The two-day Meeting of the 53rd Session of the SAARC Programming Committee concluded in Kathmandu today. The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Mani Prasad Bhattarai, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Nepal.   All SAARC Member States participated in the Meeting.

In his opening address yesterday, H.E Arjun Bahadur Thapa, Secretary General of SAARC highlighted the progress made by SAARC since the last meeting held in Pokhara in March 2016. As the Secretary General is completing his term of office as the 12th Secretary General of SAARC on 28 February 2017, he thanked all the Member States for extending their unflinching support and cooperation in discharge of his responsibilities during his tenure. He expressed satisfaction over having the opportunity to head the Association during the past three years and working for the peoples of the region as mandated by the SAARC Charter.

As one of the Charter bodies entrusted primarily with the responsibility to deal with the administrative and financial matters of the SAARC Secretariat and its Bodies, the Committee also considered the reports emanating from the various SAARC Bodies.

The Meeting delegations were led by Joint Secretaries/Directors General of SAARC/Regional Organizations divisions of the Ministries of Foreign/External Affairs of the SAARC Member States. Directors of the SAARC Regional Centres and Heads of the SAARC Specialized Bodies also attended the meeting.

 

2 February 2017

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H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), hosted a Reception this evening to commemorate the Thirty-first SAARC Charter Day.

The Rt. Hon. Nanda Babadur Pun, Vice President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal graced the occasion as Chief Guest.

Since the establishment of the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu in 1987, it has been customary for the Secretary-General to host such an event every year to mark the Charter Day.

The Reception organized at Hotel Radisson in Kathmandu to mark the Thirty-first SAARC Charter Day brought together the Ministers, Secretaries and high officials from the Government; Heads of Diplomatic Missions, and regional and international organizations based in Kathmandu; representatives of civil society; entrepreneurs from the business community; and people from various walks of life.

SAARC was launched at the first-ever Summit meeting of the Heads of State or Government held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, following a series of brainstorming sessions among the Senior Officials, Foreign Secretaries and Foreign Ministers of its Member States.  As defined in its Charter, the principal objectives of the Association are to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life through accelerated economic cooperation, social progress and cultural development in the region.

SAARC is a regional organization born out of the consciousness that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity are best achieved in the South Asian region by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States, which are bound by ties of history and culture.    

SAARC has witnessed eighteen Summit meetings so far, with the last one held in Kathmandu, Nepal, in November 2014, under the theme, Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity. Pakistan will play host to the Nineteenth SAARC Summit during the last quarter of 2016.

SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as members.

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 The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to foster collaboration between the two organizations in mutually agreed areas.
 
SAARC comprises Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as its members, while CIRDAP consists of six SAARC Countries (excepting Bhutan and the Maldives) as well as Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, with its headquarters based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
 
H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC, and Dr. Cecep Effendi, Director-General of CIRDAP inked the Memorandum of Understanding at the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu today. The present MoU replaces the erstwhile MoU signed in 2007 that expired in 2010.
 
The MoU signed today stands to open up a vista of opportunities for both the organizations to complement each other’s efforts in rural development and implement joint projects.  Prospective areas of cooperation outlined in the MoU include: rural development and women empowerment through agro-processing, promoting inter-regional trade in agricultural products, adopting techniques of climate smart agriculture,  generating user friendly database on rural statistics, establishing a virtual and multi-stakeholder supported Rural Development Information System (RDIS), formulating and implementing strategic Action Plan for rural development in the region and adopting an Integrated Rural Development Policy for South Asia.  
 
CIRDAP was established in 1979 in Dhaka to assist its membership in national action, promote regional cooperation and act as a servicing institution for the promotion of integrated rural development in the Asia Pacific region. SAARC came into existence in 1985 with the principal objectives of promoting the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and improving their quality of life by accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region. 

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H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) paid courtesy calls on Afghan dignitaries on 2nd and 3rd September 2015 during his visit to Afghanistan in connection with the Sixth Regional Economic Cooperation on Afghanistan (RECCA-VI), “The Silk Road through Afghanistan” held in Kabul on 3-4 September 2015.

 

During his calls on H.E. Dr. Ashraf Ghani, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and H. E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, the Chief Executive of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC, while thanking the high dignitaries for receiving him, stated that it was his long-cherished wish to visit Afghanistan.  He also briefed the dignitaries on the current status of regional cooperation under the auspices of SAARC with particular reference to regional connectivity and economic integration.  Recalling the signing of the Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation during the last SAARC Summit, H. E. the Secretary-General requested esteemed Government of Afghanistan to complete internal procedures to make the Agreement to come into effect. He also requested Afghanistan to speed up the process of ratification of other SAARC agreements, especially, the SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters. 

 

H. E. the Secretary-General expressed appreciation to Afghanistan for playing its due role in contributing towards the objectives of SAARC since its joining the Association in April 2007.  He also thanked Afghanistan for holding a number of important meetings as well as for its offers to hold SAFTA meetings during October 2015. 

 H.E. the President of Afghanistan Dr. Ashraf Ghani expressed his Government’s unflinching commitment towards meeting all the obligations arising out of the legal instruments adopted by SAARC. He also conveyed his deep condolences to the Government and people of Nepal over the losses caused by the devastating earthquake. He expressed his confidence that the government and people of Nepal will successfully cope with the aftermath of the disaster.

 The Chief Executive of Afghanistan, H.E. Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, while terming regional and international cooperation a vital factor in the prosperity of Afghanistan, reaffirmed Afghanistan’s support and commitment to SAARC.  

 While in Kabul, H. E. the Secretary-General met H. E. Mr. Salahuddin Rabbani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan over a luncheon during which they exchanged views on SAARC-related issues.

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