Kaisay signs knowledge partnership with Sri Lanka's Marga Institute

Agreement follows Bangladesh partnership as Pakistani podcast platform eyes Nepal next

Pakistani podcast and media platform Kaisay, with Raja Jawad, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sri Lanka’s Marga Institute, establishing the research organisation as its knowledge partner for Sri Lanka-focused work.

The agreement was signed at the Marga Institute in Colombo on Saturday by Kaisay founder and host Raja Jawad and Amar Gunatilleke, Executive Vice Chairman of the institute, in the presence of representatives from both organisations, according to a press release.

Under the MoU, the two organisations will share research and perspectives on social and development issues, with specific activities to be jointly developed.

“South Asia has more to gain when we listen to one another with curiosity and respect,” Jawad said, adding that Pakistan and Sri Lanka, despite their different experiences, face several common challenges involving livelihoods, education and opportunity.

“Kaisay South Asia aims to bring the people working on those questions into a wider conversation,” he said, describing Marga’s knowledge of Sri Lanka as an important addition to the initiative.

Gunatilleke said research was most useful when it reached people and informed public discussion.

“We welcome the opportunity to share Sri Lankan perspectives with audiences in Pakistan and across the region, while learning from experiences elsewhere,” he said.

Sri Lanka is the second country where Kaisay South Asia has established a knowledge partnership. The platform earlier signed a separate MoU with Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID), a Dhaka-based policy research organisation, for its Bangladesh-focused work.

Kaisay said the two partnerships were country-specific, with RAPID working on Bangladesh-related initiatives and Marga supporting its Sri Lanka-focused activities. The platform plans to expand its regional work to Nepal next, with details to be developed separately.

The Marga Institute is an independent, non-profit Centre for Development Studies established in Sri Lanka in 1972. It conducts multidisciplinary research on development and disseminates its work through education and training, publications and civil society engagement.