ELEVENTH
SAARC SUMMIT
Kathmandu,
January 6, 2002. |
DECLARATION
The Prime Minister of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, Her
Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia; the Prime Minister of the Royal
Government of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk; the
Prime Minister of the Republic of India, His Excellency Mr. Atal
Behari Vajpayee; the President of the Republic of Maldives, His
Excellency Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom; the Prime Minister of the
Kingdom of Nepal, Right Honourable Mr. Sher Bahadur Deuba; the
President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, His Excellency
General Pervez Musharraf; and the President of the Democratic
Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency Mrs. Chandrika
Bandaranaike Kumaratunga met at the Eleventh Summit meeting of
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in
Kathmandu, Nepal from 4 to 6 January 2002.
Regional
Cooperation
1. The
Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment to regional
cooperation through SAARC and underscored the importance of annual
Summit meetings in charting common strategies for the realization of
the objectives and principles set out in the Charter of the
Association. Meeting for the first time at the dawn of the new
millennium, they solemnly renewed their pledge to strengthen the
Association and make it more cohesive, result oriented, and forward
looking, by adopting clearly defined programs and effective
implementation strategies in line with popular expectations. To give
effect to the shared aspirations for a more prosperous South Asia,
the Leaders agreed to the vision of a phased and planned process
eventually leading to a South Asian Economic Union.
2.
The Heads of State or
Government stressed that equitable sharing of the benefits of
regional cooperation is essential to achieve and maintain a minimum
acceptable level of economic and social development in each Member
State. To this end, they expressed their commitment to a speedier
process of harmonizing their policies and practices and imbibing
regional goals and strategies in their national development
programs.
3.
The Heads of State or
Government expressed their firm determination to fully benefit from
the wealth of traditional wisdom, creativity and enterprise in the
region. They also pledged to enhance transparency and accountability
in governance and to encourage effective participation of the
peoples and civil societies in the formulation as well as
implementation of the programs of cooperation.
4.
Reiterating their resolve
to promote South Asian regional identity and to strengthen
cooperation at the international level, the Heads of State or
Government also reemphasized the need to evolve common positions on
issues of shared interest at the international fora.
Cooperation
in the Economic Sector
5.
The Heads of State or Government agreed to accelerate cooperation in
the core areas of trade, finance and investment to realize the goal
of an integrated South Asian economy in a step-by-step manner. They
expressed their determination to make full use of regional synergy
to maximize the benefits of globalisation and liberalization and to
minimize their negative impacts on the region. While recognizing
that trade and economic expansion is closely inter-linked, the
Leaders made a commitment to widen and deepen the scope of regional
networks of activities in trade and financial matters.
6.
The Heads of State or
Government noted with satisfaction the outcomes of the successive
meetings of the SAARC Commerce Ministers aimed at enlarging the
scope of cooperation in the core areas. They recognised the
importance of achieving a free trade area and reaffirmed that the
treaty regime for creating a free trade area must incorporate, inter
alia, binding timeframes for freeing trade, measures to facilitate
trade and provisions to ensure an equitable distribution of benefits
of trade to all states, especially for small and least developed
countries, including mechanisms for compensation of revenue loss.
7.
Recognising the need to move quickly towards a South Asian Free
Trade Area, the Heads of State or Government directed the Council of
Ministers to finalize the text of the Draft Treaty Framework by the
end of 2002. They also directed that in moving towards the goal of
SAFTA, the Member States expedite action to remove tariff and
non-tariff barriers and structural impediments to free trade. They
also instructed to conclude the meeting of the Inter Governmental
Group on Trade Liberalization for the Fourth Round of Trade
Negotiations under SAPTA as early as possible as per the decision of
the Tenth SAARC Summit in Colombo.
8.
The Heads of State or Government renewed their commitment to
encourage the participation of the private sector and assured their
full support for their socially responsible economic initiatives.
While welcoming the practice of holding trade fairs in cooperation
with the private sector at the regional level, they appreciated the
efforts of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry to promote
regional economic cooperation in the spirit of public and private
sector partnership.
9.
