His Excellency Ambassador Golam Sarwar, Secretary General of SAARC, visited the SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC) in Colombo on June 12, 2024. The Secretary General was escorted to the Centre accompanied by a traditional Sri Lankan dance procession and Ms. Renuka Ekanayake, Director of the SCC, cordially welcomed Secretary General Sarwar and the visiting team.
The Secretary General was accompanied by Ms. Irosha Cooray, Director of the SAARC Secretariat and Ms. Diana Perera. Assistant Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
An Interactive Session has been organized by SCC to portray its achievements to preserve, retain and promote culture and heritage amongst the Member States. In Director Ekanayake’s welcome remarks, she highlighted the significance of the visit by the SAARC Secretary General, apprising him of the ongoing successful activities and outputs of the Center.
While addressing the staff of the Centre, Secretary General Sarwar reiterated the mission of the SCC: to bring the people of South Asia together to celebrate and exchange the cultural heritage of the region, and to strengthen relationships through the sharing of regional dances, music, theatre, literature, cinema, and arts. Furthermore, he recapped the mandate entrusted to SCC in 2009 by the SAARC leaders for the implementation of the SAARC Agenda for Culture. He conveyed his gratitude to the Director and her team for the commendable job they have done in accomplishing the objectives of the SAARC agenda for culture.

This welcome event was followed by an exchange of pleasantries with the team of the SCC.

SAARC Secretariat
12 June 2024

The visiting SAARC Secretary General Ambassador Golam Sarwar had a meeting with Acting Foreign Secretary for Foreign Affairs U.L. Md. Jauhar at the Foreign Ministry today, 12 June 2024. This meeting was preceded by a session with senior officials at the Foreign Ministry and the Secretary General of SAARC and his delegation.

The Actg. Secretary welcomed Ambassador Sarwar and inquired about different aspects of current activities of SAARC. During their discussion, the Secretary General praised the willingness of Sri Lanka to activate and motivate the various modalities of regional cooperation within the SAARC system. The Acting Foreign Secretary, along with the Secretary General, exchanged views on how best the SAARC process could be revitalized in order to fully exploit the potentials and benefits of the institutional mechanism and the synergy the organization has created over the last forty years of its existence. Secretary General Sarwar expressed his gratitude to the esteemed Government of Sri Lanka for hosting the SAARC Cultural Centre and providing continued support for its smooth functioning. The Secretary General invited the esteemed Government of Sri Lanka to revive the initiative to launch the long-pending SAARC Passenger Ferry Service among the three countries in the Region, namely India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

During the Meeting, Acting Foreign Secretary Jauhar assured Sri Lanka's commitment to extend every possible support to materialize the goals of SAARC and to achieve sustainable and integrated development in the region through cooperation. The Actg. Secretary requested the Secretary General to continue his consultation with member states and urged to revitalize SAARC Cooperation to face the growing challenge that the region is facing. This Meeting was followed by a luncheon hosted by the Actg. Secretary in honour of the Secretary General of SAARC and his delegation.

SAARC Secretariat

12 June 2024

At the invitation of Ambassador Ravinath P. Ariyasinha, Executive Director of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute (LKI) in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General of SAARC, Ambassador Golam Sarwar, participated in a roundtable discussion at LKI on Wednesday, June 13, 2024. The event was attended by eminent scholars, policymakers, and executives involved in the SAARC process in Sri Lanka.

In extending a warm welcome to the Secretary-General, Ambassador Aryasinha graciously invited him to provide an update on the current advancements and future direction of the SAARC Process.

While addressing the esteemed gathering, the Secretary General emphasized that SAARC is fundamentally a people-centric organization, established to enhance the living standards of its populace. He further highlighted that although SAARC initially focused on specific areas for regional collaboration, it now encompasses nearly every facet of development activity, significantly impacting the lives and livelihoods of its people. Ambassador Sarwar stressed the importance of understanding and addressing the key constraints that have hindered greater regional cooperation in South Asia, citing overwhelming evidence of the benefits of increased collaboration seen in other regions. In conclusion, he expressed optimism that with concerted regional efforts and strong political commitment, SAARC will facilitate the transformation of South Asia into a resilient region marked by greater progress and prosperity.

Following the Secretary General's remarks, a question and answer session was held, allowing the audience to engage directly with the discussion.

SAARC Secretariat

13 June 2024

His Excellency the Secretary General of SAARC, Ambassador Golam Sarwar paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Ranil Wickremesinghe, President of Sri Lanka at the President Secretariat in Colombo on 12 June 2024. As part of his ongoing visit to the member states, the Secretary General of SAARC is currently on an introductory consultations visit to Sri Lanka.

President Wickremesinghe welcomed Ambassador Sarwar and congratulated him on assuming charge as the fifteenth Secretary General of SAARC.

Secretary General Sarwar expressed appreciation for Sri Lanka's persistent support of the SAARC process since its establishment in December 1985. Furthermore, he conveyed confidence in receiving continued support and guidance from Sri Lanka to further strengthen the SAARC process. The Secretary General apprised the President of Sri Lanka about current activities of SAARC and its challenges and sought Sri Lanka’s support in re-energising the SAARC process. In briefing on the recent development of holding the Governing Board Meetings of all the SAARC Regional Centers and Specialized Bodies, which lead to the holding of Programming Committee meeting at the SAARC Secretariat in March of this year, Secretary General Sarwar expressed his hopes to convene higher level meetings of the Chartered Bodies in consultations with the SAARC Chair Nepal at the earliest possible.

President Wickremesinghe appreciated the initiatives of SAARC Secretary General and requested him to consider taking further steps to revitalize the SAARC process given the prevailing situation emphasizing that SAARC embodies the hopes and aspirations of its peoples and countries in the region for prosperity. Upon the Secretary General's request, the President of Sri Lanka has graciously agreed to allocate a permanent venue to the SAARC Cultural Centre in Colombo that aligns with the provisions outlined in the Headquarters Agreement signed between the Centre and Sri Lanka. President Wickremesinghe reaffirmed Sri Lanka’s commitment to SAARC and to extend every possible support to materialize the goals of SAARC to achieve a sustainable and integrated development in the region through cooperation under the SAARC process.    

SAARC Secretariat

12 June 2024