This publication highlights a pilot project of UNESCO that seek to empower marginalized adolescent girls in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan through a broad-based capacity building programme. The pilot projects based in these four countries are interdisciplinary and rights-based and intervene at different levels. Apart from the major components of the capacity building programme designed to respond to the multidimensional needs of the adolescents girls, a major thrust is on the formulation of policy guidelines for ensuring equal development opportunities for girls and women living in poverty on a sub regional scale