The First Meeting of SAARC Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Poverty Alleviation and Sustainable Development Goals was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 18-19 February 2025. The Meeting was hosted by the Government of Sri Lanka, with financial and technical assistance provided by the Asian Development Bank. The Meeting was attended by delegations from SAARC Member States comprising senior officials of the Ministries/ Agencies responsible for SDGs and Poverty Alleviation as well as Foreign Ministries.

The Expert Group was constituted earlier by the Meeting of SAARC Ministers for Poverty Alleviation with a mandate to contextualize the UN SDGs for the SAARC region and revisit the 2004 SAARC Plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation.

The Meeting was inaugurated by Mrs. Malarmathy Gangatharan, Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, Government of Sri Lanka with a keynote address. In her address, she underlined that poverty undermines human rights, restricts sustainable development, and disturbs social cohesion. She shared that the Government of Sri Lanka recognizes poverty reduction as one of the key policy initiatives involving the three pillars of rural development, digital economy, and clean Sri Lanka. The Secretary underlined the importance of global and regional support in promoting shared prosperity, and resilient poverty reduction.

Addressing the opening session of the Meeting, Mr. Dongxiang Li, Lead Regional Cooperation Specialist, Regional Cooperation and Integration Unit, South Asia Department of Asian Development Bank stated that as SAARC’s long-term development partner, ADB would like to continue its support to further promote regional cooperation and integration in the SAARC region.

Acting Director General of South Asia and SAARC Division, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of Sri Lanka Mr. Niluka Kadurugamuwa, in his statement, emphasized the need of holding high-level meetings in all sectors, including poverty alleviation. I am confident that this meeting will provide a platform for our region to address our shortcomings, learn from our successes, and to find ways and means to successfully implement the SDGs and alleviate poverty in the region, he mentioned.

On behalf of the Secretary-General of SAARC, Mr. Hari Prasad Odari, Director, Information and Poverty Alleviation Division of the SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu made a statement underlining the importance of the Meeting as it was to accomplish the vital mandate of contextualizing SDGs in SAARC Region and revisiting SAARC Action Plan on Poverty Alleviation – the mandate emanating from the Declaration of the 14th Summit of the SAARC Leaders as well as 4th Meeting of SAARC Ministers on Poverty Alleviation.

Delegations of SAARC Member States made their respective country presentations, highlighting their national priorities that include high and sustainable economic growth and decent employment opportunities, quality education and health care, expediting digital transformation, strengthening gender equality, empowerment of women and social inclusion, enhancing social protection and safety net schemes, promoting climate resilient agriculture and prioritizing rural development, transforming food system and nutrition, developing modern, sustainable, and systematic urbanization and settlements, strengthening institutions, strengthening regional cooperation, and promoting stakeholders’ participation.

The ADB-SAARC Consultant on SDGs and SAARC Plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation Dr. Posh Raj Pandey presented the Study Report and the Meeting finalized the Report, which contains: (i) Contextualized SDGs, targets and indicators for SAARC region; (ii) Priority policy measures to accelerate the progress on SDGs in the Region; and (iii) Monitoring Mechanism to keep track of the progress.

The Meeting also finalized the Concept Note on the Structure and Theme of the SAARC Development Report (SDR) to be published on biennial basis as a tool of monitoring the progress on SDGs in SAARC Region. The Meeting decided that the theme of this year's SDR will be “SDR 2025: Shaping the Future Together for Resilient SAARC”.

The Meeting was chaired by Mr. Gamini Wijesinghe, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Government of Sri Lanka.

SAARC Secretariat,
Kathmandu
19 February 2025

Secretary General of SAARC H.E. Md. Golam Sarwar addresses the 8th Indian Ocean Conference being held in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman on 16-17 February 2025, speaking in the Plenary Session on the theme, "Navigating New Frontiers: Evolving Maritime Landscape in the 21st Century."
Here are the highlights of the Secretary General's remarks:
1. "The importance of the Indian Ocean is beyond question – in economic dimension as well as strategic -- as it has become the lifeline of the world's increasing maritime economic activities."
2. "For the SAARC Members, including the three landlocked countries, the Indian Ocean provides space for external trade and access to the high seas, hence the region is deeply intertwined with the dynamics of the Indian Ocean."
3. "As we navigate the waves into the 21st century, the landscape of global trade, environmental challenges, technological advancements, and
geopolitical shifts is transforming the maritime world in ways that are both exciting and, at times, daunting."
4. "Climate-induced disasters have increasingly impacted coastal states and small islands as well as the mountains, and it is crucial to ensure that developing nations have access to the technology and financing needed for adaptation and mitigation."
5. "Securing new frontiers in the maritime sector goes beyond merely safeguarding geographical boundaries. It calls for a comprehensive
approach that integrates a variety of perspectives, addressing the complex challenges of today’s world."
6. "International community must reaffirm its commitment to UNCLOS and to ensure that its principles are upheld in letter and spirit. Let us work together to close gaps in implementation and to ensure that the Convention remains relevant in the face of new challenges, ensuring countries' right to access the seas, participate in the exploration of marine resources, and benefit from the global commons."

Secretary General of SAARC H.E. Md. Golam Sarwar awarded certificates to four Interns Ms. Ritika Lama, Ms. Aeshwari Jha, Mr. Sakshyat Dev Rajbhandari and Mr. Abhishek Ghimire on completion of their internship programme at SAARC Secretariat. During their internship, each of them accomplished short term study under the guidance of concerned Director in different areas of SAARC priorities that include poverty alleviation, energy, environment and trade.

The SAARC Internship Programme (SIP), initiated in 2004, aims to promote awareness about SAARC among students and young researchers in the region.The Programme also aims at encouraging and facilitating research and studies in the areas of interest for the Association.

The Programme is open to under-graduate, graduate and postgraduate students from South Asia and applications are accepted twice a year -- summer and winter sessions.

Secretary General of SAARC H.E. Md. Golam Sarwar warmly received at his office today the Ambassador of Japan to Nepal H.E. Mr. Toru Maeda. During the meeting, views were exchanged on various matters of mutual interest including Japan's development support in SAARC region, state of regional cooperation in South Asia, SAARC-Japan partnership and the ongoing youth exchange programme entitled JENESYS, which is being implemented through the SAARC Secretariat under SAARC-Japan Special Fund.