VOL.VII, NO.9
SEPTEMBER 1996

Trade Negotiations under SAPTA continue ,The Second Meeting of Inter-Governmental Group (IGG) on Trade Liberalisation was held in Islamabad on 7-8 September 1996 to carry forward the Second Round of Trade Negotiations under SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA).

The Group reviewed progress in the implementation of recommendations of its first meeting held in Colombo in March this year. The delegates informed the meeting of the measures being taken by their countries in liberalising trade and reducing tariff rates and exchanged further information among themselves. They also exchanged lists of products and information on trade control measures applicable on those products. The process of exchange of lists of products was completed during the meeting.

An exclusive session was devoted to matters specifically relating to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). The meeting was unanimous in its decision that LDCs deserve special and more favourable treatment for the overall benefit of the whole of SAARC region.

The delegates conducted detailed and in-depth bilateral negotiations on trade concessions. The meeting agreed that all remaining preparatory work should be completed urgently in order to conclude the Second Round of Trade Negotiations at the next meeting of the Group to be held shortly.

The Group recommended that the Committee on Economic Cooperation (CEC) consider convening a separate meeting of a Group of Experts on Trade Facilitation. This Group of Experts should discuss relevant issues including the broad spectrum of trade facilitation measures such as transport, professional and financial services, ports, shipping, air transport etc.

The Meeting was attended by representatives of all SAARC Member Countries. Commerce Secretary of Pakistan, Salman Faruqui inaugurated the meeting. Highlighting the progress made in promoting economic and trade cooperation among the countries of the region, the Secretary in his inaugural address stated that the agreement to reduce tariffs on 226 HS lines, though modest, was of great significance and an important first step. He expressed his hope that the second meeting of IGG and subsequent meetings would carry forward the process to achieve the desired objective of creating the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).

The SAARC Secretariat was represented by Director, Ashok K. Attri who also addressed the meeting.


Efforts underway for "Joint Promotion of SAARC Region as a Tourist Destination"

TOURISM: one of the priority areas of cooperation among SAARC Member Countries - participants during their meet in Colombo.

The Sixth Meeting of the Technical Committee on Tourism held in Colombo on 5-6 September 1996 addressed a number of relevant issues aimed at joint promotion of SAARC region as a tourist destination. These include organising joint tour packages, production of joint brochures, production of a SAARC trade guide, production of a joint promotional film, SAARC joint participation in International Tourism Fairs and implementation of the SAARC Scheme for Promotion of Organised Tourism.

The committee felt the need to have a comprehensive strategy for the overall development of tourism for the next five-year period. It recommended the establishment of an expert group to prepare such a strategy including quantified goals/ objectives and detailed strategies in a time-bound manner. It was agreed that the group should include representatives of the National Tourism Organisations, Civil Aviation authorities, and other relevant government agencies like Immigration and Customs as well as representatives of the private sector apex bodies.

The committee reviewed progress in the implementation of its earlier recommendations. In this context delegates reported on the action taken in their respective countries to implement the Action Plan on Tourism and discussed such issues as training, exchange of information and transportation.

The committee welcomed the announcement by Sri Lanka to host the first meeting of the Ministers of Tourism of SAARC countries in March 1997 in Colombo. It also welcomed the establishment of the Tourism Council of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and recommended that the Chairman of the Tourism Council of SCCI or his representative should be made a permanent invitee for making presentation at all future meetings of Technical Committee on Tourism.

The SAARC Secretariat was requested to explore the possibility of entering into a framework agreement of cooperation with Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) and World Tourism Organisation (WTO), Madrid.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Additional Secretary, Ministry of Media, Tourism and Aviation of Sri Lanka, K. Marimuttu. All Member Countries participated in the meeting.

The meeting was inaugurated by Minister of Media, Tourism and Aviation Dharmasiri Senanayake. Deputy Minister for Tourism and Aviation Mrs. Nirupama Rajapakse, Deputy Minister for Media, Alavi Moulana and other dignitaries attended the inaugural ceremony.

