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The Prime Minister
of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia;
the Prime Minister of the Royal Government of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonpo
Khandu Wangchuk; the Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency
Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee; the President of the Republic of Maldives, His
Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom; the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of
Nepal, Right Honourable Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba; the President of the Islamic
Republic of Pakistan, His Excellency General Pervez Musharraf; and the
President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency
Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga met at the Eleventh Summit meeting
of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in
Kathmandu, Nepal from 4 to 6 January 2002.
Regional
Cooperation
1. The
Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment to regional
cooperation through SAARC and underscored the importance of annual Summit
meetings in charting common strategies for the realization of the objectives
and principles set out in the Charter of the Association. Meeting for the
first time at the dawn of the new millennium, they solemnly renewed their
pledge to strengthen the Association and make it more cohesive, result
oriented, and forward looking, by adopting clearly defined programs and
effective implementation strategies in line with popular expectations. To
give effect to the shared aspirations for a more prosperous South Asia, the
Leaders agreed to the vision of a phased and planned process eventually
leading to a South Asian Economic Union.
2. The Heads of State
or Government stressed that equitable sharing of the benefits of regional
cooperation is essential to achieve and maintain a minimum acceptable level
of economic and social development in each Member State. To this end, they
expressed their commitment to a speedier process of harmonizing their
policies and practices and imbibing regional goals and strategies in their
national development programs.
3. The Heads of State
or Government expressed their firm determination to fully benefit from the
wealth of traditional wisdom, creativity and enterprise in the region. They
also pledged to enhance transparency and accountability in governance and to
encourage effective participation of the peoples and civil societies in the
formulation as well as implementation of the programs of cooperation.
4. Reiterating their
resolve to promote South Asian regional identity and to strengthen
cooperation at the international level, the Heads of State or Government
also reemphasized the need to evolve common positions on issues of shared
interest at the international fora.
Cooperation in the
Economic Sector
5. The Heads of State
or Government agreed to accelerate cooperation in the core areas of trade,
finance and investment to realize the goal of an integrated South Asian
economy in a step-by-step manner. They expressed their determination to make
full use of regional synergy to maximize the benefits of globalisation and
liberalization and to minimize their negative impacts on the region. While
recognizing that trade and economic expansion is closely inter-linked, the
Leaders made a commitment to widen and deepen the scope of regional networks
of activities in trade and financial matters.
6. The Heads of State
or Government noted with satisfaction the outcomes of the successive
meetings of the SAARC Commerce Ministers aimed at enlarging the scope of
cooperation in the core areas. They recognised the importance of achieving a
free trade area and reaffirmed that the treaty regime for creating a free
trade area must incorporate, inter alia, binding timeframes for freeing
trade, measures to facilitate trade and provisions to ensure an equitable
distribution of benefits of trade to all states, especially for small and
least developed countries, including mechanisms for compensation of revenue
loss.
7. Recognising the
need to move quickly towards a South Asian Free Trade Area, the Heads of
State or Government directed the Council of Ministers to finalize the text
of the Draft Treaty Framework by the end of 2002. They also directed that in
moving towards the goal of SAFTA, the Member States expedite action to
remove tariff and non-tariff barriers and structural impediments to free
trade. They also instructed to conclude the meeting of the Inter
Governmental Group on Trade Liberalization for the Fourth Round of Trade
Negotiations under SAPTA as early as possible as per the decision of the
Tenth SAARC Summit in Colombo.
8. The Heads of State
or Government renewed their commitment to encourage the participation of the
private sector and assured their full support for their socially responsible
economic initiatives. While welcoming the practice of holding trade fairs in
cooperation with the private sector at the regional level, they appreciated
the efforts of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote
regional economic cooperation in the spirit of public and private sector
partnership.
9.
The Heads of State or Government also decided to instruct the
Secretary-General to facilitate the early finalization of a regionally
agreed investment framework to meet investment needs of the SAARC Member
States.
