The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. In this report, we examined how Sri Lanka’s nutrition policies and programs addressed the recommended nutrition actions, determinants, and outcomes. We reviewed population-based surveys to assess the availability of data on nutrition actions, nutrition outcomes, and determinants of these outcomes; we also assessed the data availability in administrative data systems for selected nutrition actions. Our policy review identified a total of 53 recommended evidence-based nutrition actions, of which 47 nutrition actions were applicable in Sri Lanka; of these, 44 were addressed in the country’s nutrition policies and programs. Nutrition actions not included in current policies and programs were food supplementation during adolescence and food supplementation for complementary feeding during early childhood. Although policies addressed daily or intermittent iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation during preconception, the country’s preconception care program has not yet implemented it. Sri Lanka’s multisectoral nutrition plan recognized and addressed all key determinants of nutrition except women’s status; the country’s multisectoral nutrition plan and its national nutrition policy were found to also express an intent to track the progress of all Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) nutrition targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and also the indicators related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Our data review found that out of 44 actions that were addressed by Sri Lanka’s policies and programs, the population-based surveys we reviewed contained data on only 22 actions; similarly, out of 15 selected actions we reviewed in the administrative data system, data was available on only five actions. Data was not available in either of the surveys on the following interventions: various types of counseling during pregnancy, optimal timing (delayed) of umbilical cord clamping, indicators related to newborn care and care of low-birth-weight infants, postpartum IFA supplementation and breastfeeding counseling and around delivery and in the postpartum period, counseling on infant and young child feeding (IYCF), growth monitoring and identification and treatment of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) during early childhood. In the administrative data source data was not available on IFA supplementation, nutrition counseling and advice on consuming IFA during pregnancy, IFA supplementation during lactation, micronutrient powders (MNPs) and zinc supplementation and on identification and management of SAM and MAM during early childhood. Population-based surveys contained data on most of the indicators on determinants and on all indicators on outcomes. In conclusion, Sri Lanka’s policy landscape for nutrition is robust; however, the gaps in data availability for tracking progress on nutrition are much greater than are the gaps in policies and programs for addressing recommended actions. Future population-based surveys and future modifications of other data systems should aim to fill the identified data gaps for nutrition actions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. In this report, we examined how Pakistan’s nutrition policies and programs addressed recommended nutrition actions, nutrition outcomes, and the determinants of these outcomes. We reviewed population-based surveys and administrative data systems to assess the availability of data on nutrition actions and on indicators of determinants and outcomes. Our policy review identified a total of 53 recommended evidence-based nutrition actions, of which 51 were applicable to Pakistan; of those, 47 were addressed in nutrition policies and programs. Nutrition actions not included in current policies and programs were: daily iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation and deworming during preconception; and food supplementation for complementary feeding, and daily IFA supplementation during early childhood. The Pakistan Multi-Sectoral Nutrition Strategy (PMNS) (2018–2025) was found to recognize and address all the key determinants of nutrition; it also expressed an intent to address all the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) nutrition targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. Targets for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) were not currently set in the national strategies. Our data review found that, out of 47 actions that policies and programs addressed, population-based surveys contained data on 26 actions and administrative data sources contained data on 22 actions. Neither surveys nor administrative sources contained data on any actions aimed at adolescence, on energy and protein dietary supplements, on various types of counseling, on birth preparedness during pregnancy, or on optimal timing (delayed) of umbilical cord clamping; they also did not contain data on indicators related to newborn care, IFA supplementation around delivery and in the postpartum period, or counseling after growth monitoring during early childhood. The data gaps in population-based surveys on nutrition actions during early childhood were compensated for by the data on these nutrition actions that was available from administrative sources. Neither of the population-based surveys contained data on nutrition actions during early childhood such as breastfeeding counseling, counseling on appropriate complementary feeding, growth monitoring, and identification and management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), or management of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM); administrative data sources, however, contained data on these actions. Population-based surveys contained data on most of