H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussian B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), called on Hon. Mr. Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal this morning. While felicitating the Minister on his assumption of the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal, the Secretary General expressed his good wishes for success in the important position in the Government. He also briefed the Foreign Minister on the status of ongoing activities of the SAARC process, including four ministerial meetings that have been held in a year and the forthcoming meeting of the Finance Ministers. 

The Minister expressed confidence that with his long diplomatic experience, active role being played by the Secretary General would be instrumental in carrying forward the SAARC process. He also assured him of full cooperation of the Government of Nepal in discharging his responsibilities as the Secretary General of SAARC as well as for effective functioning of the SAARC Secretariat. 

The Minister stated that SAARC should be instrumental in economic integration of South Asia through meaningful connectivity and trade among the Member States of SAARC. The Minister also stressed the need for strengthening the SAARC process in order to make it more efficient and capable in dealing with common problems and challenges being faced by South Asian people. He particularly underlined the need for poverty alleviation through concerted efforts under the auspices of SAARC as one fourth of the humanity lives in the region. While expressing Nepal’s commitment to the SAARC process, the Minister underscored the need for early convening of the Nineteenth SAARC Summit.   In this regard, the Minister highlighted the efforts being made by Nepal as the current Chair of SAARC to create conducive environment for early convening of the SAARC Summit and other meetings by consulting other Member States.  

The Secretary General commended continued support given by the Government of Nepal to the Secretariat. He also expressed the hope that the Minister as the Chair of the SAARC Council of Ministers would provide continuous help and guidance to the Secretariat for its effective functioning. The Secretary General also underscored the importance of regular holding of the SAARC Summits and other meetings of the SAARC mechanisms in order to create renewed momentum in regional cooperation. He also briefed the Minister on recent reforms introduced at the Secretariat to make it more efficient and responsive to the Member States and for enhancing the visibility of the SAARC process and upgradation of IT infrastructure. 

23 April 2018, SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu.

H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of SAARC, inaugurated Video Conferencing facility and digital library at the SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre in Bhaktapur, Nepal, today.

Addressing the officials present on the occasion, the Secretary General lauded the initiative taken by the Centre in creating the Video Conferencing facility. He expressed the hope that the facility will enable the Centre to carry out its functions more efficiently in a cost-effective manner, particularly through regular contacts with the members of its Governing Board and National Focal Points.

The Secretary General also appreciated the launching of the digital library, which he described as the “state-of-the art” facility in today’s world of Information Age. He expressed the hope that the digital library, which is accessible through a password, will be of great use to students and scholars in the pursuit of their learning. Medical Universities/Colleges and research institutions will also be able to benefit from the treasure of knowledge available in the digital library.

The Secretary General congratulated Dr. R. P. Bichha, Director of the Centre and his dedicated team on these achievements. He also thanked the Director for his able leadership in guiding the affairs of the Centre since his joining last year.

While in STAC, the Secretary General also addressed the participants attending the Workshop on e-Library organized by the Centre. On the occasion, he also distributed Staff of the Year Award-2017 to Mr. Krishna Basnet, Administrative Officer, and certificates of appreciation to three other officials of the Centre on their outstanding performance.

Since its establishment in 1994, STAC has been playing an important role in the control of Tuberculosis, particularly through the launch of the SAARC Regional Strategy for Control of TB in 2013.  In recognition of its outstanding performance, the Twenty-seventh Meeting of the Governing Board declared STAC as a Centre of Excellence.  

Besides STAC, SAARC has three other Regional Centres, namely, SAARC Agriculture Centre (Dhaka); SAARC Energy Centre (Islamabad); and SAARC Cultural Centre (Colombo). An interim Unit of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre is functional in Gujarat, India. These Centres facilitate collaboration among the Member States of SAARC in specialized fields.

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Kathmandu, 12 April 2018

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

H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial,  Secretary General of SAARC, addressed the SAARC Agriculture Centre(SAC)- Donor Consultation Meeting on SAARC Regional Agricultural Projects  in Kathmandu on 05 April 2018, as the Chief Guest.

In his address at the Inaugural Session, the Secretary General appreciated the coming to gether of the development partners to support SAARC's endeavours  in promoting  project­ based collaboration in agriculture. He said, "This meeting assumes considerable significance in our bid to intensify project-based collaboration in agriculture." He further said, "On behalf of the SAARC Development Fund,  which is the umbrella funding mechanism of SAARC, I also wish to express  our willingness  to  join hands with our development partners in implementing agriculture-related projects in the region."

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

The  two-day Consultation Meeting, which  is being organized jointly by the SAARC Agriculture Centre, Dhaka, and the International Food Policy Research  Institute (IFPRI), brings together representatives of the Member States of SAARC and development partners for consideration of agriculture-related projects in the region.

During the Meeting, the SAARC Agriculture Centre presented seven project proposals for consideration of the donor community.

The Centre, which is one of SAARC's Centres of Excellence, has  been operational in Dhaka, Bangladesh, since 1988. It facilitates research and development and project-based collaboration in agriculture in the region.

Kathmandu, 06 April 2018