10. The Heads of State
or Government recognized the immense tourism potential of South Asia and
underlined the need to take measures to promote South Asia as a common
tourist destination through joint efforts in areas such as upgrading of
infrastructure, air linkages, simplification and harmonization of
administrative procedures and training and joint marketing.
Poverty
Alleviation
11. The Heads of State
or Government acknowledged that investment in poverty alleviation programs
contributes to social stability, economic progress and overall prosperity.
They were of the view that widespread and debilitating poverty continued to
be the most formidable developmental challenge for the region. Conscious of
the magnitude of poverty in the region, and recalling also the decision of
the UN Millennium Summit 2000 to reduce world poverty in half by 2015, and
also recalling the commitments made at the five year review of the World
Summit for Social Development to reduce poverty through enhanced social
mobilization, the Heads of State or Government made a review of the SAARC
activities aimed at poverty alleviation and decided to reinvigorate them in
the context of the regional and global commitments to poverty reduction.
12. The Heads of State
or Government expressed their firm resolve to combat the problem of poverty
with a new sense of urgency by actively promoting the synergetic partnership
among national governments, international agencies, the private sector, and
the civil society. They reaffirmed their pledge to undertake effective and
sustained poverty alleviation programs through pro-poor growth strategies
and social as well as other policy interventions with specific sectoral
targets. The Leaders also agreed to take immediate steps for the effective
implementation of the programs for social mobilization and decentralization,
and for strengthening institution building and support mechanisms to ensure
participation of the poor, both as stake-holder and beneficiary, in
governance and the development process.
13. The Heads of State
or Government decided to undertake sustained measures to extend rural
micro-credit programs with focus on women and the disadvantaged sections of
society. They also stressed the need for widening the opportunities for
gainful employment. While highlighting the importance of promoting
agriculture, indigenous skills and small scale and cottage industries to
address the incidence of rural poverty, they decided to enhance cooperation
in agricultural research, extension and adoption. They specifically
instructed that the Technical Committees should identify programmes and
activities that impact on poverty alleviation. They urged the need to create
gainful employment and promote cooperation in vocational training.
14. The Heads of State
or Government emphasized the need to promote sharing of the best practices
and experiences among the Member States and to this end, instructed the
Secretary-General to disseminate such information to the Member States on a
regular basis. They directed the Council of Ministers to review, on a
continuous basis, the regional poverty profile to be prepared by the
Secretary-General with the assistance of the related UN agencies, nodal
agencies and independent research institutions specialized in the field.
15. In order to ensure
social stability and to protect the vulnerable sections of population from
the adverse impacts of globalisation and liberalization, the Heads of State
or Government stressed the need to enhance cooperation to create and
maintain appropriate safety nets.
16. The Heads of State
or Government agreed that a Special Session on poverty alleviation at the
Ministerial level should undertake a comprehensive review and evaluation of
the status of implementation of poverty eradication policies and programs
carried out so far, and to recommend further concrete measures to enhance
effective cooperation at the regional level to the Twelfth SAARC Summit.
They also directed the Council of Ministers to take necessary steps to fully
activate the existing three-tier mechanism for poverty alleviation.
17. The
Leaders directed the Council of Ministers to coordinate efforts to integrate
poverty alleviation programs into the development strategies of Member
States. In this context, they agreed to reconstitute the Independent South
Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation, with Nepal as its Convener and
Bangladesh as Co-convenor, for reviewing the progress made in cooperation on
poverty alleviation and for suggesting appropriate and effective measures.
They instructed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers to seek two
nominations from each Member State by end of January 2002 to enable the
convening of its first meeting before the proposed Ministerial Meeting on
Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan in April 2002.
18. Expressing concern
at the region’s special vulnerability in the slowdown in world economy and
its negative impact on the poor and the marginalized, the Heads of State or
Government called for a supportive international environment and an enhanced
level of assistance by the international community for poverty alleviation
programs in South Asia.