SAARC Secretariat was represented by Director, Ashok K. Attri, who delivered a statement at the inaugural session on behalf of SAARC Secretary-General.


Secretary-General's round of Meetings

During the month of September, the Secretary-General met the following dignitaries:

Ms. Robin Raphel, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs was briefed by the Secretary-General on the ongoing activities of SAARC with particular emphasis on the priority areas of cooperation among the SAARC Member States including the progress of implementation of SAPTA and the ongoing second round of trade negotiations under the Agreement.

This was followed by the visit of Jan Eric Hall, Desk Officer for Nepal and South Asian Affairs of the Department of State, Washington who met the Secretary-General for a broad exchange of views on matters of mutual interest with focus on SAARC programmes and activities.

The Secretary-General's meeting with Hillary Senate, the newly appointed Assistant Under Secretary for South and South East Asia of the British Foreign Office was devoted to a review of SAARC Integrated Programme of Action; trade and commercial cooperation; and poverty eradication programmes in the SAARC region. The recently signed SAARC-EC Cooperation Agreement and the joint activities planned under the Memorandum were also discussed. Likewise, the Secretary-General received Michel Cadieux, Head of the Canadian Cooperation Office in Kathmandu in connection with the proposed SAARC-CIDA Agreement.

The growing contacts between the SAARC Secretariat and UN Agencies were reflected in the number of visitors from the UN System who called on the Secretary-General. These included Ms. Carroll Long, UNDP Resident Representative in Kathmandu. It may be mentioned that SAARC and UNDP Cooperation Agreement has been fully activated and a number of joint activities particularly in the area of poverty eradication are being undertaken by the two organizations.

Another visitor to the Secretariat was Koli Kouame, Regional Director of UNDCP based in New Delhi, who during his call on the Secretary-General, reviewed in detail the implementation of the SAARC-UNDCP Cooperation Agreement signed in 1995.

SAARC Secretariat has also initiated contacts with the World Bank. In this connection, Dr. Jose Furtado, Senior Environmental Specialist at the Bank paid a courtesy call on the Secretary-General and explored the possibility of organizing a joint SAARC-World Bank activity in the field of Environment which is one of the priority areas of SAARC under the Integrated Programme of Action.

The recently arrived German Ambassador to Nepal, Dr. Klaus Barth also paid a courtesy call on the Secretary-General.

SAARC Secretariat continues to encourage the activities of NGOs and professional bodies to compliment the process of inter-Governmental cooperation. This was reflected in the presence of the Secretary-General as one of the Speakers at the Eighth Annual Fund Raising Workshop organized by the South Asian Fund Raising Group (SAFRG) in collaboration with Child NGO Federation-Nepal held in Kathmandu from September 22 to 24. The Secretary-General in his address on the occasion underscored the need for Governments and private bodies to work hand in hand for the welfare of the peoples of the region.

Other visitors to the Secretariat included Rolf Bendt, Secretary-General and Dr.Jurgen Axer, Regional Director for South Asia of the Friedrich Naumann Stiftung (FNSt). The delegation briefed the Secretary-General on its cooperative ventures with the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) to promote tourism in the SAARC region. The Secretary-General welcomed this development and conveyed his appreciation for their preparation of several studies on South Asia and other forms of assistance to various agencies in the region.

The Secretary-General also received a joint delegation from the Entrepreneurship Institute of India and the Industrial Enterprises Development Centre of Nepal. He acknowledged the work being undertaken by EDI to promote cooperation in South Asia particularly in promoting youth related activities.


Training Workshop on the role of NGOs in Demand Reduction held

The Training Workshop on the role of NGOs in Demand Reduction was held in Islamabad on 2-3 September 1996 under the Chairmanship of Shakil Durrani, Director (Planning & Development), Directorate, Anti Narcotics Force, Islamabad as Chairman of the Technical Committee on Prevention of Drug Trafficking & Drug Abuse.

