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

Measuring the Unmeasured: Innovative Approaches to Measuring SDG Tier III Indicators
  • Botswana, Europe, Middle East and North Africa (MENA), South Asia
  • January - June 2018
  • P2 - AI and Statistics for the SDGs

In partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), DPA provided support to the Europe and Central Asia Regional Hub in Istanbul in the project “Measuring the Unmeasured” to contribute to SDG measurement and achievement. The effective use of data for public policy is 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 is vital to global and regional efforts to monitor and promote the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our project aims were: scoping, developing, and testing different methods for measuring Tier III indicators of high SDGs priorities for 11 countries in Arab States, Europe & Central Asia, and Asia Pacific; with the main goal of utilizing this information into policy responses.

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Landscape Mapping and Review of Technology-based Interventions to Mitigate Child Marriage and Female Genital Mutilation (FGM)
  • Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nepal, Sierra Leone, South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Sudan, Uganda, Zambia
  • July 2022- January 2023
  • P4 - Data Feminism

DPA, in collaboration with UNICEF and UNFPA, conducted a comprehensive landscape mapping of key technology-based interventions to mitigate child-marriage and FGM through empowerment of girls and to review the digital solutions and tools used in these interventions, their effectiveness and potential areas for improvement in 13 countries in Africa and Asia. The methodology proposed by DPA was based on an analysis that integrated 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 that provided feedback and input throughout the entire project.

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