Expert Group Meeting on the Evidence Base for Accelerated Action to End Child Marriage in South Asia

The Asia-Pacific Regional Office United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA APRO) and the UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia (UNICEF ROSA) hosted a three-day expert group meeting to examine the evidence around programming and policies to end child marriage in South Asia. The meeting convened representatives from the hosting organizations, UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women country offices in South Asia and surrounding countries, experts from academia and representatives from organizations implementing programmes in the region.

Key, emerging issues and findings from new research were identified during the meeting’s proceedings. This included pinpointing some of the key drivers for child marriage in the region. Although the scope of the meeting did not allow for discussions on how to address these issues in a programmatic environment, attendees did discuss certain aspects of programming practices as well as the need to develop the evidence base and the services and support available to married girls.