The workshop was attended by participants from India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. In his inaugural address the Chairman highlighted the importance of NGOs in the field of drug demand reduction and gave details of the Masterplan for drug control prepared by Pakistan to effectively control drug trafficking, crop substitution, money laundering, prevention and treatment aspects of the drug problem. He also emphasised the need for networking of Drug Control NGOs in SAARC region and establishment of national focal points for drug demand reduction.

The participants presented their country reports at the workshop giving brief outlines of the drug demand reduction programmes presently in progress at the Government and Non-Governmental levels in their respective countries. In addition, speakers from the host country also presented papers on different themes.

At the end of the deliberations, important recommendations were made covering such areas as exchange of research and survey documents on drug demand reduction among the SAARC countries and NGOs through designated focal points, networking of NGOs active in drug demand reduction, creation of databases on successful demand reduction projects and implementation of harm reduction programmes.


Tourism Council of SCCI holds a Seminar on "COMMON POLICY FOR PROGRESS"

The Second Seminar of Tourism Council of SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry was held in Colombo on 2-4 September 1996 on the theme - "Common Policy for Progress". The seminar, attended by delegates from all SAARC Member Countries, was inaugurated by Minister of Media, Tourism and Aviation Dharmasiri Senannayake. The Inaugural Session was also addressed by the President of FCCISL, Chairman of the Executive Committee of Tourism Council and Ashok K. Attri, Director, SAARC Secretariat. There was high level participation of private sector representatives in the Seminar from all Member Countries. The heads of private sector bodies dealing with hotel and tourism industry and tour operators in Sri Lanka participated in the seminar. The programmes of the SCCI Tourism Council are being coordinated by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI). Vice President of SCCI, Padma Jyoti is the Chairman of the Governing Board of SCCI Tourism Council.


Seminar on the role of Mass Media in Prevention of Drug Abuse

The SAARC Seminar on Role of Mass Media in Prevention of Drug Abuse was held in Dhaka on 21-22 September 1996. The Seminar was attended by participants from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Delegates presented country reports at the seminar. The two-day seminar made a number of recommendations, which highlighted the need to develop an effective media policy that would sensitise the public through dissemination of proper messages to curb the menace of drug trafficking and drug abuse. Such a policy should delineate the code of ethics and help ensure that messages through mass media are not damaging and counter productive towards awareness creation and prevention. The seminar urged that the media should increasingly propagate a life style free from drugs. It also emphasised that appropriate measures should be taken to avoid drug use being glamourised on cinema especially given the impact of cinema on its viewers. The seminar also recommended that efforts should be made to effectively use folk and traditional media for disseminating proper messages of drug abuse prevention in the rural areas as a vast majority of the people of South Asia live in those areas.


"LITERACY"

Special TV and Radio Programmes to be aired on 8 December 1996

The Fifteenth Meeting of the SAARC Audio Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee held in Colombo on 3-5 September 1996 auditioned/previewed the special radio and TV joint productions on "1996- SAARC Year of Literacy" and decided to broadcast/telecast the programmes on 8 December 1996 to coincide with the SAARC Charter Day. Earlier in June 1996, Colombo hosted a Meeting of Producers, which finalised details of the modalities for the production of the programmes. While the joint production of the radio programme was coordinated by India, Pakistan coordinated the production of the TV programme.

The committee during its annual meeting reviewed implementation of its earlier decisions. It noted the usefulness of the two training programmes i.e.

(i) Workshop on Transmitter Engineering and Modulation Systems and
(ii) Workshop on Television Studio Measurements, held in Pakistan under SAARC-Japan Special Fund and decided to organize on a regular basis in future, similar training programmes covering other relevant fields.

Under the aegis of the Committee, Member Countries marked the "Tenth Anniversary of SAARC" by broadcasting the programme "Songs from the SAARC Member Countries", and telecasting "The Land of Music (SAARC)" in all Member Countries. The committee noted that additional programmes were also broadcast/telecast by some Member Countries to mark the decade.

