ADB's South Asia Department conducted a study to assess the status and responses to the needs of disadvantaged groups in its member countries and identify entry points for greater gender equality and social inclusion impacts in its operations. This publication presents the results, providing an analysis of nine dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability- gender inequality; old age, disability, social identity, diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics; geographic location; income poverty; young age; and migrant status-and how these dimensions overlap in the lives of people with intersecting disadvantaged identities. Drawing from the good practices of governments, civil society organizations, and ADB-financed projects in South Asia, the publication provides SARD a 10-point guide for designing and operationalizing programs for gender equality and social inclusion.

This guidance note outlines how sector agencies in South Asia can develop gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) strategies, highlights their key elements, and shows how to effectively integrate them into projects and policies. Explaining how GESI strategies can help sector agencies tackle the barriers women and vulnerable groups face, it offers tips on how to adopt participatory processes to help develop and implement inclusive frameworks. It explains why sector agencies need to adapt strategies to their local norms and practices, allocate budgets, and adopt institutional policies to ensure GESI is effectively mainstreamed into organizations.

This gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) framework the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) operations in South Asia serves as a guide for effectively fulfilling GESI-related mandates as outlined in ADB’s Strategy 2030. Developed through an extensive 2-year consultative process from 2020 to 2022, the GESI framework highlights the various dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability, including their intersections with gender inequality and each another. By adopting an intersectionality lens, the GESI framework spotlights the diverse experiences of women and disadvantaged groups, recognizing that the impacts of gender inequality and social exclusion vary based on intersecting identities. The GESI framework promotes context-sensitive and integrated actions to advance GESI goals.

Study with reference to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.

This framework outlines how to integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) into ADB's operations in South Asia to help close the gender gap, combat exclusion, and bolster equitable economic growth. It highlights the experience of women and disadvantaged groups and assesses the impact of pervasive gender inequality and social exclusion. It includes practical guides and tools that can be integrated throughout project design and implementation. It underscores the need to improve data collection showing how women and vulnerable groups are excluded and increase financial and technical support to better target inclusive and sustainable development.

This guidance note aims to enhance the quality of poverty and social analysis for the design of country partnership strategies and programs in South Asia. The guidance note outlines approaches for conducting Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) analysis at the country, sector, and project levels to determine the GESI elements within ADB's country partnership strategies and projects in South Asia. It emphasizes the need to enhance the analysis of intersectional dimensions of exclusion and vulnerability experienced by individuals with intersecting disadvantaged identities.

This book explores and analyzes gender mainstreaming in South Asia. Gender mainstreaming as a concept is about removing disparities between men and women – about equal access to resources, inclusion and participation in the public sphere, representation in government, and empowerment, all with the aim of achieving equal opportunities for men and women in family life, society, administration, politics, and the economy. The challenges of gender mainstreaming in South Asia are huge, especially in the contexts of patriarchal, religious, and caste-based social norms and values. Men’s dominance in politics, administration, and economic activities is distinctly visible. Women have been subservient to the policy preferences of their male counterparts. However, in recent years, more women are participating in politics at the local and national levels, in administration, and in formal economic activities. Have gender equality and equity been ensured in South Asia? This book focuses on how gender-related issues are incorporated into policy formulation and governance, how they have fared, what challenges they have encountered when these policies were put into practice, and their implications and fate in the context of five South Asian countries. The authors have used varied frameworks to analyze gender mainstreaming at the micro and macro levels. Written from public administration and political science perspectives, the book provides an overview of the possibilities and constraints of gender mainstreaming in a region, which is not only diverse in ethnicity and religion, but also in economic progress, political culture, and the state of governance.

This guidance note provides an overview of methods for evaluating the gender equality and social inclusion impacts of ADB programs and projects in South Asia. This guidance note aims to impart knowledge of vital points to consider when preparing impact evaluations. It outlines key steps for ADB staff, consultants, and project executing and implementing agencies involved in conducting impact evaluations. Additionally, the note explores modalities to assess the effectiveness of project interventions and gathers perspectives from project beneficiaries.

This book investigates the contemporary social, political and economic issues faced by women in South Asia. It focuses on the policies and practices that have challenged or perpetuated gender inequalities, and the evolving role of women in South Asian societies. With contributions from practitioners, policy makers, academics and civil society activists from across South Asia, this volume provides a broad and diverse range of viewpoints on South Asian women's labour force participation, political participation, education, and health, as well as country-specific insights.The volume is conceived as a stage for debate where specific insights act as a window into wider themes, practices and policies. Each essay is followed by policy-relevant recommendations and suggestions for avenues to improve current practice. This book will be relevant for undergraduate students and lecturers of South Asian studies, development, and policy studies, as well as industry practitioners.