The Heads of State or
Government also decided to instruct the Secretary-General to
facilitate the early finalization of a regionally agreed investment
framework to meet investment needs of the SAARC Member States.
10.
The Heads of State or Government
recognized the immense tourism potential of South Asia and
underlined the need to take measures to promote South Asia as a
common tourist destination through joint efforts in areas such as
upgrading of infrastructure, air linkages, simplification and
harmonization of administrative procedures and training and joint
marketing.
Poverty
Alleviation
11.
The Heads of State or Government
acknowledged that investment in poverty alleviation programs
contributes to social stability, economic progress and overall
prosperity. They were of the view that widespread and debilitating
poverty continued to be the most formidable developmental challenge
for the region. Conscious of the magnitude of poverty in the region,
and recalling also the decision of the UN Millennium Summit 2000 to
reduce world poverty in half by 2015, and also recalling the
commitments made at the five year review of the World Summit for
Social Development to reduce poverty through enhanced social
mobilization, the Heads of State or Government made a review of the
SAARC activities aimed at poverty alleviation and decided to
reinvigorate them in the context of the regional and global
commitments to poverty reduction.
12.
The Heads of State or Government
expressed their firm resolve to combat the problem of poverty with a
new sense of urgency by actively promoting the synergetic
partnership among national governments, international agencies, the
private sector, and the civil society. They reaffirmed their pledge
to undertake effective and sustained poverty alleviation programs
through pro-poor growth strategies and social as well as other
policy interventions with specific sectoral targets. The Leaders
also agreed to take immediate steps for the effective implementation
of the programs for social mobilization and decentralization, and
for strengthening institution building and support mechanisms to
ensure participation of the poor, both as stake-holder and
beneficiary, in governance and the development process.
13.
The Heads of State or Government
decided to undertake sustained measures to extend rural micro-credit
programs with focus on women and the disadvantaged sections of
society. They also stressed the need for widening the opportunities
for gainful employment. While highlighting the importance of
promoting agriculture, indigenous skills and small scale and cottage
industries to address the incidence of rural poverty, they decided
to enhance cooperation in agricultural research, extension and
adoption. They specifically instructed that the Technical Committees
should identify programmes and activities that impact on poverty
alleviation. They urged the need to create gainful employment and
promote cooperation in vocational training.
14.
The Heads of State or Government
emphasized the need to promote sharing of the best practices and
experiences among the Member States and to this end, instructed the
Secretary-General to disseminate such information to the Member
States on a regular basis. They directed the Council of Ministers to
review, on a continuous basis, the regional poverty profile to be
prepared by the Secretary-General with the assistance of the related
UN agencies, nodal agencies and independent research institutions
specialized in the field.
15.
In order to ensure social stability
and to protect the vulnerable sections of population from the
adverse impacts of globalisation and liberalization, the Heads of
State or Government stressed the need to enhance cooperation to
create and maintain appropriate safety nets.
16.
The Heads of State or Government
agreed that a Special Session on poverty alleviation at the
Ministerial level should undertake a comprehensive review and
evaluation of the status of implementation of poverty eradication
policies and programs carried out so far, and to recommend further
concrete measures to enhance effective cooperation at the regional
level to the Twelfth SAARC Summit. They also directed the Council of
Ministers to take necessary steps to fully activate the existing
three-tier mechanism for poverty alleviation.
17.
The Leaders directed the Council of
Ministers to coordinate efforts to integrate poverty alleviation
programs into the development strategies of Member States. In this
context, they agreed to reconstitute the Independent South Asian
Commission on Poverty Alleviation, with Nepal as its Convener and
Bangladesh as Co-convenor, for reviewing the progress made in
cooperation on poverty alleviation and for suggesting appropriate
and effective measures. They instructed the Chairman of the Council
of Ministers to seek two nominations from each Member State by end
of January 2002 to enable the convening of its first meeting before
the proposed Ministerial Meeting on Poverty Alleviation in Pakistan
in April 2002.
18.
Expressing concern at the region’s
special vulnerability in the slowdown in world economy and its
negative impact on the poor and the marginalized, the Heads of State
or Government called for a supportive international environment and
an enhanced level of assistance by the international community for
poverty alleviation programs in South Asia.
