H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC, returned to Kathmandu today from Bhutan. He was visiting Bhutan on an introductory visit from 18 to 19 May 2014. He was accompanied by his spouse, Mrs. Pabitra Thapa.

During the visit, His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, the King of Bhutan received H. E. Mr. Thapa in audience yesterday. Mrs. Thapa was also present on the occasion.

H. E. the Foreign Minister of Bhutan hosted a dinner in Thimphu in honour of H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC and his spouse on 19 May.

Matters pertaining to the strengthening of SAARC’s mechanisms figured prominently during these meetings in Thimphu. In addition to the SAARC Secretariat, SAARC has a host of inter-governmental mechanisms, eleven Regional Centres and four specialized bodies. A Comprehensive Study prepared recently by the Secretariat spells out measures to make SAARC a robust and dynamic regional entity. Several recommendations made in the Study have already been approved by the Inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers held in February 2014 in the Maldives, while the Secretariat is preparing some more studies in support of other recommendations in the Comprehensive Study.

Another subject that came under discussion in Thimphu related to the Eighteenth SAARC Summit to be hosted by Nepal in November 2014. During the February Session of the Council of Ministers, Nepal offered to host the Summit in November 2014. The Seventeenth SAARC Summit was held in the Maldives in November 2011.

H. E. Mr. Thapa assumed charge as Secretary-General of SAARC from 1 March 2014. As part of his familiarization visits to Member States, he has visited India, Bangladesh and Bhutan, besides paying introductory calls on the Nepalese leadership in early March. He is scheduled to visit Pakistan from 1 to 3 June 2014. Dates for his visits to Afghanistan, Maldives and Sri Lanka are being worked out in consultation with the concerned Foreign Ministries.

Mr. Singye Dorjee, Director, accompanied H. E. the Secretary-General and his spouse to Bhutan on the introductory visit.

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SAARC Secretariat pays tribute to Late Krishna Maharjan

The SAARC Secretariat held a condolence meeting at its premises in Kathmandu today to pay homage to late Krishna Maharjan. He passed away on 19 May 2014 of liver cirrhosis. He was 58.  

Addressing the condolence meeting, H. E. Mr. Arjun B.Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC, remembered Late Maharjan as a dedicated staff who attended to his work most sincerely and diligently. “Though I have not had a chance to meet him, I have been given to understand that his performance was superb,” he said. “I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved members of his family. I would also like to wish the departed soul eternal peace!”

Speaking on behalf of all the officials of the Secretariat, Mr. Dhan Bahadur Oli, Director (Administration), recalled Late Maharjan as a hardworking and sincere official. He recounted the efficient and responsible manner in which late Maharjan performed his duties at the Secretariat. He expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved members of his family. He conveyed sincere prayers for the endless peace of the departed soul.

Born in Chapagaon, Lalitpur of Nepal, Late Maharjan joined the SAARC Secretariat on 17/05/1993. He served the Secretariat continuously for 20 years as a chauffeur.

A dear colleague and fine human being, Late Maharjan will be missed by all the officials of the Secretariat.

My colleagues at the SAARC Secretariat and I are deeply saddened over the loss of life of many people and the damage of colossal property caused by the recent landslides in northeastern Afghanistan.
 

At these moments of immense grief, my colleagues and I would like to express to the Government and the people of Afghanistan our heartfelt sympathy. We would also like to take this opportunity to convey our deepest condolences to the members of the bereaved families.

On behalf of the officials of the SAARC Secretariat, I would like to take this opportunity also to present a voluntary contribution representing their half a day’s salary to the affected people.

With the bravery and unity that the people of Afghanistan have always demonstrated at such testing moments in history, I remain confident that the country is in a position to cope with the aftermath of this unprecedented calamity.

Secretary-General, SAARC

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As part of his introductory visits to the Member States, H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC, visited Dhaka from 24 to 25 April 2014. He returned to Kathmandu on 28 April 2014.

During the visit, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC paid a courtesy call on Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh on 24 April 2014. During the meeting, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC apprised H. E. the Prime Minister about the current state of regional cooperation under the auspices of SAARC, with particular reference to the Eighteenth SAARC Summit to be hosted by Nepal in November 2014.

H. E. the Prime Minister congratulated H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on assuming charge as Secretary-General of SAARC. She expressed firm commitment of the Government of Bangladesh to the SAARC process for the common good of peoples in the region.

During the visit, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC also called on H. E. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and H. E. Mr. Md. Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh on separate occasions on 24 April 2014. During these meetings, H. E. the Secretary-General highlighted the important decisions taken by the Inter-Summit Session of the SAARC Council of Ministers and its preceding meetings held in the Maldives in February 2014.

H. E. the Secretary-General attended a luncheon hosted in his honour by the Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh on 24 April 2014.

While in Dhaka, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC also visited the South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) based in Dhaka.

H.E. the Secretary-General of SAARC was accompanied by Mr. Tareque Muhammad, Director during the introductory visit.

Following his introductory visit, H. E. the Secretary-General attended the Second Meeting of the Cabinet Secretaries of the SAARC Member States held in Dhaka from 26 to 27 April 2014

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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and UN Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote gender equality, gender justice and the empowerment of women among the countries in the South Asian region.

UN Women’s (previously UNIFEM) partnership with SAARC on gender equality and women’s issues dates back to 1996.  Inspired by shared goals and common concerns, SAARC and UN Women signed an MoU on 31 December 2001, which was later renewed in December 2007.

On 15 April 2014, H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC and Dr. Rebecca Tavares, Representative, UN Women Multi Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives   and Sri Lanka signed a fresh MoU between SAARC and UN Women for continued partnership for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.  The signing ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the SAARC Secretariat and UN Women Representatives from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan Media personnel were also present on the occasion.

Promotion of regional cooperation on issues related to trafficking, economic empowerment, political leadership and decision-making and violence against women (VAW), including safe mobility has been identified as the key areas of cooperation between the two organizations. Through the newly signed MoU, SAARC and UN Women have agreed to collaborate on the development and implementation of a SAARC Gender Equality and Empowerment Programme.

While expressing satisfaction over the signing of the MoU, H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC stated, “Ever since the inception of SAARC, issues related to women have figured prominently on the SAARC agenda for regional cooperation and in addition to the many regional instruments SAARC has initiated a number of regional projects for women empowerment and gender equality in the region.”

Delivering her remarks on the occasion, Dr. Rebecca Tavares, UN Women Representative said “UN Women puts a very high value on its partnership with the SAARC Secretariat. We have a shared vision on gender issues, articulated in the MoU that UN Women (then UNIFEM) and the Secretariat signed in 2001 to support Member Countries in meeting the goals of gender equality and in promoting mutual learning and cross fertilization. We are pleased to renew our MoU with SAARC for continued partnership for the next three years.”

The MoU signed today will remain valid for three years and is renewable.

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