the indicators on immediate and underlying determinants of undernutrition, but administrative data sources lacked data on indicators of immediate determinants. Population-based surveys contained data on all outcome indicators. In conclusion, Pakistan’s policy landscape for nutrition is robust, but there is limited consideration of targets for NCDs. The gaps in data availability for tracking progress on nutrition are much greater than are the gaps in policies and programs for addressing the recommended actions. Future population-based surveys and future modifications of other data systems should aim to fill the identified data gaps for nutrition actions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. In this report, we examined how Nepal’s nutrition policies and programs addressed recommended nutrition actions, nutrition outcomes, and the determinants of these outcomes. We reviewed population-based surveys and administrative data systems in order to assess the data availability on nutrition actions, and on the indicators of determinants and outcomes. Our policy review identified a total of 53 recommended evidence-based nutrition actions, of which 50 nutrition actions were applicable in Nepal. Of these, 45 were addressed in the country’s nutrition policies and programs and some of the actions were only available in some districts. Nutrition actions that were not included in current policies and programs included calcium supplementation and advice on consuming calcium during pregnancy, and daily iron and folic acid (IFA) supplementation during childhood. Current policies addressed daily or intermittent IFA supplementation during preconception and food supplementation for malnourished lactating women during the postnatal period; however, there was no program to implement these actions. Nepal’s Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan (MSNP) recognized and addressed all key determinants of nutrition; it also expressed an intent to address all SDG nutrition targets for maternal, infant, and young child nutrition. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), however, were addressed separately by a multisectoral plan for NCDs. Our data review found that out of 45 actions that policies and programs addressed, population-based surveys contained data on only 27 actions and administrative data systems contained data on only 25 actions. Population-based surveys and administrative data sources contained no data on: food supplementation during adolescence; weight monitoring and various types of counseling during pregnancy; optimal timing (delayed) of umbilical cord clamping, support for breastfeeding and immediate skin-to-skin contact, optimal feeding of low-birth-weight infants and counseling of mothers of low-birth-weight infants on kangaroo mother care (KMC) during delivery and in the postpartum period; breastfeeding counseling, counseling on appropriate complementary feeding, counseling after growth monitoring, and inpatient management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) during early childhood. Population-based surveys contained data on most of the indicators of immediate and underlying determinants, while administrative data systems did not have data on all indicators of immediate determinants. Data on all indicators of nutrition outcomes were available from population-based surveys. In conclusion, Nepal’s policy and program landscape for nutrition is robust, however the gaps in data availability for tracking progress on nutrition actions are much larger than the gap in policies and programs for addressing recommended actions. Future population-based surveys and modifications of administrative data systems should aim to fill the identified data gaps for nutrition actions.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and other global nutrition and health agencies recommend nutrition actions throughout the life-course to address malnutrition in all its forms. As global recommendations are updated based on available evidence, it is anticipated that governments and stakeholders will, in turn, build on these recommendations to update national policies and programs. Little is known in the South Asia region about policy coherence with globally recommended actions. Even less is known about the degree to which countries are able to track their progress on nutrition actions. To address the gap, this brief summarizes the policy and program gaps in addressing nutrition actions, along with data gaps in population-based surveys in all the countries in the South Asia region, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Almost any economist will agree that education plays a key role in determining a country’s economic growth and standard of living, but what we know about education policy in developing countries is remarkably incomplete and scattered over decades and across publications. Education Policy in Developing Countries rights this wrong, taking stock of twenty years of research to assess what we actually know—and what we still need to learn—about effective education policy in the places that need it the most. Surveying many aspects of education—from administrative structures to the availability of health care to parent and student incentives—the contributors synthesize an impressive diversity of data, paying special attention to the gross imbalances in educational achievement that still exist between developed and developing countries. They draw out clear implications for governmental policy at a variety of levels, conscious of economic realities such as budget constraints, and point to crucial areas where future research is needed. Offering a wealth of insights into one of the best investments a nation can make, Education Policy in Developing Countries is an essential contribution to this most urgent field.

