Summary (English)

The research meeting on Social Protection Policies in South Asia was jointly organized by UNESCO New Delhi and the Indian Council for Social Science Research (ICSSR) on March 18-19, 2010 in New Delhi. It was organized within the framework of UNESCO‟s Management of Social Transformation (MOST) Programme and its flagship activity, the Regional and Sub-regional Fora of Ministers in charge of Social Development, launched in 2001 in Latin America to enhance dialogue between Ministers, researchers and the civil society. The South Asian Forum of Ministers in charge of Social Development was launched in 2006 and the Second Ministerial Forum held in New Delhi in 2008 stressed the importance of research for evidence-based policy-making. Accordingly, the research meeting of March 18-19, 2010 was held with the objective of providing support material and expertise to the next Forum of Ministers in charge of Social Development from South Asia, expected to take place in Bangladesh in 2010 on Social Protection and Safety Nets in South Asia. The research meeting specifically addressed the following questions: What are the social policies that work under which conditions and what lessons can such experiences offer to other countries? How can such policies be further strengthened to enhance the transformative potential? How can a regional perspective be built on issues of social protection?