Cooperation
in the Social and Cultural Sector
19.
The Heads of State or Government reiterated the need for an early
finalisation of the SAARC Social Charter and instructed the Inter
Governmental Expert Group to expedite their work on the basis of the
draft to be submitted by the Secretary-General, as a working paper
for its consideration and to complete the draft framework of the
Charter as early as possible for consideration at the next meeting
of the Council of Ministers. In drawing up the Charter, they also
directed the Council of Ministers to include the important areas of
poverty eradication, population stabilization, the empowerment of
women, youth mobilization, human resources development, the
promotion of health and nutrition and the protection of children as
decided at the Tenth Summit.
20.
The Leaders recognized the debilitating and widespread impact of the
HIV/ AIDS, TB and other deadly communicable diseases on the
population of South Asia and stressed the need for evolving a
regional strategy to combat these diseases. The strategy should
include, inter alia, culturally appropriate preventive measures, an
affordable treatment regime and should specially target the
vulnerable groups. In this regard, they felt that SAARC should
collaborate with the international organizations and civil society.
They also emphasized that the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre in Kathmandu
should play a coordinating role in the related areas.
21.
In accordance with the Colombo Declaration, the Heads of State or
Government decided to mandate the Meeting of Ministers of Cultural
Affairs in Sri Lanka to finalise the details relating to the
establishment of the SAARC Cultural Centre including its financing
and to submit its report to the next session of the Council of
Ministers.
Women
and Children
22.
The Heads of State or Government
welcomed the signing of the SAARC Convention on Preventing and
Combating the Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution and
expressed their collective resolve to treat the trafficking in women
and children for commercial sexual exploitation as a criminal
offence of a serious nature. They also welcomed the signing of the
SAARC Convention on Regional Arrangements for the Promotion of Child
Welfare in South Asia and observed that the Convention reflected
their commitment to place the child first in the national and
regional programs of the Member States. They instructed the
Secretary-General, in consultation with Member States and other
specialised agencies, to present a report on measures for the
effective implementation of the Conventions to the next meeting of
the Council of Ministers.
23.
The Heads of State or Government
agreed to establish, on the basis of recommendations of the Regional
Task Force responsible for the implementation of the provisions of
the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in
Women and Children for Prostitution, a voluntary fund with
contributions from Member States, individuals, and donor countries
and agencies for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the victims
of trafficking.
24.
The Leaders recognized the need to
form an autonomous advocacy group of prominent women personalities
from the Member States with a view to making recommendations to the
SAARC bodies on a broad spectrum of gender related issues. They
directed the Council of Ministers to take necessary steps to prepare
and present, for consideration at their next meeting, the Terms of
Reference for the purpose.
25.
The Heads of State or Government
recognized the need to actively pursue and promote social
development through empowerment of women and to achieve their full
participation in decision making at all levels. They reaffirmed
their commitment to uplift the social status of the people, women
and children in particular, in the region and expressed their common
resolve to accord the highest priority to promoting social
development through specific and targeted programs. The Leaders
directed the Council of Ministers to take necessary measures to
ensure the enjoyment by women and girl children of their inherent
potential. They also directed the Council of Ministers to constitute
a Task Force to review the status of implementation of past
decisions related to the social sector and to suggest guidelines for
their effective implementation in the future.
26.
The Leaders directed the Council of
Ministers to take concrete steps to give priority to investing in
children as an effective means for poverty reduction in the long
run. Reaffirming their commitment to the Colombo Plan of Action and
the Rawalpindi Declaration and recalling the declaration of 2001 to
2010 as the SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child, the Heads of
State or Government noted with appreciation the South Asia
High-level Meeting on Children held in Kathmandu in May 2001. They
reaffirmed their conviction that the children in South Asia deserve
urgent and focused attention to enhance the long-term and overall
progress of the countries of the region.
27.
The Heads of State or Government
agreed to mobilize the necessary resources and intensify broad based
actions to achieve a set of priority goals related to improving the
status of children, such as polio eradication by 2005, protection of
children from mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS, and quality
basic education to the children within a time-bound period.
Education
28.
