Population Council | Asia

ASIA
India

The Population Council has worked in India since the 1960s, when it established partnerships with several health and social science institutions. For almost 30 years, activities in India were managed from offices in New York and Bangkok. In 1994, the Council opened an office in New Delhi, initially to carry out the Asia and Near East operations research program, and then to serve as the regional office for South and East Asia. Today, the New Delhi office oversees programs in Bangladesh, India, and Vietnam.

Program Focus

Before the 1990s, the Council's focus in India was mainly on fertility, family planning, and contraceptive technologies. Following the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, the Council has worked with the government, nongovernmental organizations, the media, and other stakeholders to help translate the reproductive health agenda into policies and programs. Council staff have worked at the national, state, and local levels to help shape reproductive health policy, improve the quality of reproductive health services, and broaden knowledge about adolescents and the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Research and programs for the next five years are expected to include research on emerging issues, interventions and operations research to test the feasibility and effectiveness of promising program strategies, and the scaling up of successful pilot projects. Activities to disseminate and promote use of research findings will remain an integral part of the Council’s work, along with strengthening professional resources.

Highlights of Past and Present Work

Helped to advance the careers of more than 100 social and biomedical scientists.
Carried out pioneering work in improving the quality of reproductive health services; involving men as responsible partners in reproductive health matters; and focusing attention on the sexual and reproductive health of adolescents.
Developed the strategy and tools for reducing stigma and discrimination directed at people living with HIV and AIDS in health care settings nationwide.
Provided the framework used by the National AIDS Control Organization in addressing the needs of men who have sex with men.
Highlighted the need to evaluate the national antiretroviral therapy (ART) program through pioneering research on adherence to ART.
Played a key role in integrating emergency contraception into the national program.

Selected Projects

Current Projects

Assessing the Patterns and Drivers of Migration and Mobility of Sex Workers and Male Migrant Workers on the Move and Examining the Links with HIV Risk (12/05–12/08)
Health and Population Innovation (HPI) Fellowship Program (9/04–ongoing)
Youth in India: Situation and Needs Study (9/04–8/08)
Working Group on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (8/03–ongoing)
FRONTIERS projects
- Scaling Up the Systematic Screening Instrument Project in India (ongoing)
- Technical Assistance for Implementing Best Practices in the Asia and Near East Region (1/07–3/08)
- Scaling Up Utilization of the Quality Assurance (QA) Checklist in India (5/07–2/08)
- Increasing the Accessibility and Use of the IUD in India (3/06–2/08)
- Care and Support Services Provided to Rape Survivors at First Point of Contact in India and Bangladesh (6/07–12/07)
- Promoting Optimal Inter-pregnancy Intervals in India Through Integrated Public Delivery Systems (2/06–12/07)
- Extending Operations Research to the Problems of Scale Up: Costs, Compliance, and Effectiveness of Systematic Screening (9/05–12/07)
Horizons projects

Completed Projects