Social Affairs

At the Thirty-fourth Session of the Programming Committee (Kandy, 19 – 20 November 2008), the Government of India offered to host the Meeting of Chiefs of Public Service Commissions of SAARC Member States. At the invitation of the Government of India, the first Meeting of the Chiefs (i.e. Heads) of Public / Civil Service Commissions of SAARC Member States was held in New Delhi from 20 – 22 November 2010. The forum has following three mechanisms in place:

 

  1. Meeting of the Chiefs of Public/Civil Service Commissions of SAARC Member States
  2. Thematic Workshops
  3. Publication

The Meeting of the Chiefs of Public/Civil Service Commissions and thematic workshops are found to be useful for sharing of best practices. A Comparative Study of Public/Civil Service Commissions of SAARC Member States had been published in December 2014. 

 

Meeting details 

Comparative Study of Public / Civil Service Commissions of SAARC Member States

 

Contact details of the Public/Civil Service Commissions of SAARC Member States

 

Afghanistan

Secretariat of Independent Administrative reform & Civil Service Commission
Kabul
 
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Public Service Commission
Old Airport Building, Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215
Tel: +88-02-9117265
Fax: +88-02-8158495
 
Bhutan
Policy and Planning, Royal Civil Service Commission
P.O.Box: 163
Tel: +975-02-324559
Fax: +975-02-323086
 
India
UPSC, 1st Floor, Dholpur House,
Shahjahan Road, New Delhi-110069
Tel: +91-11-23381440
 
Maldives
Civil Service Commission
Tel: +960-3307363, Fax: +960-3303648
 
Nepal
Public Service Commission, Central Office
Contact: +977-1-4771355
 
Pakistan
FPSC, Aga Khan Road, Sector: F-5/1. Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-9212297
Fax: +92-51-9213386
Web: www.fpsc.gov.pk   
 
Sri Lanka
Public Service Commission
No. 177, Nawala Road, Narahenpita
Colombo 05, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94-11-2136602,  Fax: +94-11-23693
Web:  www.psc.gov.lk 

The idea of Meeting of SAARC Cabinet Secretaries was suggested by India in year 2008 to discuss professional issues of common concern such as administrative reform, procedural simplifications and implementation of development programs relevant to SAARC Countries which was welcomed by Member States. The Cabinet Secretaries of SAARC has so far met four times i.e. New Delhi, November 2009; Dhaka, April 2014; Islamabad, April 2015; and Kathmandu, June 2016.

 

The Forum is discussing issues of common concern and also provides a good opportunity for sharing the best practices and lessons learned in the contexts of administrative, economic, and social reforms. The Forum also discusses matters relating to rural development, administrative reforms, governance and capacity building and performance evaluation.

 

Nepal hosted the Fourth Meeting of the SAARC Cabinet Secretaries on 9-10 June 2016 in Kathmandu, The delegations of the Member States emphasized on the importance of collective aspiration and cooperation for achieving common objectives aimed at prosperity and welfare of the peoples of the region and appreciated the initiatives taken by the Member States.

 

So far, number of programs, workshops and initiatives has taken place under this Forum with the participation of officials from SAARC Member States. Also sharing of best practices among the Member States is an on-going process where Member States share the success stories of those initiatives carried out in their respective countries.

 

Click below for best practices of the Member States. 

 

Afghanistan

Files
Best Practices
Best Practices

 

 

 

 

 

Bangladhesh

Files
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bhutan

Files
Best Practices

 

 

 

India

Files
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices- indiagovernance.gov.in

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nepal

Files
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pakistan

Files
Best Practices

 

 

 

Sri Lanka

Files
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices
Best Practices

Education

 

The SAARC principles have recognized the literacy is a fundamental human right and the foundation for lifelong learning which adopt through education. It is fully essential to social and human development in its ability to transform lives. For individuals, families, and societies alike, it is an instrument of empowerment to improve one’s health, one’s income, and one’s relationship with the world.

