SAARC CONFERENCE
The SAARC Speakers at the conference.
among them, the others being emotional, psychological and spiritual wellbeing.
Md. Abdul Hamid Advocate said that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity in South Asia would be best achieved by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation amongst the countries in the region. To achieve sustainable development in the SAARC countries, it was necessary to address climate change and its negative impact as well as poverty. Participating in the discussion, Nimal Siripala de Silva, MP, and Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Management, Sri Lanka, expressed the view that any effort towards sustainable development had to be ecologically, socio-culturally and economically sustainable. Availability of funds; political will; equitable growth; and wiping out terrorism in the region were imperatives for the achievement of sustainable development, he also stressed. With Dr Mirza, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan, in the Chair, the fifth Session continued the discussion on the theme. Initiating the discussion, Ms Ali emphasized the need for
common plans and strategies for the SAARC countries to tackle the challenges of chronic poverty, iniquitous distribution of wealth, unemployment, environmental degradation, management of biodiversity, urbanization, etc. She suggested that the South, including the SAARC countries, had to take a common stand in global forums on the issue of environmental protection and climate change. Shri Chongshen Mongkosungkum Chang, MP, India, said that a SAARC Commission on the lines of the European Commission, if put in place, would help to strengthen cooperation among SAARC countries.
Mr Al Haj M. Iqbal Safi , MP,
Afghanistan, stressed that the SAARC Charter could be realized fully only when there was co- operation among the member countries in all respects. Ms Mabel Rebello, MP, India, made references to some of the best practices in the areas of health and child care in Indian states like Kerala and Tamil Nadu and pointed out that the SAARC countries could similarly evolve suitable models to bring about solutions to the challenges faced by the region, whether in meeting the MDGs, climate change or sustainable development. Mr Bhim Prasad Acharya, MP, Nepal, said that the main challenge before South Asia
was how to accelerate the pace of economic development without jeopardizing the environment for the future generations. Md. Motahar Hossain, MP, and State Minister for Primary and Mass Education, Bangladesh highlighted the various measures taken in Bangladesh towards sustainable development and elaborated the successes achieved in the MDGs such as primary education, reduction of child mortality and women’s empowerment. Mr Shahid said that Maldives was most vulnerable to climate change and sea rise. He noted that climate change was a rights issue for Maldives and the Right to Life needed to be ensured to the people which could only be attained, taking recourse to a sustainable pattern of development. Shri
E.T.Mohammed Basheer, MP, India, said that there was a close connection between economic development and environmental and cultural sustainability and these should go hand in hand.
He stressed the need to include environment related awareness programmes in the school curriculum. Mr Anisul Islam Mahmud, MP, Bangladesh, asserted that poverty alleviation was the most daunting challenge on the path of attaining sustainable development. He noted that the South Asian countries were not able to respond to the emergent problems of illiteracy, unemployment, etc. and appealed to all concerned to create a South Asian Development Bank to facilitate the attainment of the goals of sustainable development. Shri Nadendla Manohar, Speaker, Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, India drew the attention of the delegates to the problem of hygiene and sanitation in rural areas.
Ms Tariq called for enhanced co-operation among SAARC countries and noted that co- operation was about building bridges and sharing and caring. She appreciated the initiatives
taken by India towards sustainable development and called upon India to take the lead in this direction. In his concluding remarks, Md. Hamid said that there was unanimity amongst all the participants that the need for ensuring sustainable development was one of the prime challenges before all the SAARC countries. In this context, chronic poverty, climate change and its adverse impact on bio-diversity,
unemployment, industrial pollution, lack of basic drinking water facilities, etc. were perceived as some of the immediate challenges. It was unanimously felt that the propagation of democratic values, taking recourse to appropriate technology, addressing
environmental concerns, proactive approach to bring about institutional changes, et cetera. could help in ensuring sustainable development, he added. The conference concluded on
11 July when, in her concluding remarks, Smt Kumar said it was an educative experience for all Speakers and Parliamentarians to come together and exchange views on two very important subjects having a crucial bearing on the furtherance of democracy and development in South Asia. She pointed out that it was the onerous responsibility of the Parliaments and Parliamentarians to strengthen the roots of democracy in the region. She also emphasized the need to learn from one another’s experiences in protecting individual rights and promoting democratic values, rule of law and justice to meet people’s aspirations.
Earlier the Secretaries-General
of SAARC Parliaments and Principal Secretaries/ Secretaries of the Indian State Legislatures deliberated on two subjects: (i) Towards a paperless office: harnessing information and communication technologies in SAARC Parliaments; and (ii) meeting the information needs of the SAARC Parliaments.
The Parliamentarian | 2011: Issue Four | 329
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