never been greater –without accelerated progress to end both of these harmful practices, millions of women and girls across the globe will continue to be in danger. DPA, in collaboration with UNICEF and UNFPA, conducted a comprehensive landscape mapping and review of key technology-based interventions to address child marriage and FGM across 13 countries in Africa and Asia (Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia). During the second phase of the project, DPA carried out an in depth review of three selected interventions to better understand their effectiveness, key success factors, and potential areas for improvement.

The methodology proposed by DPA was based on intersectional feminist approach and an analysis integrating both quantitative and qualitative research methods, as well as traditional and non-traditional data sources collected at different stages of the study, underpinned by a participatory approach involving UNICEF, UNFPA, and other stakeholders.

Digital Maturity Assessment: Methodology Development and Implementation

DPA developed a Digital Maturity Assessment (DMA) framework to provide NRC Country Offices (COs) with a tool to self-assess their digital transformation journey based on the perceptions and experiences of its staff. The DMA framework is the analytical background guiding the calculation of a Digital Maturity Score that measures the level of digital transformation in the COs based on qualitative data on:

• Digital ecosystem, data, and tech management;
• User-centricity and digital inclusion;
• Digital mindset, literacy, and innovation;
• Strategy, governance, policies, and frameworks; and
• Investment and partnerships.

The DMA was tested in the COs in Bangladesh and Sudan. The results and outputs of these pilots were made available in an interactive dashboard created to facilitate the visualization and extraction of insights.