 

Therefore, the leaders of the SAARC member States have given special attention to enhance the level of literacy in the region by promoting the quality of education. Illiteracy was a major impediment to economic development and social emancipation and that the eradication of illiteracy in the Region including through co-operative endeavours within SAARC must continue to be pursued resolutely.

 

During the Second SAARC Summit (Bangalore, 16-17 November 1986), the Heads of State or Government reiterated the great importance of the increasing involvement of the people for ensuring the success of regional co-operation. The Member States emphasized the need for promoting greater contacts among the peoples of the region through such action as regular and frequent interchange of scholars, academics, artists, authors, professionals and businessmen as well as facilitation of tourism.

 

At the Third Summit (Kathmandu, 02-04 November 1987), the leaders have noted the dates for the institution of the SAARC Chairs, Fellowships and Scholarships among SAARC member states to promote the educational facilities in the SAARC region.

 

During the Fourth Summit (Islamabad, 29-31 December 1988), the leaders decided that Education may be included as an agreed area of cooperation since all children was the principal means of human resources development. Children should, therefore, be given the highest priority in national development planning.

 

At the Eighth Summit (New Delhi, 02-04 May 1995), the Heads of State or Government noted that illiteracy is one of the major causes of poverty, backwardness and social injustices and called on the Member States to initiate more concrete programs aimed at eradicating illiteracy in the region preferably by the year 2000 A.D. The leaders decided to observe 1996 as the "SAARC Year of Literacy".

 

To enhance the literacy level in the region, recognizing the resource, manpower and infrastructural constraints to the promotion of vocational and higher education in the region, the Leaders at the Ninth Summit (Malé, 12-14 May 1997) agreed that new and innovative methods like Open Learning and Distance Education can play an effective role in meeting regional needs in a cost effective and flexible manner. Accordingly, the leaders agreed that the institutional facilities in such education available in the region should be utilized on a regional scale. The possibility of the creation of a Consortium of Open Universities in the region should also be explored.

 

At the Eleventh Summit (Kathmandu, 04-06 January 2002), 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 Dhakar in April 2000.

 

At the Thirteenth SAARC Summit ( Dhaka, 12-13 November 2005), the leaders noted the achievements of the Member States during recent years in the area of primary education and stressed that to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century Member States must make important strides in the areas of science, technology and higher education.

 

The Heads of State or Government during the Eighteenth Summit (Kathmandu, 26-27 November 2014) expressed their resolve to eliminating illiteracy from the region in line with the global goal of education for all and ensuring quality education in all institutions by reforming curricula, teaching methods and evaluation systems adequately supported by physical, technical and other facilities.

 

The leaders agreed to promote regional cooperation in the field of vocational education and training. The leaders directed their Education Ministers to develop a Regional Strategy for Enhancing the Quality of Education in order to raise the standards of South Asian educational institutions in order to better serve the youth in the region.

Related activities/initiatives

 

Related documents

 

Security Aspects

 

SAARC has implemented many directives to ensure the security from terrorism, drug trafficking, child and women trafficking, transnational crimes which are common social evils within the region. It was emphasized in many SAARC meetings that while condemning terrorism, in all its forms and manifestations, collective actions in fighting this menace and stressed that terrorists should not escape prosecution.

 

The necessity of identifying the practical solutions to address the challenges on controlling the cybercrimes, transnational organized crimes, to ensure the safety and security for the social and economic growth, especially, to ensure a secure future for the youth, women and children are also highlighted. Therefore, SAARC is trying to improve the monitoring system, exchange of information and exchange of technology to fight these common social evils within the region.

 

During the Second SAARC Summit (Bangalore, 16-17 November 1986), the Heads of State or Government agreed that co-operation among SAARC States was vital if terrorism was to be prevented and eliminated from the region. The leaders unequivocally condemned all acts, methods and practices of terrorism as criminal and deplored their impact on life and property, social economic development, political stability, regional and international peace and co-operation.

