The meeting held in Thimpu, Bhutan on Wednesday decided to revise the SDGS in order incorporate all the 22 goals that the upcoming UN General Assembly (UNGA) in September is adopting in its new Sustainable Development Goals. The SAARC Development Goals were designed in accordance with the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which upcoming UNGA is replacing with comprehensive new development goals popularly known as post-2015 development agenda.Joint Secretary Ramesh Prasad Khanal, who heads the Regional Organization Division at Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), said the meeting has asked all SAARC member states submit SDGs reports by November end by incorporating relevant data till December, 2014. "A report will be prepared based on the country reports on SDGs. This will be evaluated by concerned experts," said Khanal, who was one of the members of Nepali delegation participating in the SAARC meeting.
SAARC members states will then discuss as to how the UN Sustainable Development Goals in the SAARC Development Goals. "By the time we will have Regional Poverty Profile ready, the UNGA will have already adopted its Sustainable Development Goals. Our meeting in Bhutan has decided to revise the SAARC Development Goals in order to incorporate UN goals in them," Khanal further said.
The meeting of the SAARC Ministers on Poverty Alleviation has also decided to revise SAARC Plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation (PAPA) adopted in 2004 in view of the changed context, priorities and needs of member states. The member states have decided to hold consultations with concerned experts and other relevant stakeholders as to how this PAPA can be made more effective in view of reducing poverty from the SAARC region.
The meeting has decided to mobilize money accumulated in the SAARC Development Fund to execute select project proposed by SAARC member states under the revised SAARC Plan of Action on Poverty Alleviation.
The meeting also made several decisions to reinvigorate the SAARC process to quicken the pace for implementation of SAARC Development Goals in conjunction with the forthcoming United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in order to eradicate the poverty and provide lives of safety and dignity to the people of the region.
"The meeting also held discussion on the partnership between the SAARC and the UNDP in various areas of cooperation. A Memorandum of Understanding will be prepared and sent it to the member states for their feedback before entering into any partnership between SAARC and the UNDP," Khanal further said.
Minister for Urban Development Dr Narayan Khadka led the Nepali delegation in the Fourth Meeting of the SAARC Ministers on Poverty Alleviation. Minister Dr Khadka in his speech had given a detailed overview of the ongoing programs of Nepal to alleviate poverty and expressed total commitment of Nepal to the regional process in the SAARC for poverty alleviation initiatives.
The one day meeting participated by Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was followed by the sixth meeting on SAARC Secretaries on Poverty Alleviation. Secretary at the Ministry of Cooperative and Poverty Alleviation Shreedhar Gautam and Joint Secretary Suresh Pradhan were among the Nepali delegates.
The fifth meeting of the SAARC Ministers on Poverty Alleviation and seventh meeting on SAARC Secretaries on Poverty Alleviation will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2016.
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SAARC ministerial meet decides to revise SDGs