Cooperation
in the Social and Cultural Sector
19.
The Heads of State or Government reiterated the need for an early
finalisation of the SAARC Social Charter and instructed the Inter
Governmental Expert Group to expedite their work on the basis of the draft
to be submitted by the Secretary-General, as a working paper for its
consideration and to complete the draft framework of the Charter as early as
possible for consideration at the next meeting of the Council of Ministers.
In drawing up the Charter, they also directed the Council of Ministers to
include the important areas of poverty eradication, population
stabilization, the empowerment of women, youth mobilization, human resources
development, the promotion of health and nutrition and the protection of
children as decided at the Tenth Summit.
20. The Leaders
recognized the debilitating and widespread impact of the HIV/ AIDS, TB and
other deadly communicable diseases on the population of South Asia and
stressed the need for evolving a regional strategy to combat these diseases.
The strategy should include, inter alia, culturally appropriate preventive
measures, an affordable treatment regime and should specially target the
vulnerable groups. In this regard, they felt that SAARC should collaborate
with the international organizations and civil society. They also emphasized
that the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre in Kathmandu should play a coordinating
role in the related areas.
21. In accordance with
the Colombo Declaration, the Heads of State or Government decided to mandate
the Meeting of Ministers of Cultural Affairs in Sri Lanka to finalise the
details relating to the establishment of the SAARC Cultural Centre including
its financing and to submit its report to the next session of the Council of
Ministers.
Women and
Children
22. The Heads of State
or Government welcomed the signing of the SAARC Convention on Preventing and
Combating the Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution and
expressed their collective resolve to treat the trafficking in women and
children for commercial sexual exploitation as a criminal offence of a
serious nature. They also welcomed the signing of the SAARC Convention on
Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia and
observed that the Convention reflected their commitment to place the child
first in the national and regional programs of the Member States. They
instructed the Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States and
other specialised agencies, to present a report on measures for the
effective implementation of the Conventions to the next meeting of the
Council of Ministers.
23. The Heads of State
or Government agreed to establish, on the basis of recommendations of the
Regional Task Force responsible for the implementation of the provisions of
the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and
Children for Prostitution, a voluntary fund with contributions from Member
States, individuals, and donor countries and agencies for the rehabilitation
and reintegration of the victims of trafficking.
24. The Leaders
recognized the need to form an autonomous advocacy group of prominent women
personalities from the Member States with a view to making recommendations
to the SAARC bodies on a broad spectrum of gender related issues. They
directed the Council of Ministers to take necessary steps to prepare and
present, for consideration at their next meeting, the Terms of Reference for
the purpose.
25. The Heads of State
or Government recognized the need to actively pursue and promote social
development through empowerment of women and to achieve their full
participation in decision making at all levels. They reaffirmed their
commitment to uplift the social status of the people, women and children in
particular, in the region and expressed their common resolve to accord the
highest priority to promoting social development through specific and
targeted programs. The Leaders directed the Council of Ministers to take
necessary measures to ensure the enjoyment by women and girl children of
their inherent potential. They also directed the Council of Ministers to
constitute a Task Force to review the status of implementation of past
decisions related to the social sector and to suggest guidelines for their
effective implementation in the future.
26. The Leaders
directed the Council of Ministers to take concrete steps to give priority to
investing in children as an effective means for poverty reduction in the
long run. Reaffirming their commitment to the Colombo Plan of Action and the
Rawalpindi Declaration and recalling the declaration of 2001 to 2010 as the
SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child, the Heads of State or Government
noted with appreciation the South Asia High-level Meeting on Children held
in Kathmandu in May 2001. They reaffirmed their conviction that the children
in South Asia deserve urgent and focused attention to enhance the long-term
and overall progress of the countries of the region.
27. The Heads of State
or Government agreed to mobilize the necessary resources and intensify broad
based actions to achieve a set of priority goals related to improving the
status of children, such as polio eradication by 2005, protection of
children from mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, and quality basic
education to the children within a time-bound period.
