Director (Information and Poverty Alleviation), SAARC Secretariat, Mr. Hari Odari addressed the Regional Dialogue on Food Systems for Enhanced Nutrition Outcomes hosted on 21 September 2024 by the South Asia Policy Leadership for Improved Nutrition and Growth (SAPLING) Initiative of the World Bank. The Dialogue was organized in New Delhi as part of the World Food India 2024, a mega event hosted by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Government of India.
In his remarks as the Guest of Honour, Mr. Odari presented an overview of the food and nutrition situation in SAARC Region and highlighted SAARC initiatives including the activities of SAARC Agriculture Centre, Chief Veterinary Officers' Forum, SAARC Food Bank and SAARC Seed Bank.
The Director also shared perspective on the areas such as technology, seeds and other inputs, supply chain and logistics, food safety and quality standards that require prioritization, scaled-up investment and enhanced level of regional cooperation to further improve the food and nutrition security in the SAARC Region.

During the Asia Pacific Meeting on Education (APMED6) held from September 10-13, 2024, a sub-regional dialogue was convened to address strategies for implementing existing commitments and priority actions across various regions. The session, moderated by Professor Kazuhiro Yoshida of Hiroshima University, brought together key representatives to discuss achievements, potential, and challenges within East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and South Asia.

Notable attendees included Dr. Kamaleswaran Jayarajahfrom the SEAMEO Secretariat for Southeast Asia, Ms. IroshaCooray from SAARC Secretariat for South Asia, Mr. TawaqaJoe Naisoro from SPC for the Pacific Region, Ms. MadinaTynybayeva from the National Academy of Education, Kazakhstan, representing Central Asia online, and ZHAO Yuchi from UNESCO for East Asia.

The Director of the SAARC Secretariat emphasized the immense potential of South Asia, which is home to nearly 350 million adolescents—the highest number of any region globally. With almost half of its population under the age of 24, and led by India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, South Asia is poised to have the world's largest youth labor force until 2040. This demographic advantage presents a unique opportunity for the region to drive dynamic and productive economies. The Director also addressed both conventional and emerging challenges faced by the region, highlighting ongoing gaps and lapses in achieving educational equity and ensuring access to quality education at all levels. The focus remains on overcoming these barriers to fully leverage the potential of South Asia's youthful population.

Key outcomes include the development of sub-regional recommendations and a strategic way forward. These recommendations will be reflected in the Outcome Document of APMED6 and will contribute valuable regional inputs to the upcoming Global Education Meeting (GEM) in Brazil.

SAARC Secretariat

Kathmandu, Nepal

15 September 2024

The Third Technical Meeting of SAARC Senior Officials of Education was held on September 12, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand, on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Meeting on Education (APMED6). This important event marked eight years since the launch of the SAARC Framework for Action for Education 2030 and was organized by the SAARC Secretariat with technical and logistical support from the UNESCO Regional Office in New Delhi and the UNICEF Regional Office in Kathmandu.

The Meeting was attended by representatives from seven SAARC member states of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, alongside the Regional Director of UNESCO and the Representative of UNICEF. The session was chaired by Minister of State for Higher Education Mr. Ahmed Shafeeu from the esteemed Government of Maldives, with Ms. Irosha Cooray, Director at the SAARC Secretariat, formally opening the meeting in accordance with SAARC protocol.

The gathering served as a vital forum for reviewing and assessing the progress of the SAARC Framework for Action for Education 2030. The discussions highlighted both advancements and challenges within the region, establishing some recommendations for future actions aimed at improving educational outcomes across South Asia.

Key outcomes and recommendations from the meeting included a strategic focus on integrating climate change adaptation into the SAARC agenda and advocating for increased funding and resources to strengthen SAARC's role as a South-South Cooperation Platform. The meeting emphasized leveraging SAARC as a knowledge management forum to share best practices in teacher professional development, learning assessment, and SDG 4 data. Additionally, a regional program/framework was proposed to tackle the learning crisis by enhancing learning assessment capabilities. The meeting also highlighted the need to improve educational access for children, especially girls, and to promote STEM education and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Other recommendations included assessing and improving teacher competencies and fostering public-private partnerships to advance education access and outcomes.

SAARC Secretariat

Kathmandu, Nepal

15 September 2024

H.E. the Secretary General Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar called on Hon Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba at the Foreign Ministry today and congratulated her on the assumption of important responsibility as the Foreign Minister and the Chair of the SAARC Council of Ministers.
The two dignitaries discussed ongoing initiatives in SAARC, forward movement, and upcoming meetings.