The Second Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Climate Change was held at the SAARC Secretariat on 16-17 April 2012. The Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Climate Change was established by the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change with the mandate to monitor and review the implementation of the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change and make recommendations to facilitate its implementation.

The Thimphu Statement on Climate Change which was adopted by the Heads of State or Government of Member States of SAARC at the Sixteenth SAARC Summit (Thimphu, 28-29 April 2010) contains a number of initiatives to be implemented at the national and regional level to address the adverse effects of climate change.

The First Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Climate Change was held in Colombo on 29-30 June 2011. The Second Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Climate Change took stock of the progress made towards the implementation of the various initiatives since its first meeting and made a number of recommendations to ensure timely implementation of the Thimphu Statement.

Among others, Member States provided updates on the initiatives being undertaken at the national level with regard to the implementation of the Dhaka Declaration and Action Plan on Climate Change. The meeting also reviewed the status of implementation of the SAARC Inter-governmental Mountain Initiative by the SAARC Forestry Center; the Climate-related Disasters Initiative by the SAARC Disaster Management Center; the Monsoon Initiative by the SAARC Meteorological Research Center; and the Marine Initiative by the SAARC Coastal Zone Management Center. It also took stock of the progress made with regard to commissioning the SAARC Regional Study on “Climate Risks in the region: ways to comprehensively address the related social, economic and environmental challenges”.

The Third Meeting of Inter-governmental Expert Group on Climate Change will be held in the last quarter of 2012.

SAARC Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem paid a courtesy call on Rt.Hon’ble, Dr.Baburam Bhattarai, Prime Minister of Nepal this afternoon at his office in Singha Durbar.  

During the meeting, Rt.Hon’ble Prime Minister and the Secretary General discussed matters of mutual interest between Nepal and SAARC.  Prime Minister Bhattarai emphasized on the strengthening of SAARC and stated that he is committed to extend all necessary support to make SAARC process more vibrant.  

The Meeting was also attended by Dr. Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat, Director, SAARC Secretariat.

SAARC Secretary-General, H.E. Mr. Ahmed Saleem met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Nepal, H.E. Mr. Narayan Kaji Shrestha 'Prakash', today at Singha Durbar.

H.E. Mr. Narayan Kaji Shrestha 'Prakash' stated that he is pleased with the appointment of Mr. Ahmed Saleem, owing to his vast experience in the international arena and his acquaintance with the SAARC. 

The Secretary-General and the Honorable Minister together underscored the fact that as a host of decisions have already been made by the SAARC, it is pertinent to take action on implementing these decisions without delay. Further, matters relating to the advancements made in the SAARC process were also discussed in general.

The Secretary General took this opportunity to thank the Government of Nepal for the excellent cooperation and the unstinted support extended by the Government as the host of the SAARC Secretariat since its inception.

On the behalf of the Government of Nepal the Hon. Minister assured the Secretary-General that every effort will be taken by the Nepalese Government to facilitate the activities and the smooth functioning of the SAARC Secretariat.

The Meeting was also attended by Mrs. R.D. Rajapakse, Director & Dr. Niranjan Man Singh Basnyat, Director,  SAARC Secretariat.

SAARC Secretary General, Mr Ahmed Saleem along with two Directors of SAARC Secretariat, Mr Amrit Lugun and Mr Tareque Muhammad met Ambassador Viorel Isticioaia Budura, Managing Director for Asia and Pacific, European External Action Service and Ambassador Dr Alexander Spachis, Head of Delegation of EU to Nepal on March 19, 2012 in Kathmandu.

During the meeting the EU delegation expressed its keenness to broaden its engagement with SAARC by extending cooperation in a wide range of areas. The Secretary General welcomed EU’s interests in SAARC and reiterated that by working together, SAARC and EU could achieve significant progress in the coming days. The Secretary General pointed out the need to devise an appropriate cooperation arrangement to garner EU’s support in SAARC activities.

The two sides explored possibilities of cooperation, inter alia, in the areas of trade facilitation, connectivity, agriculture and SAARC Development Fund or SDF and any other area that may emerge in future. Both sides agreed to remain engaged to work out a framework of cooperation for the consideration of the SAARC Member States.