Education
28. The Heads of State or Government instructed
the concerned Ministries of Governments to devise appropriate strategies for
raising the quality of education through the exchange of information among
the universities in the region. While emphasizing the importance of mutual
recognition of the educational institutions, they agreed to give the
necessary impetus to realize the goal of a common regional educational
standard through uniform methods of instruction and teaching aids. They were
unanimous in recognizing the benefit of introducing SAARC in the national
curricula at appropriate levels of study in order to enhance the awareness
about Association’s goals and objectives.
29. The Heads of State or Government
recognized that access to quality education was an important element for the
empowerment of all segments of society, and undertook to develop or
strengthen national strategies and action plans to ensure that all children
particularly the girl child have access to quality primary education by
2015; and to improve levels of adult literacy by fifty percent by
eliminating gender disparities in access to education as envisaged in the
Dakar Framework for Action on Education for All adopted by the World
Education Forum held at Dakar in April 2000.
International
Political and Economic Environment
30.
The Heads of State or Government reiterated their firm support for the
principles and purposes of the United Nations in order to create a just,
balanced and equitable world order. They reaffirmed their commitment to
continue working with the NAM and other like-minded countries for the reform
and democratisation of the United Nations System with a view to making it an
effective and more democratic institution for international peace, security,
progress and cooperation.
31. The Heads of State or Government were of
the view that stability, peace and security in South Asia should be promoted
together with efforts to improve the global security environment. They
underscored their commitment to general and complete disarmament including
nuclear disarmament on a universal basis, under effective international
control. They agreed that global non-proliferation goals could not be
achieved in the absence of progress towards nuclear disarmament and in this
context called upon all nuclear weapon states, whether party or non-party to
the NPT, to engage constructively through a transparent and credible process
of negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament. The Leaders also
recognized the linkage between disarmament and development.
32. The Leaders emphasized the need to take
appropriate measures to make international financial institutions and the
global trading regime more responsive to the needs and concerns of the
developing countries. They reiterated the call for genuine partnership among
the developed and developing countries in international trade and finance
and for the reform of the global financial architecture with an enhanced
level of resources.
33. The Leaders also called upon the developed
countries to facilitate and ensure an unimpeded and enhanced level of market
access to products from the developing, the least developed and the
land-locked countries.
34. Recognizing the important role that
trade can play in advancing the overall development of a country, thus
contributing to an equitable and sustainable world order, the Heads of State
or Government also called for an early realization of a rule-based and
non-discriminatory world trade regime. In this context, they appreciated the
positive elements of the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha and
called upon the developed countries to fulfill their commitments to address
the particular concerns and needs of the developing and the least developed
countries. The Leaders also instructed the forthcoming meeting of the
Committee on Economic Cooperation to devote at least half a day for
discussions on the evaluation of the decisions of the recently concluded
Doha conference in order to evolve better co-ored positions among the
Member States on all WTO issues. They further stressed the need to intensify
coordination among the SAARC missions in Geneva and begin the necessary
preparation to advance the common interest of the region in the Fifth WTO
Ministerial conference.
35. The Heads of State or Government noted with
serious concern the adverse impact of the shrinking Official Development
Assistance (ODA) and other concessional financial flows on developing
countries in general, and the least developed among them in particular. They
further noted with concern the current trend of the global economic slowdown
and its adverse effects on these economies. Taking into account the
interdependent nature of the global economy, the Leaders urged the developed
countries to enhance the level of ODA flows to meet the internationally
agreed targets.
36. Recalling the recommendations of the Third
United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries held in Brussels
in May 2001 and the decisions of the Zanzibar Declaration of July 2001, the
Leaders urged the developed countries to adopt more liberal trade and aid
policies responsive to the particular needs of the least developed
countries. Referring to the forthcoming International Conference on
Financing for Development to be held in Mexico in March 2002, the Leaders
urged the international community to strengthen cooperation for development
by addressing international and systemic issues related to financing for
development in the developing and the least developed countries in a
holistic manner.
