Secretary-General of SAARC Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar delivered the opening remarks at the inaugural session of the Regional Workshop for South Asia on the Asia-Pacific Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution being held at The Soaltee, Kathmandu from 9 to 10 December 2024.

Ambassador Sarwar said that air pollution in the South Asia region is a critical environmental and public health issue, affecting millions of people across countries, like Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Ambassador Sarwar commended the Government of Nepal and ESCAP for organizing this very important regional workshop and for reaching out to SAARC in their efforts to operationalize the Asia-Pacific Regional Action Programme on Air Pollution (RAPAP).

Air pollution is a transboundary issue, which is causing hindrance in the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for the countries of South Asia and beyond. Addressing air pollution in South Asia requires coordinated efforts across national governments, local authorities, industries, and the public.

The Secretary-General expressed his confidence that this workshop will offer an important platform and significant way forward for the region to improve air quality, and welcomed the opportunity to engage with ESCAP and other regional and multilateral stakeholders to contribute in improving the lives and livelihood of the people of South Asia.

The Secretary General of SAARC Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, who is on the Introductory Visit to Bangladesh, attended the Luncheon hosted in his honour by the Acting Foreign Secretary of Bangladesh Ambassador M. Riaz Hamidullah at State Guest House in Dhaka on 04 December 2024.

On the same day, the Secretary General also visited the Dhaka-based South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) and received briefing from the Director General of SARSO
Dr. Shahzad Afzal on the planned activities of the Organization.

Established in 2011 as a Specialized Body of SAARC, SARSO is mandated to promote harmonization of national standards of SAARC Member States; develop regional standards on products; and promote mutual recognition agreements on recognition of conformity assessment.

SARSO's mission is to facilitate intra-regional trade by eliminating the technical barriers.

The Secretary General of SAARC Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar participated in a roundtable discussion organized on 03 December 2024 by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) on the theme, “SAARC Nearing 50: Challenges and Way Forward.”

Speaking at the programme, the Secretary General highlighted the achievements SAARC made in the past 40 years in terms of building the solid institutional foundation and norm setting as well as executing project-based initiatives in priority areas of regional cooperation.

The Secretary General stated that the Organization was born with the vision to promote welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region; to foster and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; and to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems. The responsibility to translate the great vision of SAARC’s founding Leaders into reality falls now on our generation and the succeeding generations in the region, he added.

The Secretary General further stated that even in the absence of high level meetings in the past few years, SAARC in collaboration with its external partners like Asian Development Bank is undertaking impactful activities in the areas of climate change, sustainable development, regional integration, and custom cooperation, among others.

Responding to questions from the distinguished participants in the roundtable, Ambassador Sarwar stated that revitalizing SAARC with convening of higher level meetings is in the interest of the entire region and to that end, further diplomatic efforts should continue.

The Programme was moderated by the Chairman of BIISS Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker while Director General of BIISS Major General Iftekhar Anis delivered welcome remarks.

SAARC Secretariat,
Kathmandu
03 December 2024

The Secretary General of SAARC Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar visited today Dhaka-based SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) and received briefing on the Centre’s activities, accomplishments and future plans. SAC Director Dr. Md. Harunur Rashid and his team welcomed the Secretary General at the Centre.

In his briefing, the Director highlighted that the Centre is dedicated to addressing the challenges related to low productivity, livelihood, impacts of climate change, transboundary diseases, and trade barriers in agriculture, among other priority domains.

Renamed in 2007 from the earlier SAARC Agricultural Information Centre, SAC is mandated to work to promote agricultural research and development as well as transfer of agriculture technology in the region. The Centre is facilitating research and information network in SAARC Member States; exchange of regionally generated technical information to support innovation; collection and dissemination of information on proven agricultural technologies and effective farm practices as well as development and introduction of emerging frontier technologies in agriculture sector.

The SAC Director also highlighted that exchange of germplasm of high yielding crops and livestock, and transfer of climate smart practices and technical knowhow have been the programmes of high interest to SAARC Member States.

Following the briefing, His Excellency the Secretary General of SAARC appreciated the impactful works done by the Centre in the vital areas of agriculture research, technology and development, and emphasized the need of upscaling these activities. The Secretary General stated that as South Asia is one of most affected regions by climate change, it is crucial for SAC to focus on helping the region to cope with the emerging challenges on food and nutritional security through development and dissemination of climate resilient agriculture. He complimented the role of the Centre in formulating SAARC Agricultural Vision 2030 for agriculture transformation and pointed out the importance of applying the latest technology and AI based solutions in agriculture.

During the programme, the Secretary General released the book titled "Covid-19 Regulations -- Impacts on the Dynamics of Aquaculture and Fisheries in SAARC Countries” edited by the experts of the Centre.

SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu
03 December 2024