Taking stock of SAARCs progress

Taking stock of SAARCs progress

Meetings begin for the ministers inter summit session

5 February, 2011 - Measures adopted by all eight countries to promote regional tourism were one of the subjects discussed by south Asian association of regional corporation (SAARC) directors when they met today at the convention center in Thimphu.

The report on tourism is an outcome of the working group meeting in Kathmandu last month. The 40th meeting of the programming committee, is the first preceding meeting for the inter-summit session of council of ministers, which begins on February 8. Director of SAARC and regional organisations Sonam Tshong said the meeting is to take stock of the implementation of SAARC activities and decisions taken during the 16th SAARC summit.We have taken important decisions on energy, trade, climate change, transport an corporation in disasters, Sonam Tshong said. Todays meeting is where we discuss technical issues such as budget and capacity building which would then be put up to the standing committee of foreign secretaries.The meeting will also consider redistribution of chairs of six SAARC technical committees and four working groups, whose two-year term ended in January this year.In the technical committee, Bangladesh is the chair for agriculture and rural development, Afghanistan for women, youth and children and Bhutan for environment and forestry. India is the chair for three committees - health and population activities, science, technology and metrology, and transport (land, water, railway and civil aviation). Among the working groups, India is the chair for telecommunications and ICT, Sir Lanka for biotechnology, Nepal for tourism and Pakistan for energy.The session will also list SAARC activities for 2011. Bhutan will host three ministerial meetings for home, environment and health and a workshop on gross national happiness.Sonam Tshong said the meetings of directors and foreig! n secret aries are bureaucratic procedures where recommendations are reviewed before putting up to the ministers. Its a trouble shoot meeting, the director said. And as the chair of SAARC, we facilitate bilateral meetings and in doing so, help create a better political climate.Meanwhile, foreign secretaries have started arriving into the country for the standing committees meeting, which begins tomorrow. Bhutan will also have bilateral talks with all seven countries from tomorrow.Issues related to poverty alleviation, governance, economic and financial cooperation, transportation, agriculture, rural development and food security, environment and climate change, social development, narcotic drugs, terrorism and education will be discussed during the sessions.Around 86 delegates from the region will be attending the inter summit at the convention center, which has been decorated again with orchids from Kolkata.By Sonam Pelden



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