SAARC Officials Meets in Kandy

(November 18, Kandy, Sri Lanka Guardian) The SAARC Programming Committee comprising of senior officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of SAARC Member States will hold its first meeting since the 15th SAARC Summit, in Kandy, on 19-20 November 2008.

The two day meeting at Hotel Earl's Regency in Kandy which will be attended by Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma, Secretary General of SAARC, senior officials of all eight SAARC Member States, Directors of SAARC Regional Centres and the SAARC Secretariat is an important event in the SAARC Calendar. This will be the first SAARC Charter body meeting since Sri Lanka assumed the Chair of the regional organisation in August this year. The Programming Committee meeting will be chaired on behalf of Sri Lanka, by Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Prasad Kariyawasam.

Deliberations at the Meeting will include implementation of decisions taken by the Heads of State and Government of SAARC at the 15th Summit in Colombo, the SAARC Work Plan/Calendar for the coming year, and a range of other issues relating to SAARC Technical Committees, Regional Centres and Working Groups. Discussions will also include measures for prioritization and rationalization of the work of SAARC Technical Committees, Working Groups and Regional Centres and related Inter-Governmental Meetings.

The inauguration ceremony of the Meeting on 19 November will be graced by several dignitaries from Kandy including the Governor of the Central Province Hon. Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, Mayor of the City of Kandy His Worship Mr. L.B. Aluvihare, and the Diyawadana Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara as well as faculty members of the University of Peradeniya, and Chambers of Commerce.

This important SAARC meeting is being held in Kandy as a manifestation of the theme of the 15th Summit – “Partnership for Growth for Our People” – and in recognition of the necessity for creating awareness and greater people's participation country-wide for the success of the SAARC process. - Sri Lanka Guardian