Southern Voice’s network partner, the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Pakistan in collaboration with International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada, organised a South Asia regional consultation on policy research institutions on the role of think tanks and academia in generating evidence-based policy analyses to influence and accelerate health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The meeting, held on 5 December 2016 in Islamabad, was attended by more than 50 participants from 27 organizations in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India (through web application), Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

An important issue that emerged from the discussion was the need for think tanks and academia to conduct multi-sectoral and multidisciplinary research and data collection for the SDGs. It was suggested that there is a need to examine the challenges facing research institutes and how these may be mitigated, along with identifying areas which pose opportunities for enhancement.

It was concluded that the 2030 Agenda’s commitment of “leaving no-one behind” along with the data generated by the development research community, have real momentum    –  owing to the particular space they occupy, their independence, objectivity, and relentless pursuit of contributing to health outcomes. If the development research community could identify common elements of a collaborative research framework at the regional level, it would lay the foundation for developing a comprehensive research agenda around the SDGs. The establishment of a new regional network of think tanks and academic institutions was called for, in order to achieve the Global Goal of healthy lives and wellbeing for all.

For more information, visit http://www.sdpi.org/policy_outreach/sa-consultation-on-health-policy-intitutions.php

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