The Sixth SAARC-ADB Special Meeting on Regional Economic Integration Study (Ph-II) was held in Kathmandu on 24-25 October 2024. The theme of the meeting was ‘Cross Border Trade in South Asia: Prospects and Challenges’.  

The Meeting was attended by delegations from the SAARC Member States. Representatives of the Commerce, Finance and Foreign Ministries of the SAARC Member States gathered to discuss the implementation status of seven prioritized recommendations of the Regional Economic Integration Study (Phase-II) conducted by ADB. The Sixth SAARC-ADB Special Meeting on Regional Economic Integration was held with the financial and technical assistance of ADB.

The delegates discussed actions taken at the national level for implementation of the seven recommendations of the Study, namely, implementation of SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services (SATIS); Reduction/Removal of Non-Tariff Barriers (NTBs) and Para-Tariff Barriers (PTBs); Investment Cooperation; Reduction of products in the Sensitive Lists; Trade Facilitation Measures; Energy Cooperation and Improvement in Connectivity (rail, road, air, maritime) among the Member States.  

The delegates also deliberated on different aspects of Cross Border Trade in South Asia, its prospects and challenges.

SAARC Secretariat

Kathmandu, Nepal

25 October 2024