Regional, not capital-centric
Equitable representation from all nine targeted countries is a founding commitment, not an aspiration. Smaller states are not treated as footnotes to larger ones.
A nonpartisan institute for South Asian policy
Dedicated to promoting freedom in foreign and regional policies across nine nations — and to making sure the evidence behind that policy is produced in the region itself.
Who We Are
The Institute
SAFI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank dedicated to promoting freedom in foreign and regional policies in South Asia. The Institute collaborates with nine South Asian nations and their neighboring countries connected by land: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Together, we strive to influence public policy in South Asia without any constraints of regional dominance.
SAFI’s mission is to conduct credible public opinion research and to influence South Asia’s foreign and domestic policy through in-depth research and analysis. We endeavor to be an essential voice on foreign and regional policy issues in South Asia, ensuring equitable representation from all nine targeted countries.
Our Mission
To inform, engage, and equip policymakers in South Asia by addressing gaps in foreign and public policy through analysis, opinion research, and foster informed public discourse, focused on locally driven solutions and free from any regional dominance.
Adopted at the founding of the South Asia Freedom Institute.
What we do
SAFI conducts policy-relevant studies, public opinion research, and data analysis to identify gaps in scholarship and policymaking, as well as engage in community development activities. We focus on several program areas, including Regional Security, Democracy, Election, Governance, Sustainable Development, Conflict Management, Youth, Gender & Vulnerability, Refugee and Migration, Foreign Policy & Diaspora Studies, and Religious and Cultural Freedom. For each of these areas, we aim to create a Policy Lab under the institute.
Who we serve
SAFI’s targeted groups include, but are not limited to, youth, scholars, students, experts, academics, vulnerable populations, refugees, immigrants, and practitioners.
- Youth, students and emerging scholars
- Experts, academics and practitioners
- Vulnerable populations, refugees and immigrants
What Sets SAFI Apart
Not another commentary shop
South Asia is not short of institutes that publish opinion. It is short of institutions that collect their own evidence, represent the whole region, and say plainly where the data runs out.
Evidence we generate ourselves
Original public opinion research and data collection sit at the centre of the Institute — with instruments, sampling frames and weighting published alongside every finding.
Free from regional dominance
SAFI works to influence public policy in South Asia without the constraints of regional dominance, and without alignment to any government or political party.
Our Objectives
Three commitments that shape every project
Narrative Change
We aim to highlight positive trends, increase awareness and visibility, and research social, cultural, and political narratives.
Youth Engagement
We strive to bridge the gap between policy, leadership, and young people by gathering data and fostering informed public discourse.
Scholarship Development
We seek to enhance emerging scholarship and contribute to high-quality research and policy analysis through data collection and resource exchange with global partners.
How we pursue them
SAFI aims to achieve its objectives through public opinion research, policy analysis, action research, and community development programs.
- Identifying and understanding priorities to inform policymakers and stakeholders in South Asia, enabling them to address challenges effectively.
- Enhancing government and institutional capacity by incorporating South Asian perspectives and bridging the divide between policymakers.
- Recognizing and addressing the resource gap in scholarship between South Asians and their international counterparts.
- Conducting opinion polls and data collection to drive policy analysis, foster debate, and focus shifting attitudes in both South Asia and the diaspora.
- Producing policy briefs on South Asian issues to be shared with a wide audience, including government and non-government policymakers.
- Promoting better understanding between the United States and the nations of South Asia, especially the countries in Indian peripheries.
- Providing students and young professionals with a practical approach to understanding policy issues related to US–South Asia relations through community development activities, internships, and professional development programs.
Where We Work
Nine nations, connected by land
The Institute collaborates with nine South Asian nations and their neighboring countries connected by land. Together, we strive to influence public policy in South Asia without any constraints of regional dominance.
Bangladesh
Dhaka
India
New Delhi
Pakistan
Islamabad
Myanmar
Naypyidaw
Nepal
Kathmandu
Afghanistan
Kabul
Sri Lanka
Colombo
Bhutan
Thimphu
Maldives
Malé
SAFI is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that serves as a think tank dedicated to promoting freedom in foreign and regional policies in South Asia. The Institute collaborates with nine South Asian nations and their neighboring countries connected by land.
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and the Maldives — with equitable representation from all nine targeted countries as a founding commitment.
No. SAFI is nonpartisan and nonprofit. The Institute works to influence public policy in South Asia without any constraints of regional dominance.
SAFI’s targeted groups include, but are not limited to, youth, scholars, students, experts, academics, vulnerable populations, refugees, immigrants, and practitioners.
Through community development activities, internships, and professional development programs that provide a practical approach to understanding policy issues related to US–South Asia relations. See the Get Involved page for current openings.
SAFI is a nonprofit institute supported by grants, institutional partnerships, and individual contributions. Funding sources for each research programme are disclosed in the publications they support.
Work with SAFI
Evidence that reaches the people who decide.
Partner with the Institute, join a policy lab, or apply for an internship. We work with researchers, institutions, and communities across all nine nations and the diaspora.