H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), addressed the Opening Session of the South Asian Regional Conference “Weaving the Web” in Kathmandu this morning. He was a Special Guest at the event.

 

The Conference, which was organized by Sankalpa – Women’s Alliance for Peace, Justice and Democracy – brought together eminent women representatives from the South Asian countries to discuss measures to promote the welfare of women in order to bring them into the mainstream of socio-economic development.

 

Addressing the Opening Session of the Conference, the Secretary General said, “Since the promotion of women’s welfare and empowerment is at the forefront of SAARC’s agenda, we greatly value the holding of this Conference to strengthen partnerships among women in the region.”

 

The Secretary General said that SAARC is a regional organization created primarily to promote the welfare of the peoples of this region. As women constitute almost 50% of the region’s population, since the inception of SAARC, the South Asian leaders have underscored the need to bring them into the mainstream of socio-economic development. Their unequivocal resolve to empower women culminated in the adoption of the SAARC Social Charter, which incorporates a broad range of targets to be achieved for women’s social and economic emancipation, he added.

 

Besides the SAARC Social Charter, the Secretary General shed light on SAARC’s several other inter-governmental mechanisms dealing with the promotion of the status of women. They include Ministerial Meetings on Women; Technical Committee on Women, Youth and Children; SAARC Gender Policy Advocacy Group; and Regional Convention to combat trafficking of women and children for prostitution. He stated that SAARC also collaborates with several UN Specialized Agencies, including UNWomen, in promoting women’s welfare and empowerment.

 

Highlighting the importance of education in empowering women, the Secretary General said, “The first and foremost pre-requisite is the education of our girls that will certainly be a catalyst for socio-economic development, improvement in the quality of life and reducing poverty.” He said that educated women will be able to play even greater role in all walks of life, including at senior policy-making levels. “The powerful tool of education will help in mainstreaming of women and making them economically empowered and financially independent.”

 

Concluding his remarks at the Opening Session, he said, “This Conference is a good initiative to bring together a large number of women advocates from the region to contemplate measures to collectively address the challenges that women face.”

 

Kathmandu, 25 January 2019

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“The role and status of women have been changing rapidly due to growing industrialization and globalization, supported by conducive social legislations and legal instruments. With the ever-changing socio-cultural values, and spread of education and awareness, women are increasingly engaging themselves in professional activities, including entrepreneurship,” said H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He made these remarks addressing the Best Woman Entrepreneur Award-2018 Function in Kathmandu on 11 January 2019. He was the Chief Guest at the function.

 

“More and more women are increasingly occupying higher positions in the Government, judiciary, parliament and political parties. We are proud that in South Asia, we currently have a lady Head of State in Nepal and a lady Head of Government in Bangladesh,” stated the Secretary General at the function.

 

He said that SAARC is a regional organization created primarily to promote the welfare of the peoples of this region. Convinced that women, who constitute almost 50% of the population, are South Asia’s strength, the SAARC Leaders have underscored the need for bringing them fully into the mainstream of socio-economic development, he added. He also shed light on the initiatives taken by SAARC in empowering women, with particular reference to the SAARC Social Charter and the Regional Convention for Women, and inter-governmental mechanisms, including the mechanism of Ministerial Meetings on Women. “In essence, since its inception in December 1985, SAARC’s focus has been on promoting women’s education; protecting their rights; ensuring that they are free from all sorts of discrimination; and above all, empowering them economically.”

 

In concluding his remarks, the Secretary General congratulated the recipient and runners up of the Best Woman Entrepreneur Award from Nepal for 2018. He expressed the confidence that such Awards will encourage them to work even harder to establish themselves as role models for other women entrepreneurs. He also commended the immense contribution being made by women of Nepal in the socio-economic development of the country.

 

Organized by Nepal Chapter of the SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs’ Council, the Best Woman Entrepreneur Award-2018 competition received some 30 applications from promising entrepreneurs from Nepal. A panel of judges from Nepal narrowed down the list of aspirant winners to 20 in the first round, out of which 10 were shortlisted for the Award in the second round. The third round of selection decided on one winner and two runners up of the Award.

 

The winner of the Award from Nepal will compete in the Best Woman Entrepreneur Award from the SAARC Region for 2018 being organized by the SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs’ Council in Colombo in March next year.

 

Established in 2001 in Colombo under the auspices of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an Apex Body of SAARC, the Women Entrepreneurs’ Council has been doing a commendable job in promoting women entrepreneurship across the region.

Kathmandu, 11 January 2019

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“The South Asian countries are heirs to a rich tradition of dance and music from the ancient times. The dance traditions of our countries have evolved drawing inspiration from each other,” said H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). He was addressing the Closing Ceremony of the SAARC Cultural Festival on Traditional Dance in Kathmandu this evening.

 

Organized by the SAARC Cultural Centre in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Nepal, the four-day Festival brought together artists from the Member States to showcase their talents as well as some of the best classical dances of the region.

 

“In today’s world where many elements of culture and traditions are being overshadowed due to the impact of globalization, our artists have largely managed to keep alive South Asia’s dance traditions,” the Secretary General said. “Events such as this Festival play an important role in preserving and promoting the traditional dances of the SAARC region.”

 

The Secretary thanked the SAARC Cultural Centre for making sustained efforts in preserving the region’s cultural and traditional heritage through events as this Festival.

 

He also thanked the Government of Nepal, particularly the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, in facilitating the organization of the Festival in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu, 14 December 2018

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H. E. Mr. Amjad Hussain B. Sial, Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) addressed the Opening Session of the Seventh International Conference of the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons in Kathmandu last evening. He was the Guest of Honour at the Opening Session.

 

Organized by the International Society of Obstetric Fistula Surgeons, the two-day Conference brought together some 200 surgeons, medical professionals and experts from around the world and Nepal to discuss prevention and cure of Obstetric Fistula, a medical condition of some women as a result of complication in childbirth.

 

Addressing the Opening Session, the Secretary General congratulated the Society for organizing the Conference. He said, “This Conference is of enormous significance to SAARC as a regional organization, which accords high priority to the well-being of women in South Asia, including their health. We believe that the empowerment of women socially, economically and politically is crucially important to achieve greater progress and prosperity in our societies.”

 

In his Address, the Secretary General described Obstetric Fistula as “a serious health hazard” to many women. He said, “Our ultimate objective is to prevent and cure fistula. We should also make sustained endeavours to rehabilitate and reintegrate all those women who are already suffering from it. They should be enabled to live a healthy, comfortable and dignified life. Let us work together to achieve this humane objective.”

 

He highlighted that programmes that improve nutrition, delay the age of first pregnancy, improve family planning and increase access to maternal and obstetric care are necessary to prevent obstetric fistula. He asserted, “On the whole, preventing obstetric fistula requires overall improvement in the status of women.”

 

Kathmandu, 06 December 2018

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