 

At the Third Summit (Kathmandu, 02-04 November 1987), the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism was signed and it was considered as a historic step towards the prevention and elimination of terrorism from the region.

 

The Heads of State or Government at the Fourth Summit (Islamabad, 29-31 December 1988) expressed grave concern over the growing magnitude and the serious effects of drug abuse, particularly among young people, and drug trafficking. The leaders recognized the need for urgent and effective measures to eradicate this evil and decided to declare the year 1989 as the "SAARC Year for Combating Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking".

 

At the Fifth SAARC Summit (Malé, 21-23 November 1990) the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances was signed.

 

The Additional Protocol to the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism was signed at the Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, 02-06 January 2004).

 

The SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters was signed at the Fifteenth Summit (Colombo, 02-03 August 2008).

 

Related activities/initiatives

 

 

Culture

The regional cooperation in the field of culture started with the First Meeting of the Technical Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture held in New Delhi in January 1989. Since then it has been an important area of cooperation among SAARC countries.

The Tenth Summit (Colombo, 209-31 July 1998) recognized the profound cultural continuum of South Asia as a historical basis for sustaining harmonious relations among the peoples of the region and welcomed the offer of Sri Lanka to host a meeting of Ministers of Cultural Affairs with the objective, inter alia, of establishing a South Asian Cultural Centre.

A preparatory meeting of the Secretaries of Cultural Affairs was held in Colombo in November 2001, which recommended practical measures, among others, for protection, conservation and maintenance of cultural and pilgrimage sites; development of archaeology and musicology; encouragement of contemporary arts and culture; engaging the corporate sector and non-state organizations in cultural activities; and developing cooperative links with UN and other regional institutions.

The Meeting of the Cultural Affairs Ministers (Colombo, 05-07 February 2003) has approved measures for protection, conservation and maintenance of South Asian Cultural Heritage, and cooperation among Member States in promoting contemporary arts and culture.

Sri Lanka hosted the first ever SAARC Film Festival in September 1999. On that occasion, three seminars were also held on different aspects of the South Asian cinema including on film as cultural expression, film marketing and distribution, and the future of the film industry. Another film festival is to be held in Sri Lanka in December 2004. Recommendations of the Technical Committee on HRD at its First Meeting (Colombo 4-5 March 2004) that the SAARC film festivals may be organized annually by Member States in rotation has been approved by the Standing Committee. This would significantly contribute to the promotion of culture among the SAARC Countries.

The Leaders during the Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, 4 - 6 January 2004), took pride in the rich cultural mosaic of the peoples of South Asia and underlined the need for preservation of traditional skills and crafts, and promotion of cultural exchanges between nations.

During the Thirteenth Summit (Dhaka, 12 - 13 November 2005) the Leaders recognized the crucial role of culture in bringing the people of South Asia closer. They also stressed that cooperation in the area of culture was vital for reinforcing and projecting the distinct identity of South Asia. The SAARC Ministers of Culture were directed to meet soon to elaborate a SAARC Agenda for Culture.

At the Thirteenth SAARC Summit held in Dhaka in November 2005, the Heads of State or Government directed the SAARC Ministers of Culture to meet as soon as possible to elaborate a SAARC Agenda for Culture.

Consequently, at the invitation of the Government of Sri Lanka, the Second Meeting of Ministers of Culture was held on 31 October 2007 in Colombo.