The Heads of State or Government
instructed the concerned Ministries of Governments to devise
appropriate strategies for raising the quality of education through
the exchange of information among the universities in the region.
While emphasizing the importance of mutual recognition of the
educational institutions, they agreed to give the necessary impetus
to realize the goal of a common regional educational standard
through uniform methods of instruction and teaching aids. They were
unanimous in recognizing the benefit of introducing SAARC in the
national curricula at appropriate levels of study in order to
enhance the awareness about Association’s goals and objectives.
29.
The Heads of State or Government recognized that access to quality
education was an important element for the empowerment of all
segments of society, and undertook to develop or strengthen national
strategies and action plans to ensure that all children particularly
the girl child have access to quality primary education by 2015; and
to improve levels of adult literacy by fifty percent by eliminating
gender disparities in access to education as envisaged in the Dakar
Framework for Action on Education for All adopted by the World
Education Forum held at Dakar in April 2000.
International
Political and Economic Environment
30.
The Heads of State or Government reiterated their firm support for
the principles and purposes of the United Nations in order to create
a just, balanced and equitable world order. They reaffirmed their
commitment to continue working with the NAM and other like-minded
countries for the reform and democratisation of the United Nations
System with a view to making it an effective and more democratic
institution for international peace, security, progress and
cooperation.
31.
The Heads of State or Government were of the view that stability,
peace and security in South Asia should be promoted together with
efforts to improve the global security environment. They underscored
their commitment to general and complete disarmament including
nuclear disarmament on a universal basis, under effective
international control. They agreed that global non-proliferation
goals could not be achieved in the absence of progress towards
nuclear disarmament and in this context called upon all nuclear
weapon states, whether party or non-party to the NPT, to engage
constructively through a transparent and credible process of
negotiations at the Conference on Disarmament. The Leaders also
recognized the linkage between disarmament and development.
32.
The Leaders emphasized the need to take appropriate measures to make
international financial institutions and the global trading regime
more responsive to the needs and concerns of the developing
countries. They reiterated the call for genuine partnership among
the developed and developing countries in international trade and
finance and for the reform of the global financial architecture with
an enhanced level of resources.
33.
The Leaders also called upon the developed countries to facilitate
and ensure an unimpeded and enhanced level of market access to
products from the developing, the least developed and the
land-locked countries.
34.
Recognizing the important role that trade can play in advancing
the overall development of a country, thus contributing to an
equitable and sustainable world order, the Heads of State or
Government also called for an early realization of a rule-based and
non-discriminatory world trade regime. In this context, they
appreciated the positive elements of the Fourth WTO Ministerial
Conference held in Doha and called upon the developed countries to
fulfill their commitments to address the particular concerns and
needs of the developing and the least developed countries. The
Leaders also instructed the forthcoming meeting of the Committee on
Economic Cooperation to devote at least half a day for discussions
on the evaluation of the decisions of the recently concluded Doha
conference in order to evolve better co-ordinated positions among
the Member States on all WTO issues. They further stressed the need
to intensify coordination among the SAARC missions in Geneva and
begin the necessary preparation to advance the common interest of
the region in the Fifth WTO Ministerial conference.
35.
The Heads of State or Government noted with serious concern the
adverse impact of the shrinking Official Development Assistance (ODA)
and other concessional financial flows on developing countries in
general, and the least developed among them in particular. They
further noted with concern the current trend of the global economic
slowdown and its adverse effects on these economies. Taking into
account the interdependent nature of the global economy, the Leaders
urged the developed countries to enhance the level of ODA flows to
meet the internationally agreed targets.
36.
Recalling the recommendations of the
Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries
held in Brussels in May 2001 and the decisions of the Zanzibar
Declaration of July 2001, the Leaders urged the developed countries
to adopt more liberal trade and aid policies responsive to the
particular needs of the least developed countries. Referring to the
forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development to
be held in Mexico in March 2002, the Leaders urged the international
community to strengthen cooperation for development by addressing
international and systemic issues related to financing for
development in the developing and the least developed countries in a
holistic manner.
37.
