H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of SAARC, delivered opening remarks during the Inaugural Session of the Eleventh SAARC Conference on Cooperation in Police Matters in Kathmandu today.

 

In his Address, the Secretary General lauded the initiative taken by Nepal in convening the Conference and expressed the hope that it will reinvigorate collaboration among the Police Authorities in the identified areas.

 

He said, “Law and order are crucial to the promotion of peace, security and stability in the region. These are essentially the prerequisites for social and economic development, and promotion and protection of human rights, contributing eventually to the welfare of our peoples, which is the cardinal objective of SAARC.” He further said, “SAARC represents the desire of our leaders to promote mutual trust, confidence and cooperation among the Member States. This is possible only when the region is safe and secure, on which depend the success and sustainability of every human endeavour.”

 

The full text of the Secretary General’s Address is attached.

 

The one-day Conference is attended by the Heads of Police Authorities or their representatives from the Member States. The Conference was preceded by the meetings of the SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk (STOMD) and SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) yesterday, both of which are operational in Colombo.

 

Besides reviewing progress in the implementation of the past decisions, the Conference is expected to consider the concept papers on SAARCPOL and SAARC Institute of Criminology, and networking among the Police Authorities and combating corruption, among others.

Kathmandu, 11 April 2018

ENDS