VOL.VII, NO.3
MARCH 1996
SECOND ROUND OF TRADE NEGOTIATIONS UNDER SAPTA BEGINS
The Second Round of Trade Negotiations under SAPTA was launched in Sri Lanka by the
Meeting of Inter-Governmental Group on Trade Liberalisation held in Colombo on March 14-15,
1996. The Meeting was held under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Internal and External
Trade, Commerce and Food of Sri Lanka, N.V.K.K. Weragoda. All Member States participated
in the Meeting and held bilateral/multilateral trade negotiations for expanding the lists of products
and deepening the tariff cuts under SAPTA. The SAARC Secretariat was represented by Director,
Ashok K. Attri.
The President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga sent a message to the Meeting in which she reiterated Sri Lanka's commitment to implement all components of SAPTA for timely launching of South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). The Meeting was inaugurated by Kingsley T. Wickramaratne, Minister of Internal and External Trade, Commerce and Food of Sri Lanka. In the Inaugural Session, Ashok K. Attri, Director, SAARC Secretariat outlined the background and mandate of the meeting.
The Inter-Governmental Group held in-depth discussion on modalities for conducting trade negotiations including various approaches like product-by-product basis, across the board tariff reductions, tariff reduction on sectoral basis and by adopting direct trade measures. The Group decided to conduct trade negotiations by adopting a combination of these approaches, without precluding the product-by-product approach. The Group also agreed on the need of fast-track approach for negotiations to conclude the Second Round of Trade Negotiations by July 31, 1996. The Meeting further agreed that all attempts should be made to realise SAFTA by the year 2000 A.D.
Sri Lanka proposed that all businessmen in the region should be given SAARC Visa Exemption stickers for free mobility within the region and informed that in Sri Lanka no restriction are applicable on visits of businessmen from the region. It was also recommended that a special meeting of the Group should be held to examine broad spectrum of trade facilitation measures such as transport, professional and financial services, port, shipping, air transport etc.
The Group felt that the SAARC Secretariat should continue to procure latest trade publications and computerised trade databases available on CD-ROMs developed by UN organisations like World Bank, IMF, ESCAP etc. to disseminate information from the same to the concerned economic researchers etc. and to assist IGG by providing latest possible information. The Group also felt that on-line information service "SAARCNet" of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) should also be available in the Secretariat for the purpose of promotion of foreign trade of SAARC Member Countries.
Bearing in mind the economic conditions of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in the SAARC region, the Meeting also decided to keep a day earmarked in the next IGG Meeting, to be held in June 1996, for discussion on LDCs.
SECOND MEETING OF CHAIRPERSONS OF THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEES, WITH PARTICIPATION OF NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS FROM SAARC MEMBER COUNTRIES, HELD
The Second Meeting of Chairpersons of the Technical Committees, with participation of National Focal Points from SAARC Member Countries, was held at the SAARC Secretariat on 29-30 March 1996. The Meeting was opened by Prabal S.J.B. Rana, Director, SAARC Secretariat and was attended by participants from all Member States. Dr. A.K. Kundu, Deputy Director-General (P), Directorate-General of Health Services, Government of India and Chairman of the Technical Committee on Health, Population Activities and Child Welfare was elected as Chairman of the Meeting.
SAARC Secretary-General, Naeem U. Hasan made a brief statement in which he underscored the need for effective functioning of the Technical Committees.
The Meeting focused on specific issues such as the conduct of meetings of the Technical Committees; selection, preparation, holding and reporting on the activities under Technical Committees; implementation of decisions and recommendations from various activities; and monitoring, evaluation and coordination.
The Meeting underlined the need for sustained efforts by Member States to implement the recommendations/decisions of the First Meeting of Chairpersons of Technical Committees (MCTC) as well as the First Special Session of Standing Committee at the earliest, to the extent possible, in order to improve the functioning of the Technical Committees to make them more cost effective and result-oriented.
