REGIONAL SOUTH ASIA
Aid fact sheet: Updated October 2017
@DFAT DFAT.GOV.AU
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$25.4 MILLION ESTIMATED AUSTRALIAN ODA 2017-18
$19.8 MILLION REGIONAL BUDGET ESTIMATE 2017-18
$23.0 MILLION TOTAL AUSTRALIAN ODA ESTIMATED OUTCOME 2016-17
Australia has a growing trading and economic partnership with South Asia. Australia’s interests in South Asia are focused on promoting regional stability and economic growth to address persistent, underlying poverty and open the region to further trade and
investment opportunities.
Strategic direction
The South Asia Regional program seeks to promote stability, economic growth and regional cooperation by addressing region-wide barriers to sustainable economic growth.
The program takes a long-term approach with two inter- related objectives that support this goal:
• increased water, food and energy security in South Asia to facilitate economic growth and improve the livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable (particularly women and girls); and
• increased regional connectivity through trade facilitation and infrastructure connectivity.
Through these two objectives the program supports technical assistance, analysis and research, advocacy and policy reform. Gender equality is a focus of all
investments under the regional aid program.
The South Asia Regional program contributes towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development, particularly Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
ODA = Official Development Assistance
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25%
56%
7%
2%
5% 5%
Infrastructure and trade
Agriculture, Fisheries and Water
Effective governance
Education
Health
Building resilience
Australian ODA to Regional South Asia, by investment priorities 2017-18
Key framework document
South Asia Regional Aid Investment Plan 2015-16 to 2018-19
Program highlights
• Australia supported the improvement of energy efficiency and emissions reduction in the textiles industry in Bangladesh. Water usage was reduced by 2.8 million and power use by 470,000 MWh/year.
• Australia’s aid program trained 29,000 farmers, one third women, in sustainable agricultural practices in South Asia.
• Australia’s assessment of India’s rural road program informed the Indian state of Bihar’s policy decision to adopt
environmentally-optimised road design for 20 per cent of its rural roads.
• Through Australia’s support of the 9th South Asia Economic Summit, high-level policy makers and Ministers from South Asian countries developed a set of recommendations to create gender-sensitive trade policies.
