The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and UN Women, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote gender equality, gender justice and the empowerment of women among the countries in the South Asian region.

UN Women’s (previously UNIFEM) partnership with SAARC on gender equality and women’s issues dates back to 1996.  Inspired by shared goals and common concerns, SAARC and UN Women signed an MoU on 31 December 2001, which was later renewed in December 2007.

On 15 April 2014, H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC and Dr. Rebecca Tavares, Representative, UN Women Multi Country Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives   and Sri Lanka signed a fresh MoU between SAARC and UN Women for continued partnership for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment.  The signing ceremony was attended by senior representatives from the SAARC Secretariat and UN Women Representatives from Bangladesh, Nepal and Pakistan Media personnel were also present on the occasion.

Promotion of regional cooperation on issues related to trafficking, economic empowerment, political leadership and decision-making and violence against women (VAW), including safe mobility has been identified as the key areas of cooperation between the two organizations. Through the newly signed MoU, SAARC and UN Women have agreed to collaborate on the development and implementation of a SAARC Gender Equality and Empowerment Programme.

While expressing satisfaction over the signing of the MoU, H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC stated, “Ever since the inception of SAARC, issues related to women have figured prominently on the SAARC agenda for regional cooperation and in addition to the many regional instruments SAARC has initiated a number of regional projects for women empowerment and gender equality in the region.”

Delivering her remarks on the occasion, Dr. Rebecca Tavares, UN Women Representative said “UN Women puts a very high value on its partnership with the SAARC Secretariat. We have a shared vision on gender issues, articulated in the MoU that UN Women (then UNIFEM) and the Secretariat signed in 2001 to support Member Countries in meeting the goals of gender equality and in promoting mutual learning and cross fertilization. We are pleased to renew our MoU with SAARC for continued partnership for the next three years.”

The MoU signed today will remain valid for three years and is renewable.

The South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO), a SAARC Specialised Body, became operational in Dhaka with effect from 3rd April 2014. A decision to this effect was taken by the Second Meeting of Governing Board of South Asian Regional Standards Organisation (SARSO) held in Dhaka on 2-3 April 2014 under the Chairmanship of Mr. Phuntsho Wangdi, Director-General, Bhutan Standards Bureau and Member on the Governing Board from Bhutan.   The Governing Board appointed Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir as the first Director General of SARSO for a period of three years; recommended the salary and allowances of Director-General, Professional Staff and General Services Staff of SARSO; and considered the interim Institutional Cost Budget prepared by the Director-General of SARSO for the period April – December 2014.   Dr. Kabir assumed the charge of the office of Director General of SARSO with effect from 3rd April 2014.  Mr. Uwe Miesner, Head of Technical Cooperation in Asia, German National Institute of Metrology (PTB) made a presentation on the status of activities held and proposed to be held under the SAARC-PTB MOU for strengthening quality infrastructure in the region.

The Governing Board also considered and approved the Report of the First Meeting of the SARSO Technical Management Board which was also held in Dhaka on 31 March – 1 April 2014. The Technical Management Board finalised its own Technical Rules and considered the Reports of the nine Sectoral Technical Committees which carried out the task of harmonisation of standards of identified products in the areas such as food and agricultural products; jute, textiles and leather; and building materials.

H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of SAARC, paid a visit to India from 7 to 9 April 2014 as part of his introductory visits to the Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). This is the first visit to a member nation of SAARC undertaken by him following his assumption of office on 1 March 2014.

H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC called on Hon. Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India on 9 April 2014.

During the meeting, Hon. Prime Minister congratulated H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on his appointment. Hon. Prime Minister also expressed the firm commitment of India to the SAARC process for the common good of the peoples in the region. During the call on, H. E. Mr. Shiv Shanker Menon, National Security Adviser to the Prime Minister; H. E. Smt. Sujatha Singh, Foreign Secretary of India; Dr. Neena Malhotra, Joint Secretary (SAARC) at the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi; and Mr. Jawed Ashraf, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office were present.

H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC apprised the Hon. Prime Minister about the ongoing activities of SAARC, with particular reference to trade and intra-regional connectivity.  The Secretary-General apprised the Hon. Prime Minister about the offer of Nepal to host the Eighteenth Summit in Kathmandu in November 2014.

During the visit, H. E. Smt. Sujatha Singh, Foreign Secretary hosted a working luncheon meeting in honour of H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on 9 April 2014. During the meeting, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC and H. E. the Foreign Secretary of India exchanged views on a wide range of issues relating to SAARC, including matters pertaining to the upcoming Eighteenth SAARC Summit.

While in New Delhi, the executive heads of the South Asian University, SAARC Documentation Centre and SAARC Disaster Management Centre, all of which are based in New Delhi, also called on H. E. the Secretary-General for a briefing about their activities.

The Rt. Hon. Parmanand Jha, Vice President of Nepal, received H. E. Mr. Arjun B. Thapa, Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as part of the latter’s introductory calls on the high dignitaries of Nepal.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President of Nepal congratulated H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC on his appointment. The Rt. Hon. Vice President expressed Nepal’s support in making his tenure a success. He also expressed Nepal’s firm commitment to the SAARC process for the common good of the people in the region.

Thanking the Rt. Hon. Vice President for receiving him and for his felicitations on his appointment, H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC briefed the Rt. Hon. Vice President about the SAARC mechanisms, including the Programming Committee, Standing Committee, Council of Ministers and Summit. He also apprised the Rt. Hon. Vice President about SAARC’s eleven Regional Centres, and Specialized Bodies as the SAARC Development Fund and the South Asian University.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President identified the need for SAARC to launch programmes for the overall development of youth in the region as also the farmers who constitute a major segment of the South Asian populace. In this context, the Rt. Hon. Vice President underscored the imperative to launch home-grown projects that best suit the needs and conditions of the Member States in order to bring tangible benefits to the people of the region.

The Rt. Hon. Vice President of Nepal and H. E. the Secretary-General of SAARC exchanged views on matters pertaining to the Eighteenth SAARC Summit, which the Government of Nepal will be hosting during November 2014.