The Meeting stressed the need to conform to the relevant decisions of the First Special Session of the Standing Committee with regard to monitoring, evaluation and coordination. It requested the SAARC Secretary-General to include in his Analytical Report his recommendations on possible measures to strengthen the evaluation mechanism.
The Meeting felt the need for greater interaction between the National Focal Points and the Sectoral Focal Points for effective implementation of SAARC activities being hosted in each Member State.
To further strengthen inter-sectoral coordination, the Meeting felt that all Technical Committees should exchange their Reports with each other through the SAARC Secretariat. It requested the SAARC Secretariat to circulate to all Member States the comments, if any, received from the Chairpersons of the Technical Committees through National Focal Points.
Among the other recommendations made by the Meeting, it was proposed that in the Second Decade of SAARC, selection of activities should be done increasingly with the aim of implementing concrete programmes and projects including transfer of technology, human resources development and harnessing of natural resources in the region as envisaged in the SAARC Charter and as also contained in the directives of the First Special Session of the Standing Committee.
MEETING OF THE SAARC NATIONAL FOCAL POINTS TO CONSIDER SAARC
YOUTH AWARDS SCHEME, HELD
The National Focal Points (NFPs) from all Member States met at the SAARC Secretariat,
Kathmandu on March 29-30 1996 to consider the proposed SAARC Youth Awards Scheme
(SYAS). The Scheme has been designed with the objective of providing suitable recognition to
outstanding young talents and encourage the overall development of the youth in the region. The
Meeting was opened by Ahmed Latheef, Director, SAARC Secretariat. National Focal Point from
India, Sudhir Vyas was elected as Chairperson of the Meeting.
After detailed deliberations, the meeting finalised the SAARC Youth Awards Scheme and recommended it for the Council of Ministers' approval. The Meeting recommended that for the first three years, only one award would be given each year under the Scheme. In the first year the award would be for "Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare" and in subsequent years, awards would be given in turn for the categories of "New Inventions and Discoveries", and "Creative Skills". The Meeting proposed that the Scheme would be reviewed at the end of the three-year period with a view to streamlining it further and making it more broad-based. The Meeting also proposed that the Scheme may be implemented beginning from the calendar year following its approval by the Council of Ministers. The overall responsibility of coordination in respect of the Scheme would be with the SAARC Secretary-General.
FAMILIARISATION TOUR IN SRI LANKA UNDER TECHNICAL COMMITTEE
ON TOURISM
A Familiarisation Tour was organised in Sri Lanka from 21st March to 29th March 1996 under the
Technical Committee on Tourism. Representatives from Member Governments and from Travel
Trade of Member States participated in the Familiarisation Tour. During the course of one week,
the delegates visited various places of tourist interest in Sri Lanka and familiarised themselves with
the special features of different tourist spots. Among other places in their tour itinerary, the
participants visited Anuradhapura, the capital of Sri Lanka from 5th Century B.C. to 10th Century
A.D., Mihintale, Sigiriya (5th century A.D. Frescoes) Royal Capital, Dambulla Cave Temple,
Spice Gardens at Matale and Batik Centre, Kandy, Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya etc.
Similar Familiarisation/Educational Tours are also scheduled to be held in other SAARC Member Countries during the course of this year. In order to promote intra-SAARC tourism, the participants from Travel Trade are expected to familiarise themselves with the tourist features of other SAARC Countries and make efforts for promoting intra-SAARC tourism.
DELEGATION OF SAARC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY VISITS
GERMANY AND BRUSSELS
A delegation of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) led by its President, Salman
Rahman visited Germany and Brussels from 3rd March to 12th March 1996. The representatives
of the National Federations of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of SAARC Member
Countries participated in the SCCI programme to Germany and Brussels. Ashok K. Attri, Director
in the SAARC Secretariat accompanied the delegation. The visit of the SAARC Chamber was
sponsored by the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung.