37. The Heads of State or Government welcomed
the initiative of the donor countries to relieve the external debt burden of
the Highly Indebted Poor Countries. They urged the international
donor community and financial institutions to widen the scope and extent of
debt relief initiatives to cover all those developing and the least
developed countries, which are facing developmental difficulties
particularly due to the current global recession. In the context of growing
global interdependence, they underlined the importance of forging
cooperative partnership between the developed and the developing countries
to ensure equitable benefits to all.
38. The Heads of State or Government expressed
concern over the continued violence and bloodshed in the Middle East, and
the set backs suffered by the peace process. They reaffirmed their support
for the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based on
Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and Resolution 338 (1973) and the
establishment of a sovereign Palestine State under the leadership of PLO,
which could coexist with its neighbours in peace, security and
harmony.
Security
of Small States
39. The Heads of State or Government recognized
that due to their particular vulnerability, small states require special
measures for support from the international community for the safeguarding
of their sovereign independence and territorial integrity. They reiterated
that the real protection of small states should be firmly rooted in the
scrupulous adherence to the UN Charter, the rule of law and the strict
adherence to universally accepted principles and norms related to sovereign
rights and territorial integrity of all states, irrespective of size. This,
they stressed, should be ensured by all the countries, either severally or
collectively through the pursuit of appropriate action.
Terrorism
40.
The Heads of State or Government were convinced that terrorism, in all its
forms and manifestations, is a challenge to all states and to all of
humanity, and cannot be justified on ideological, political, religious or on
any other ground. The Leaders agreed that terrorism violates the fundamental
values of the United Nations and the SAARC Charter and constitutes one of
the most serious threats to international peace and security in the
Twenty-first century.
41.
The Heads of State or Government emphasized the need for the urgent
conclusion of a Comprehensive Convention on Combating International
Terrorism. They also emphasized that international co-operation to combat
terrorism should be conducted in conformity with the UN Charter,
international law and relevant international conventions.
42. The Heads
of State or Government reiterated their support to the United Nations
Security Council Resolution 1373 of September 28, 2001 and affirmed their
determination to redouble efforts, collectively as well as individually, to
prevent and suppress terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,
including by increased cooperation and full implementation of the relevant
international Conventions relating to terrorism to which they are parties.
In this context, they called on all states to prevent and suppress the
financing of terrorist acts by criminalizing the collection of funds for
such acts and refraining from organizing, instigating, assisting or
participating in terrorist acts in states or acquiescing in organized
activities within its territory directed towards the commission of such
acts. The Leaders reaffirmed that the fight against terrorism in all its
forms and manifestations has to be comprehensive and sustained.
43.
The Heads of State or Government were unanimous in recognizing the distinct
ominous link between terrorism, drug-trafficking, money laundering and other
trans-national crimes and emphasized the need to coordinate efforts at the
national and regional levels to strengthen the global response to this
serious challenge and threat to international security. They called upon the
international community to assist Member States of SAARC to deal effectively
with the adverse economic effects of terrorism in general and to meet the
rising insurance and security related costs in particular.
44. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed
their commitment to SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism,
which, among others, recognizes the seriousness of the problem of terrorism
as it affects the security, stability, and development of the region. They
also reiterated their firm resolve to accelerate the enactment of enabling
legislation within a definite time-frame for the full implementation of the
Convention, together with strengthening of SAARC Terrorist Offences
Monitoring Desk and the SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk in an effective
manner.
