The second BIMSTEC Ministerial on Poverty Alleviation will mainly discuss issues related to pro-poor and inclusive growth, social development, social safety nets, targeted programs, governance, climate change and disaster management. It will also endorse the Poverty Plan of Action (PPA), which will comprise regional strategies and cooperation for fighting poverty, said Deependra Bahadur Kshetry, vice-chairman of National Planning Commission.[break]
The members of the bloc -- Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and Thailand -- had held the first BIMSTEC Ministerial on Poverty Alleviation in Dhaka in 2008. The ministerial had entrusted Nepal to prepare the draft PPA in consultation with other member countries.
BIMSTEC, the bloc of five South Asian and two East Asian economies, works on 14 priority sectors, including trade, investment, agriculture, tourism, infrastructure and energy, among others. Poverty reduction is one of its priority sectors, particularly as proportion of people living below the poverty line in all member countries is significant and governments of these countries are facing major challenge from rising inequality.
Prior to the ministerial, the technical experts, including senior government officials, from the member countries are scheduled to convene on Sunday for the BIMSTEC Senior Officials Meeting on poverty alleviation.
During the meeting, the senior officials will take stock of the progress made on commitments and decisions taken by the first Ministerial meeting. They will also discuss on possible strategies that member countries should take for effective results and identify areas wherein regional cooperation could be garnered for poverty alleviation, Raj Babu Shrestha, member secretary of the event told the press.
He stated the PPA will comprise broad strategies that the respective governments and bloc as a whole should take for poverty reduction. It will also incorporate national and regional level actions for implementing these strategies.
“Fundamentally, the PPA will incorporate national level actions and regional level actions that members will undertake, along with cooperation commitments,” he stated.
According to a press statement, Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun will lead the Nepali delegation for the ministerial meeting, while Yuba Raj Bhusal, member-secretary of NPC will lead the Nepali delegation in the senior officials meeting.
Nepal became the full member of BIMSTEC in 2003. It was an observer member since 1998.
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