The Committee discussed the feedback of SAVE programmes and noted that a recent research carried out in Sri Lanka showed that whenever SAVE programmes were broadcast during prime time the response was high. Other Member Countries also informed the committee that the SAVE programmes are well-received in their countries. It was noted that with the inclusion of SAARC in the school curricula in some Member Countries, there was greater interest and appreciation among the youth on SAARC activities including the SAVE programmes.


SAVE Radio & TV Programmes:

A successful medium for people-to-people contact -15th meeting of SAVE Committee in progress

The meeting was attended by representatives from all Member States. It was inaugurated by the Minister of Media, Tourism, and Aviation of Sri Lanka, Darmasiri Senanayake, who in his inaugural address highlighted the important role of SAVE in creating greater awareness of the South Asian consciousness among the peoples of the region and emphasised the need to provide political leadership to the efforts of technical bodies such as SAVE to encourage them in their work. In addition to the regular SAVE programmes, the Committee decided to telecast on 20 Nov'96 in all Member Countries a special programme on children titled "Children of South Asia - A vision beyond 2000"

The meeting was addressed by the Chairman of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, D E W Gunasekara and Director, SAARC Secretariat, Ahmed Latheef who briefed the delegates on the activities of SAVE, particularly since the last meeting of the committee and highlighted those issues that need to be addressed during the meeting.

It will be recalled that SAARC Radio and TV Quiz programmes are being organised regularly under the aegis of SAVE. The Third SAARC Radio Quiz and the Fourth SAARC TV Quiz will be organized in 1997 in India and Sri Lanka respectively.

Schedule of SAVE programmes for 1996/97 ---------------

RADIO :

-Pakistan Music and People of Pakistan 14:30 Oct.96
-India Rimjhim Pare Phuhar 14:05 Nov.96 (Folk Songs on Rainy Season)
-Sri Lanka Sound of Play and Leisure 15:00 Dec.96
-Pakistan Sounds of Pakistan 15:30 Jan.97
-India Natya Sangeet 13:10 Feb.97 (Songs from Maratti Theatre)
-Maldives: Gaa-odi Neshun (A traditional dance) 15:00 Mar.97
-Nepal: Wedding Songs of Nepal 15:00 Apr.97
-Pakistan: Historical Places of Pakistan 15:00 May97
-Sri Lanka 18 Vannams - 15:00 Jun.97 ,introduction to Traditional Kandyan Dance
-India Folk Songs from Kerala 15:00 Jul.97
-Nepal Visit Nepal '98 14:20 Aug.97
-Pakistan Folk Songs of Pakistan with 15:00 Sep.97 modernise orchestration

Note: SAVE Radio programmes are broadcast on the 15th of every month


TELEVISION :

-Maldives Vilingili 17:00 Nov.96 (A newly inhabited island - documentary)
-India One Horned Rhino 29:30 Dec.96 (- A documentary on the endangered specie - Rhinos)
-Bangladesh : Life in the Green Hills of 27:30 Jan.97 Bangladesh
-Nepal Contemporary Songs of 24:00 Feb.97 Himalayan Kingdom
-Pakistan Margalla National Park 22:00 Mar.97 (from the series of National Parks in Pakistan)
-Sri Lanka: Isle of Serendipity - 22:30 Apr.97 a documentary on attractions of Sri Lanka
-Maldives The bounty from our Living Reefs 27:00 May97 (a documentary on fishing industry)
-India A Sacred Legacy 29:30 Jun.97 (documentary on Tabo Buddhist Monastery)
-Bangladesh: Life Weavers (documentary) 25:00 Jul.97
-Nepal In the Lap of the Annapurnas 22:45 Aug.97 (documentary)
-Pakistan: Zar Virsa - Golden Heritage 23:00 Sep.97 (a documentary on Jewellary making)
-Sri Lanka: Mother of Mothers 27:00 Oct.97 (Life of a Midwife - documentary)

Note: SAVE TV programmes are telecast on the 1st of every month


Seminar on Air Transport held in Kathmandu

A "Seminar on Air Transport" was held in Kathmandu on 24-25 September 1996 as part of the Calendar of Activities of the Technical Committee on Transport for the year 1996. The two-day seminar was attended by participants from Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan & Sri Lanka. Director, SAARC Secretariat R.P. Jayasooriya gave a brief background on the activities being held under the Technical Committee on Transport and expressed the hope that the seminar would provide an opportunity to the delegates to exchange information and explore new ideas in the Civil Aviation field.