The Meeting considered the matters relating to establishment of the SAARC Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka and establishment of a SAARC Museum of Textiles and Handicrafts in India, SAARC Agenda for Culture, Protection, Conservation and Maintenance of the South Asian Cultural Heritage including the intangible cultural heritage in South Asia, broadening of cooperation among Member States in promoting contemporary arts and culture in South Asia, promotion of cultural tourism, pilgrims, holding of cultural festivals, film festivals etc., and cooperation with international organizations

At the Eighteenth SAARC Summit (Kathmandu, November 2014), the Leaders “directed to implement the SAARC Agenda for Culture and agreed to develop a cultural trail linking major Buddhist historical sites in the region. The Member States also agreed to take measures to preserve and restitute the South Asian cultural property and create a SAARC heritage list together with the operational guidelines.

Furthermore, they declared the year 2016 as the SAARC Year of Cultural Heritage and tasked the relevant bodies to develop an action plan for its success. They further agreed to facilitate access of persons visiting prominent and holy sites of Islam, Hinduism, Christianity and all other major religions in South Asia.”

Related activities/initiatives

 


ENERGY

 

MECHANISMS

Energy Ministers -> Working Group -> Expert Groups (04)

The process of regional cooperation in the energy sector began in January 2000 with the establishment of a Technical Committee on Energy.  The Council of Ministers while recognizing the importance of focused attention for this vital area, approved creation of a specialized Working Group on Energy in January 2004. The Working Group has met eight times since its establishment. The Energy Ministers have held five meetings since 2005 in Islamabad (01 October 2005), New Delhi (07 March 2007), Colombo (29 January 2009), Dhaka (15 September 2011) and New Delhi (17 October 2014).

 

Expert Groups

The Energy Ministers Meeting held in Colombo in January 2009, decided formation of Expert Groups for different commodities and services.  As a follow-up, the Working Group on Energy constituted Expert Groups on (i) Oil and Gas (ii) Electricity (iii) Renewable Energy and (iv) Technology/Knowledge Sharing (including energy efficiency, coal, etc.). 

 

  • Expert Group on Oil and Gas (Lead Country Bangladesh & Sri Lanka)

The Expert Group on Oil and Gas has met once (Dhaka, 25-26 July 2011) and finalized its Terms of Reference (ToR) and Work Plan. 

 

  • Expert Group on Electricity (Lead Country India)

The Expert Group on Electricity has met on three occasions: Goa, India on 23 December 2009, Udaipur, India on 18-19 January 2011 and New Delhi, India on 19 December 2013. The Expert Group was mandated to prepare/finalize the SAARC Inter-Governmental Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (Electricity).  Other matters pertaining to Electricity are also covered by the Expert Group.

 

  • Expert Group on Renewable Energy (Lead Country Pakistan)

The Expert Group on Renewable Energy has met on four occasions in Islamabad on 24 August 2011, 11-12 June 2014, 26-27 November 2015 and 12-13 November 2017 and has finalized its Terms of Reference and Work Plan.   

 

  • Expert Group on Technology/knowledge sharing (including energy efficiency, coal etc.) (Lead Country India)

The Expert Group on Technology, Knowledge Sharing (including energy efficiency, coal etc.) met once (New Delhi, 29-30 May 2012) and finalized its Terms of Reference and Work Plan. 

The Fifth Meeting of SAARC Energy Ministers (16-17 October 2014) noted that all the Expert Groups have already finalized their ToRs and Work Plans and urged the lead Member States to continue convening Expert Group meetings regularly, preferably on an annual basis.

 

SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (Electricity)

The SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation (Electricity) was signed during the Eighteenth SAARC Summit (Kathmandu, 26-27 November 2014). The Leaders welcomed the signing of the SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity). Governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka have ratified the Agreement.

 

TRANSPORT

MECHANISMS

Transport Ministers -> Inter-Governmental Group -> Technical Committee

 

At the Twelfth SAARC Summit (Islamabad, 4-6 January 2004), the Heads of States/ Heads of Governments emphasized that for accelerated and balanced economic growth it is essential to strengthen transportation, transit and communication links across the region.