The delegation held discussion in Bonn with the representatives of the Government of Federal Republic of Germany dealing with South Asia in its Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Economic Cooperation and Development, Economics. The SCCI delegation also attended Joint Seminar in Hamburg with the East Asian Association, the National Federation of German Industries and the Federation of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry on the subject of "South Asia on the Path of Regional Cooperation". The delegation was also received by the Minister of Economic Affairs of Hamburg. The topic of discussion with the Chambers of Commerce and Industry in Stuttgart was "What investment opportunities does the South Asian region have to offer to the Germany Industry?" and "What are the export prospects of goods from the SAARC countries?"
The delegation also held discussions with the Export Academy of Baden Wurttemberg, Reutlingen, IFO Institute for Economic Research, Munich and Daimler Benz, Sindelfingen, apart from visiting the International Handicrafts Fair at Munich.
In Brussels, the delegation held discussion with several senior representatives of the European Commission as well as with the Eurochambers to apprise them about the organisation and the activities of SCCI and to explore the possibilities of developing cooperation between these organisations and SCCI.
While in Europe, the delegation also interacted with the Ambassadors and other diplomats of SAARC Countries in Germany and Brussels.
THIRTEENTH MEETING OF SAARC TECHNICAL COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE
AND TECHNOLOGY, HELD
The Thirteenth Meeting of SAARC Technical Committee on Science and Technology was held at
Islamabad on 19-20 March, 1996 under the auspices of Ministry of Science and Technology and
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan. Besides delegates from Member States, Director, Tahir
Iqbal Butt at the SAARC Secretariat attended the Meeting.
The Meeting was inaugurated by Dr. S.M. Qureshi, Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology of Pakistan, who in his address emphasised upon more effective cooperation among SAARC Member States to address common problems such as poverty alleviation, energy shortage, high rate of population growth and inadequate infrastructure for Science and Technology development etc. through science and technology. In this context he stressed the importance of pooling the human and institutional resources of the SAARC Countries to achieve their common objectives.
During the two days meeting, the delegates deliberated upon critical issues relating to the development and application of science and technology in the SAARC region. The Committee considered a number of feasible projects for implementation during the next two years. The Committee also reviewed its own functioning and requested Member States to forward their evaluation and assessment. For the future course of action, the Committee identified two workshops for the year 1997. The Workshop on the development, acquisition and transfer of technology in the small and medium industrial sector will be held in Sri Lanka, while the workshop on Monitoring and Aflatoxins/Mycotoxins in Food and Feed will be held in Bangladesh. In addition the Committee proposed the holding of two other projects i.e. Training of the Popularisers for Science Popularisation in SAARC Countries (Pakistan); and Two-week Training Workshop on Plant Transformation (Pakistan).
MEETINGS OF THE GOVERNING BOARDS
I. SAARC DOCUMENTATION CENTRE (SDC)
The Third Meeting of the Governing Board of the SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) was held
in Male' on March 7-8, 1996. The Meeting was attended by representatives from Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Director, Tahir Iqbal Butt represented the
SAARC Secretariat.
In his inaugural address, the Minister of Planning, Human Resources and Environment of the Maldives, Ismail Shafeeu highlighted that timely information and access to accurate data is vital in order to realise the common aspirations of Member Countries to achieve sustainable social and economic progress. In this context he mentioned that the establishment of SDC and the creation of a data base of documents generated within Member Countries and the region as well as access to international data bases would benefit research and education, public administration and inter-governmental coordination. He added that at the broader level, it would benefit the people of the region as a whole, promoting greater interest and understanding of its unique cultural and scientific heritage.
During the Meeting, the Board reviewed and expressed satisfaction on the progress in the implementation of activities/programmes proposed for 1995-96. The Board also made several recommendations such as establishment of South Asian Information Network - SAINET - which is likely to be operational by end of this year. The main objective of SAINET is to facilitate transborder information flow among SAARC Member States for exchange of information in the fields of science and technology, industry, development matters, etc. The network being established at the SAARC Documentation Centre, New Delhi will provide Members access to information on trade and other subjects. The electronic data network will interconnect the NFPs in Member Countries, SDC, SAARC Secretariat and other regional institutions that support information interchange. The Board also chalked out its action plan for 1996-97 which includes short-term courses; attachment training, and seminars and workshops on relevant fields. In addition it also includes the Creation of Value-added Database on selected areas and commissioning techno-economic studies.