Report of the Group of
Eminent Persons
Enhancing Political
Cooperation
46. The Heads
of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment to the promotion of
mutual trust and understanding and, recognizing that the aims of promoting
peace, stability and amity and accelerated socio-economic cooperation may
best be achieved by fostering good neighbourly relations, relieving tensions
and building confidence, agreed that a process of informal consultations
would prove useful in this regard. The Leaders further recognized that this
process would contribute to the appreciation of each other's problems and
perceptions as well as for decisive action in agreed areas of regional
cooperation. They underlined the importance of informal political
consultations in promoting mutual understanding and reinforcing the
confidence building process among the Member States.
Sub-regional Cooperation
47. The Heads
of State or Government reaffirmed the validity of the idea of encouraging
the development of specific projects relevant to the individual needs of
three or more Member States under the provisions of Articles VII and X of
the SAARC Charter.
South Asian Development Fund (SADF)
48. The Heads
of State or Government underlined the urgent need to make the South Asian
Development Fund operational by making utilization of the existing funds.
They also instructed the Secretary-General to submit a proposal for seeking
possible assistance from regional and international sources for the
implementation of specific regional poverty alleviation priority projects.
Environment
49. The Heads of State or Government
noted with satisfaction the growing public awareness on the need for
protecting the environment within the framework of regional cooperation.
They reiterated their call for the early and effective implementation of the
SAARC Environment Plan of Action as endorsed by the SAARC Environment
Ministers. They directed their Environment Ministers to take this into
account and come up with an agreed position in their forthcoming meeting.
50. The Heads of State or Government also felt
a strong need to devise a mechanism for cooperation in the field of the
early warning on as well as preparedness and management of natural
disasters, along with programs to promote conservation of land and water
resources.
51. The Heads of State or Government also
stressed the need to develop a cooperative mechanism for the protection,
enrichment and utilization of bio-diversity as provided for in the UN
Convention on Biological Diversity and to establish a regional bio-diversity
database with a view to providing equitable benefits to all Member States.
They also underscored the importance of protecting associated knowledge and
other indigenous intellectual manifestations for the advancement of the
region. They also directed the Council of Ministers to explore the
possibility of establishing a SAARC Seed Security Reserve to strengthen
cooperation in the field of agriculture and to protect IPRs of the seeds of
the Reserve.
People-to-People Contact
52. The Heads of State or Government were
unanimous in recognizing the need for further promoting a sense of regional
identity amongst the peoples of the region. The Leaders lauded the roles
played by intellectuals, professionals and eminent persons in promoting
people-to-people contacts within the region and agreed to encourage such
endeavours as a healthy sign of regional cohesion and fraternity. In this
context, they took note of the activities of the SAARCLAW including other
recognized bodies. They also took note of the First Meeting of the
Chief Election Commissioners of SAARC Countries held in Kathmandu in
February 1999 and appreciated the initiative on free and fair election. The
Leaders instructed the Secretary-General to collect on a regular basis study
reports and other relevant documents and information from the civil society
on matters relating to regional cooperation for dissemination to Member
States.
Rationalization and Institutional Issues
53. The Heads of State or Government
were in agreement that the Summit and all other meetings of SAARC needed to
be made more business-like and result-oriented with focus on programs and
activities supported by informed regional inputs from the cross-sections of
the society. They directed the Chairman of the Council of Ministers to
undertake a review of the functioning and operation of SAARC Secretariat,
and to make recommendations to advance the process of rationalisation and to
make SAARC more functional and business-like, to the next meeting of the
Council of Ministers.
SAARC Award
Date and Venue of the Twelfth Summit
55. The Heads of State or Government welcomed
with appreciation the offer of the Government of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan to host the Twelfth Summit Meeting of the Heads of State or
Government of the South Asian Association for the Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) in Pakistan in early 2003.
56. The Heads of State or Government of
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressed their
deep appreciation for the exemplary manner in which the Right Honourable
Prime Minister of Nepal conducted the proceedings of the Eleventh SAARC
Summit in his capacity as Chairperson. They also expressed their deep
gratitude for the generous hospitality extended to them by His Majesty’s
Government and people of Nepal, and for the excellent arrangements made for
the Summit.
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