The Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), through its Sustainable Development Investment Portfolio (SDIP), aims to address water, food, and energy security in South Asia through better regional cooperation, policy reform, technology transfer, and capacity building targeting the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly women and girls.

The 2018 SDIP Annual Dialogue is being hosted by DFAT at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The meeting is designed with the following objectives:

1. To collectively take stock of progress of the portfolio six years into a 12-year strategy and two years into the current four-year cycle.
2. To create space for partners to learn from each other and consider:
   • How they might better nuance and position their approaches to push progress and make more of an impact.
   • Synergies in their programmes and opportunities for sharing relevant knowledge or networks; points for targeted
     high yield engagement and/or collaboration.
3. To get updates on key shifts/changes in the six focus areas where there is a concentration of SDIP and partner activity, and explore the positioning and contribution of SDIP to those changes (for inclusion in the SDIP Portfolio-level Annual Report).
• Provide an opportunity for collective learning and analysis between SDIP partners and partners working under the DFID-funded South Asia Water Governance Programme (SAWGP).
• Assess what has been contributed and learnt and what the future direction is in terms of common themes in the context of transboundary water in South Asia.
4. To provide a space for DFAT to share/shape key priorities or areas for particular attention in the coming year.