The seminar was inaugurated by Secretary, Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Dipendra Purush Dhakal, who in his opening remarks pointed out the need to adopt a common policy and mobilise human resources for the development of tourism sector in the SAARC Region. Stating about Nepal's recent experiment with privatising aviation services, the Secretary expressed the hope that the private sector would also soon be granted permission to operate international flights.

During the two-day seminar, delegates presented their country papers highlighting the areas of work being done by their Civil Aviation authorities in the areas of air traffic control, air safety measures etc.

The recommendations emerging from the Seminar include those relating to launching of the ICAO Flight Safety Oversight Programme, expeditiously completing the formalities to establish SARCA (South Asian Regional Cooperation in Aviation), enhancing Human Resource Development in the area of Civil Aviation and Airlines, linking SAARC capitals by national carriers and provision of fifth freedom rights. It was proposed to make the Seminar on Air Transport an annual feature in the Calendar of Activities of the Technical Committee on Transport and the theme for the 1997 Seminar was decided as "Air Transport Liberalization".


SAARC Activities in October

.....05-10 Educational Tour in Pakistan under TC on Tourism
.....07-10 SAARC Workshop on Sustainable Development of Range Lands, Islamabad
.....08-10 Workshop on Development of Epidemiological Services Support , New Delhi
.....08-10 Workshop on Production of Instructional Material for Secondary Level Science Education, Pakistan
.....09-10 Seminar on Road Maintenance in Hilly Areas, Kathmandu
.....14-15 SAARC Workshop on Women in Sustainable Development, Islamabad
.....14-16 SAARC Conference of Voluntary Agencies working in the field of Adult Literacy and Continuing Education Programmes, India.
.....14-16 Meeting of Experts on Bio-processing of Food and Enzymes, Kathmandu
.....14-16 Workshop on Rural Development in the Non-Farm Sector, Hyderabad
.....15-16 Eleventh Meeting of Technical Committee on Prevention of Drug Trafficking & Drug Abuse, Islamabad
.....15-23 SAARC Workshop in Library Automation being organised by the SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) at INSDOC, New Delhi
.....23-25 First meeting of Technical Committee on Environment and Meteorology, Sri Lanka .....23-25 Workshop on Environmental Legislation and its Management, India
.....24-25 Workshop on Feasibility Training Identification Service & Information Exchange on Floral & Faunal Bio-diversity in SAARC countries, Calcutta, India.
.....25-26 Third Meeting of Inter-Governmental Group on Trade Liberalisation to conclude the Second Round of Trade Negotiations, New Delhi.
.....28-29 Seventh Meeting of Committee on Economic Cooperation, New Delhi
.....29-30 Seminar on Customer's Care, Islamabad
.....29-31 Workshop on Nutrition/Micro-Nutrients - New Delhi
.....29-31 Workshop on Mid-Decade Review of Girl Child - New Delhi
.....29-31 Workshop on Urban Air Quality, Pakistan
.....28-3 Nov. SAARC Youth Volunteer Exchange Programme, Sri Lanka


Other activities held during September

- Expert Group Meeting on Granting of Observer Status at SAARC meetings, Colombo, Sep. 17-18, 1996
- Training Programme in Malariology, 2-28 September, 1996, New Delhi (under SAARC-Japan Special Fund)
- Seminar on the Role of Mass Media in Drug Abuse Prevention, Dhaka : 21-22 Sep. 1996.
- SAARC Workshop on Essential New Born Care, 25-27 Sep. 1996, Madras (under SAARC-Japan Special Fund)
- Short-term Course on Computer Application in Library and Information Activities at INSDOC, 26-27 Sep. 1996, New Delhi
- Seminar-cum-Field Visit on Production Credit for Rural Women, Kathmandu 30-September to 2 Oct. 1996
- Three-month Attachment Training Programme for the Information Professionals from the SAARC Member States at INSDOC, New Delhi from Sep. 1996 onwards.