Policy-Making for Education Reform in Developing Countries aims at helping policymakers in developing countries better understand the processes and strategies for education reform, and the policy options available to them. This text focuses on the content of reform-options and strategies for achieving educational improvement at different levels of the system, e.g., primary, secondary, tertiary; for different sub-sectors, e.g., management, teachers; and for different purposes with which education systems are tasked, e.g., reaching peripheral groups of students, linking youth and employment. A holistic approach is increasingly recognized as essential to realizing the promises of education for the development of social and human capital-innovation in a global economy, sustained economic growth, social harmony and greater civic participation, decreased achievement gaps, and increased equity.

This study evaluates the effectiveness of the World Bank Group's support for health, nutrition, and population (HNP) in developing countries from 1997 to 2008 - totaling more than $17 billion - and distills lessons for greater impact in the future. It finds that the Bank Group now funds a smaller share of global support for HNP than a decade ago, but its support remains substantial and adds considerable value. About two-thirds of the Bank's HNP support has had satisfactory outcomes, often in difficult environments. But in a number of country settings, particularly in Africa, it has not performed well, in part due to high complexity and weak capacity. Only half of HNP support had a pro-poor focus, while support to reduce high fertility and promote family planning has dwindled. The evaluation highlights the contribution of investments in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene to improving the health of the poor and the lessons from support for sector-wide approaches, communicable disease control, and health reform. Moving forward, the World Bank needs to improve the performance of its HNP support and the Bank and IFC need to take actions to ensure their support reaches the poor and contributes greater social benefits, respectively.

The concept of food and nutrition security has evolved and risen to the top of the international policy agenda over the last decade. Yet it is a complex and multi-faceted issue, requiring a broad and inter-disciplinary perspective for full understanding. This Handbook represents the most comprehensive compilation of our current knowledge of food and nutrition security from a global perspective. It is organized to reflect the wide scope of the contents, its four sections corresponding to the accepted current definitional frameworks prevailing in the work of multilateral agencies and mainstream scholarship. The first section addresses the struggles and progression of ideas and debates about the subject in recent years. The other sections focus on three key themes: how food has been, is and should be made available, including by improvements in agricultural productivity; the ways in which politico-economic and social arenas have shaped access to food; and the effects of food and nutrition systems in addressing human health, known as food utilisation. Overall, the volume synthesizes a vast field of information drawn from agriculture, soil science, climatology, economics, sociology, human and physical geography, the nutrition and health sciences, environmental science and development studies.

Since the group of least developed countries (LDCs) was identified in 1971, only five countries have graduated from the group, all of which are characterised by small size or population. The projections are that the next decade will see a rapid increase in the pace of graduation, with Bangladesh in particular poised to be one of the largest countries, in terms of its economy and population, yet to leave the group. While previously many LDCs viewed the prospect of graduation with some apprehension, fearing significant erosion of international support, increasingly, the move is being seen as a more positive landmark. This book aims to articulate appropriate strategies and initiatives to help Bangladesh to maintain its developmental momentum and to prepare for a sustainable graduation in 2024. In doing so, the book explores themes such as key analytical issues of the LDC graduation paradigm, smooth transition and structural transformation, and post-graduation challenges and opportunities. Further, against the backdrop of Gross National Income per capita, the Human Assets Index and Economic Vulnerability Index goals required for graduation, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the 2030 Agenda will also be in the process of implementation. Whilst some feel that the two agendas might be in conflict, the book teases out some of the important synergies which can be drawn when LDCs are undertaking the journey of graduation in the era of the SDGs. The book also takes into cognisance the uncertain external environment and the emerging global scenario within which Bangladesh's graduation is to take place. Conceptual discourse around LDC graduation and the particular narrative around Bangladesh's journey towards LDC graduation will be of interest not only to scholars of Bangladesh, but also to researchers and policymakers with an interest in LDC graduation for other countries facing similar challenges.