II. SAARC TUBERCULOSIS CENTRE (STC)
The 3-day Fifth Meeting of the Governing Board of STC concluded in Kathmandu on 14 March
1996 with a renewed call to intensify action to prevent and control Tuberculosis in the SAARC
region. The Governing Board noted with great concern that Tuberculosis continued to pose a
serious threat to all the Member States in the SAARC region with an annual new incidence of 1
million TB patients. The Board reviewed the activities of the Centre during 1995 and also approved
the work programme of the Centre for the same year which include five major activities. According
to the proposed programme, the Centre's activity during the coming fiscal year would include
amongst others
(i) a SAARC Consultative Meeting on TB and AIDS;
(ii) a workshop for formulation of guidelines of coordination in Government and Private sector/NGO initiatives of TB Control;
(iii) a seminar on Production, Marketing/distribution and Quality Control of Anti TB drugs in the region. Other ongoing activities of the Centre would also continue. The Governing Board also finalised the recommendation of the Centre's budget for 1996-97 which would be submitted to the next Session of the Standing Committee for approval.
SECRETARY-GENERAL'S ROUND OF MEETINGS
SAARC Secretary-General, Naeem U. Hasan undertook his introductory visit to the Maldives in
March 1996. During the meeting with the President, the Secretary-General discussed several
important issues relating to SAARC, including the Ninth SAARC Summit to be held in the
Maldives. While meeting with Ministers, the Secretary-General discussed the on-going
programmes of SAARC in promoting greater cooperation in the respective areas covered under
the Integrated Programme of Action of SAARC.
The Secretary-General called on the following dignitaries in Male' :
-President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
-Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fathulla Jameel
-Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Salah Shihab
-Minister of Education, Dr. Mohamed Latheef
-Minister of Youth, Women's Affairs and Sports, Ms. Rashida Yoosuf
-Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture, Hassan Sobir
-Minister of Health and Welfare Ahmed Abdulla
During his visit to Male', the Secretary-General also met the Heads of the three SAARC Diplomatic Missions in the Maldives i.e. High Commissioners of India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In Kathmandu, the Secretary-General called on the Minister for Information and Communications of Nepal, Chirinjibi Wagle. He also met the Ambassadors of Bangladesh, Pakistan, China, and the United Kingdom in Kathmandu.
OTHER ACTIVITIES/ PROGRAMMES HELD IN MARCH 1996
I. Under SAARC-JAPAN Special Fund
i. Fifth South-West Asia Symposium, March 14-15, 1996, Tokyo
ii. Technical Training and Skills Development Programme, March 17-28, 1996, Islamabad
iii. Two-week Transmitter Engineering and Modulation System, March 25-..., 1996, Islamabad
II. Other Activities
i. Seminar on Enhanced Role of NGOs in Rural Development, March 12-14, 1996, Islamabad.
ii. Meeting of Experts in the field of Primary Health Care, March 27-28, 1996, Islamabad.
PROGRAMME OF ACTIVITIES FOR APRIL 1996
Following is the tentative Programme of Activities for April 1996:
# 16-18 Second Meeting of the Governing Board of SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) in Dhaka.
# 17-18 Meeting of Experts on Bio-processing of Foods and Enzymes, Kathmandu.
# 21-22 Seminar on the Role of Mass Media in Drug Abuse Prevention, Dhaka
# 21-23 Fourth Meeting of Technical Committee on Communications, Male'
# 21-23 Workshop on Production of Instructional Material for Secondary Level Science Education, Islamabad
# 23-24 Workshop on Integrated Forest Management, Thimphu.
# 25-26 Third annual meeting of Liaison Officers on Suppression of Terrorism, New Delhi
# 30 Apr- 2 May Fourteenth Meeting of the Technical Committee on Health, Population Activities and Child Welfare in New Delhi.
- Meeting of Producers to undertake joint production on "SAARC Year of Literacy - 1996."
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