Subsequently, SAARC Regional Multimodal Transport Study (SRMTS) was conducted with the financial and technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in order to enhance transport connectivity among the Member States of SAARC to promote intra-regional trade and travel.  SRMTS consisted of two Phases.  Phase-I was conducted by the National Consultants of each Member State. Regional Consultants conducted Phase-II. 

The Report of the SRMTS was considered by the Thirty-second Session of the Standing Committee (Dhaka, 31 July – 1 August 2006) which emphasized the need to consider and prioritize the important recommendations therein.  The Standing Committee also agreed to establish an Inter-Governmental Group on Transport at the level of Secretaries, supported by Experts in the relevant sectors.  The First Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport (Islamabad, 28 December 2006), inter-alia, prioritized the recommendations contained in the SRMTS.  These prioritizations are under two categories - (i) to be implemented within 1-5 years, (ii) to be implemented within 6-10 years.

The Thirty-third Session of the Standing Committee (New Delhi, 31 March – 1 April 2007), inter-alia, directed that the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport should identify and develop sub-regional and regional projects based on the important recommendations contained in the Report of the SRMTS for approval of higher SAARC bodies and that the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport may develop the draft regional agreements required for implementing the recommendations of the SRMTS.  Further, the Standing Committee decided that the SRMTS should be extended to include Afghanistan.

The recommendations contained in SRMTS have been examined by the IGG on Transport. The IGG has come up with certain prioritized recommendations for implementation with the approval of SAARC Transport Ministers.

The SAARC Transport Ministers have met Thrice (New Delhi, 31 August 2007; Colombo, 25 July 2009; New Delhi, 23 November 2010) and the Inter-Governmental Group on Transport has held six meetings, so far (Islamabad, 28 December 2006; New Delhi, 30 August 2007; Colombo, 24 July 2009; New Delhi, 22 November 2010; New Delhi 30 September 2014; Kathmandu, 19 November 2019). The Technical Committee on Transport have met three times so far. All three meetings were held in New Delhi 17-18 January 2005, 29 August 2007 and 17 November 2008.

 

SAARC Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service

Asian Development Bank has submitted Feasibility Study Report for SAARC Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service. A Meeting of Expert to deliberate on Feasibility Study Report was held in Colombo on 01-02 December 2016. The meeting was attended by the representatives from India, Sri Lanka, Asian Development Bank, SAARC Development Fund and the Private Sector by invitation. The Meeting decided to evaluate the Ferry & Cargo Service between Sri Lanka and India initially. Maldives, Bangladesh and Pakistan may join at the later stage. 

 

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

 

MECHANISMS

Science & Technology Ministers -> Technical Committee

The First Meeting of the Ministers of Science and Technology (New Delhi, 16 September 2008) adopted the Action Plan on Science and Technology, and a number of short-term activities have been undertaken as a follow-up to the Action Plan. These activities were aimed to promote cooperation as envisaged in the Action Plan on Science & Technology titled “Themes for Cooperation”.

The Second Meeting of the Ministers of Science and Technology was held at Colombo on 24 November 2009. The Meeting approved the recommendations of the Senior Officials’ Meeting on the proposed SAARC Initiative for Industrial Research and Development. The Meeting also discussed the proposal on the possibility of creating a SAARC mechanism on Intellectual Property Rights.

The Technical Committee Meeting on Science & Technology is a regular mechanism in this important area of cooperation. The Fifth Meeting of the Committee was held at New Delhi on 2-3 August 2010.

 

SAARC VISA EXEMPTION SCHEME 

SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme is in operation since 1992, and currently, there are 24 categories of entitled persons (Group A = 19, Group B = 5).  The ‘SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme’ has been categorized by the Council of Ministers (New Delhi, 7-8 December 2007as follows:

  1.  SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme:Which covers Dignitaries, Government Officials, participants of SAARC meetings and officials of the Secretariat and its Regional Centres.
  2. Liberalization of Visa Scheme:  This Category covers businessmen, sportsmen, journalists and heads of institutions/organizations etc.

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