The Heads of State or Government welcomed the initiative of the
donor countries to relieve the external debt burden of the Highly
Indebted Poor Countries. They urged the international donor
community and financial institutions to widen the scope and extent
of debt relief initiatives to cover all those developing and the
least developed countries, which are facing developmental
difficulties particularly due to the current global recession. In
the context of growing global interdependence, they underlined the
importance of forging cooperative partnership between the developed
and the developing countries to ensure equitable benefits to all.
38.
The Heads of State or Government expressed concern over the
continued violence and bloodshed in the Middle East, and the set
backs suffered by the peace process. They reaffirmed their support
for the achievement of a just, lasting and comprehensive peace based
on Security Council Resolution 242 (1967) and Resolution 338 (1973)
and the establishment of a sovereign Palestine State under the
leadership of PLO, which could coexist with its neighbours in
peace, security and harmony.
Security
of Small States
39.
The Heads of State or Government recognized that due to their
particular vulnerability, small states require special measures for
support from the international community for the safeguarding of
their sovereign independence and territorial integrity. They
reiterated that the real protection of small states should be firmly
rooted in the scrupulous adherence to the UN Charter, the rule of
law and the strict adherence to universally accepted principles and
norms related to sovereign rights and territorial integrity of all
states, irrespective of size. This, they stressed, should be ensured
by all the countries, either severally or collectively through the
pursuit of appropriate action.
Terrorism
40.
The Heads of State or Government were convinced that terrorism, in
all its forms and manifestations, is a challenge to all states and
to all of humanity, and cannot be justified on ideological,
political, religious or on any other ground. The Leaders agreed that
terrorism violates the fundamental values of the United Nations and
the SAARC Charter and constitutes one of the most serious threats to
international peace and security in the Twenty-first century.
41.
The Heads of State or Government emphasized the need for the urgent
conclusion of a Comprehensive Convention on Combating International
Terrorism. They also emphasized that international co-operation to
combat terrorism should be conducted in conformity with the UN
Charter, international law and relevant international conventions.
42.
The Heads of State or Government reiterated their support to the
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 of September 28,
2001 and affirmed their determination to redouble efforts,
collectively as well as individually, to prevent and suppress
terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including by
increased cooperation and full implementation of the relevant
international Conventions relating to terrorism to which they are
parties. In this context, they called on all states to prevent and
suppress the financing of terrorist acts by criminalizing the
collection of funds for such acts and refraining from organizing,
instigating, assisting or participating in terrorist acts in states
or acquiescing in organized activities within its territory directed
towards the commission of such acts. The Leaders reaffirmed that the
fight against terrorism in all its forms and manifestations has to
be comprehensive and sustained.
43.
The Heads of State or Government were unanimous in recognizing the
distinct ominous link between terrorism, drug-trafficking, money
laundering and other trans-national crimes and emphasized the need
to coordinate efforts at the national and regional levels to
strengthen the global response to this serious challenge and threat
to international security. They called upon the international
community to assist Member States of SAARC to deal effectively with
the adverse economic effects of terrorism in general and to meet the
rising insurance and security related costs in particular.
44.
The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment to
SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, which, among
others, recognizes the seriousness of the problem of terrorism as it
affects the security, stability, and development of the region. They
also reiterated their firm resolve to accelerate the enactment of
enabling legislation within a definite time-frame for the full
implementation of the Convention, together with strengthening of
SAARC Terrorist Offences Monitoring Desk and the SAARC Drug Offences
Monitoring Desk in an effective manner.
Report
of the Group of Eminent Persons
Enhancing
Political Cooperation
46.
The Heads of State or Government
reaffirmed their commitment to the promotion of mutual trust and
understanding and, recognizing that the aims of promoting peace,
stability and amity and accelerated socio-economic cooperation may
best be achieved by fostering good neighbourly relations, relieving
tensions and building confidence, agreed that a process of informal
consultations would prove useful in this regard. The Leaders further
recognized that this process would contribute to the appreciation of
each other's problems and perceptions as well as for decisive action
in agreed areas of regional cooperation. They underlined the
importance of informal political consultations in promoting mutual
understanding and reinforcing the confidence building process among
the Member States.
Sub-regional
Cooperation
47.
