The pandemic-induced lifestyle changes will exacerbate the already acute plastics waste challenges in South Asia unless urgent action is taken.

Monika Kumar, Nina Tsydenova, Pawan Patil |

Nepal has one of the highest rates of road deaths in South Asia. Achieving road safety goals will take the collective action of the government, international development partners, private sector,…

Hartwig Schafer |

The converging technology revolution has the potential to build and protect human capital through improved service delivery; create jobs and innovation; and empower human capital through inclusion…

Lynne Sherburne-Benz, Sajitha Bashir, Klaus Tilmes, Naoto Kanehira |

South Asia has been hit hard by the COVID19 pandemic. Countries need to prepare for future shock and re-envision the delivery of essential services such as health, education, and social protection…

Hartwig Schafer |

These are some of the most pressing development priorities in South Asia and the topics for our most popular blogs in 2020.

Trishna Thapa |

Niranjala’s husband started physically abusing her soon after they got married. It got worse after their first child. When she was about to file for a divorce, the pandemic struck.

Faris Hadad-Zervos |

In Nepal, COVID-19 has intensified the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls. Despite limited resources, Nepal's gender-based violence service providers have stepped up to…

Jaya Sharma, Deepa Rai, Sachi Mulmi |

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on in South Asia, reversing years of hard-won development and economic gains, it is more necessary than ever to think consciously about the future of transport and…

Hartwig Schafer |

Nepal identified its second COVID-19 case on March 24 and immediately went into lockdown. Since then, the government has committed to boosting testing to curb the virus' transmission.

Manav Bhattarai, Kari L. Hurt |

The World Bank Group's 2020 Human Capital Index reminds us that much still needs to be to done to strengthen human development outcomes such as health and education.

Hartwig Schafer |