Experts meet on Population Research & Training

A one-day workshop was held in Dhaka on September 16, 1996 to assess the requirements of SAARC countries in the field of Population Research and Training with a view to strengthen coordination and cooperation among the SAARC countries.

Thirteen delegates from India, Maldives, Pakistan and the host country Bangladesh participated in the workshop. The workshop identified areas for enhancing cooperation among the Member Countries and include those such as population related research and training, networking among research and training institutes of SAARC countries. The need to provide specialised training to medical doctors, nurses, senior officials, program personnel, service providers, administrators and policy makers was also emphasised. The training fields that were identified include specialization training on statistics, population research, demography, health administration, motivation and mass communication, IEC, monitoring and supervision, management training, clinical/skill training, curriculum development, program strategies, family planning impact evaluation etc. In this regard training facilities and requirements of different countries were also discussed.

The meeting decided to share knowledge and experiences through dissemination of research findings among the Member Countries on such issues as involvement of males in contraceptive practice, reasons for declining of women population, increase in teenage fertility and its consequences, health status of old age population, STD and AIDS prevention as well as health and family planning integration.

SAARC Workshop on Commercialisation of Workshop on Commercialisation of R & D Results in progress


R & D Results

The SAARC Workshop on Commercialization of R & D Results was held at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhaka on September 29-30, 1996 with participation from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan.

The workshop underlined the need to accelerate and strengthen human resource development efforts in Member Countries to successfully implement R&D activities in the region. It also highlighted the importance of judicious selection of R & D projects taking into account individual needs of Member Countries. It recommended that selection should be based on proper planning and market survey and availability of indigenous raw materials and should use environment-friendly technologies. It also called for the creation of a common fund under SAARC Secretariat for successful implementation of research and development (R&D) activities and subsequent commercialisation of R&D results.

The Workshop adopted several recommendations for successful implementation of activities in SAARC countries and for accelerating and strengthening human resources development in the region. These include provision of incentives to scientists and technologists - the personnel directly involved in R&D activities, to accelerate commercialisation of R&D results. Dissemination of agricultural R&D results among farmers, safeguarding indigenous technology based on industries and preparation of comprehensive directory of scientists were also highlighted during the workshop.

The two-day workshop was chaired by Chairman-in-Charge of BCSIR Dr. F Z Majid. Secretary-in- charge of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Bangladesh M Fazlur Rahman, addressing the Closing Session as the Chief Guest expressed his hope that the recommendations of the workshop will be duly implemented leading to fruitful developments in the region.


Development of a regional strategy for control of TB and AIDS discussed

The SAARC Consultative Meeting on TB and AIDS organised by SAARC Tuberculosis Centre was held in Kathmandu on 23-25 September 1996. The three-day meeting was attended by representatives from Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan.

The main elements of the proposed regional strategy for the control of TB and AIDS in the Member Countries are:

(i) advocacy, training, research and care of patients with HIV and TB;
(ii) STC will function as a Nodal Centre to strengthen coordination and cooperation among Member Countries through the dissemination of information with feedback to be given by Member Countries on initiatives taken at the national level to control the disease;
(iii) Member Countries to develop a five-year action plan to control the epidemics with facility for annual review of the results and dissemination through STC;
iv) exchange of experts on TB and AIDS control to share information and experiences on programmes;
(v) annual meeting of TB/HIV experts from the SAARC region to be held by rotation in the Member Countries to review progress of activities on TB and AIDS control in each country and to identify areas for collaboration; and
(vi) STC will establish a referral laboratory for quality control.


SAARC Newsletter is published monthly, which reports on the activities of the Association. Its contents may be reproduced without permission, although an acknowledgment would be appreciated.


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