The Heads of State or Government
reaffirmed the validity of the idea of encouraging the development
of specific projects relevant to the individual needs of three or
more Member States under the provisions of Articles VII and X of the
SAARC Charter.
South
Asian Development Fund (SADF)
48.
The Heads of State or Government
underlined the urgent need to make the South Asian Development Fund
operational by making utilization of the existing funds. They also
instructed the Secretary-General to submit a proposal for seeking
possible assistance from regional and international sources for
the implementation of specific regional poverty alleviation priority
projects.
Environment
49.
The Heads of State or Government noted with satisfaction the growing
public awareness on the need for protecting the environment within
the framework of regional cooperation. They reiterated their call
for the early and effective implementation of the SAARC Environment
Plan of Action as endorsed by the SAARC Environment Ministers. They
directed their Environment Ministers to take this into account and
come up with an agreed position in their forthcoming meeting.
50.
The Heads of State or Government also
felt a strong need to devise a mechanism for cooperation in the
field of the early warning on as well as preparedness and management
of natural disasters, along with programs to promote conservation of
land and water resources.
51.
The Heads of State or Government also
stressed the need to develop a cooperative mechanism for the
protection, enrichment and utilization of bio-diversity as provided
for in the UN Convention on Biological Diversity and to establish a
regional bio-diversity database with a view to providing equitable
benefits to all Member States. They also underscored the importance
of protecting associated knowledge and other indigenous intellectual
manifestations for the advancement of the region. They also
directed the Council of Ministers to explore the possibility of
establishing a SAARC Seed Security Reserve to strengthen cooperation
in the field of agriculture and to protect IPRs of the seeds of the
Reserve.
People-to-People
Contact
52.
The Heads of State or Government were unanimous in recognizing the
need for further promoting a sense of regional identity amongst the
peoples of the region. The Leaders lauded the roles played by
intellectuals, professionals and eminent persons in promoting
people-to-people contacts within the region and agreed to encourage
such endeavours as a healthy sign of regional cohesion and
fraternity. In this context, they took note of the activities of the
SAARCLAW including other recognized bodies. They also took
note of the First Meeting of the Chief Election Commissioners of
SAARC Countries held in Kathmandu in February 1999 and appreciated
the initiative on free and fair election. The Leaders instructed the
Secretary-General to collect on a regular basis study reports and
other relevant documents and information from the civil society on
matters relating to regional cooperation for dissemination to Member
States.
Rationalization
and Institutional Issues
53.
The Heads of State or Government were
in agreement that the Summit and all other meetings of SAARC needed
to be made more business-like and result-oriented with focus on
programs and activities supported by informed regional inputs from
the cross-sections of the society. They directed the Chairman of the
Council of Ministers to undertake a review of the functioning and
operation of SAARC Secretariat, and to make recommendations to
advance the process of rationalisation and to make SAARC more
functional and business-like, to the next meeting of the Council of
Ministers.
SAARC
Award
Date
and Venue of the Twelfth Summit
55.
The Heads of State or Government welcomed with appreciation the
offer of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to host
the Twelfth Summit Meeting of the Heads of State or Government of
the South Asian Association for the Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in
Pakistan in early 2003.
56.
The Heads of State or Government of
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
expressed their deep appreciation for the exemplary manner in which
the Right Honourable Prime Minister of Nepal conducted the
proceedings of the Eleventh SAARC Summit in his capacity as
Chairperson. They also expressed their deep gratitude for the
generous hospitality extended to them by His Majesty’s Government
and people of Nepal, and for the excellent arrangements made for the
Summit.
........................................................................................................................................................................................................
1st
Summit - Bangalore, November 17, 1986.
2nd
Summit - Kathmandu, November 4, 1987.
3rd Summit - Islamabad, December 31, 1988.
4th Summit - Male' , November
23, 1990.
5th Summit - Colombo 21, 1991.
6th Summit - Dhaka, April 11, 1993.
7th Summit - New Delhi, may 4, 1995.
8th Summit - Male' , May 14, 1997.
9th Summit - July 31, 1998.
10th Summit - Kathmandu, January 6, 2002.
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