The leaders of eight SAARC countries agreed to e stablish an inter-governmental expert group on climate change, who will meet at least twice a year, to develop and monitor regional policy implementations. Leaders also decided to plant ten million trees in member states in the next five years, as part of a regional aforestation and reforestation campaign.
Expressing concerns about climate change’s affect on 1.6 billion people of South Asia, the leaders also expressed determination to promote the use of green and low-carbon technology.
The ‘Thimphu statement of climate change’ says SAARC member states face the dual challenge of addressing the negative impacts of climate change and pursuing socio-economic development.
The leaders have, therefore, directed the SAARC secretary general to commission a study on ‘Climate risks in the regions: Ways to comprehensively address the related social, economic and environmental challenges’, to be presented at the next SAARC summit.
Prime Minister Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley, in his closing remarks, said that the ‘Thimphu statement on climate change’ will provide a strong impetus to collaborative efforts in addressing issues of climate change, at the national, regional and international levels. “Our deliberatio ns of the past two days have been most instructive and productive,” he said. “We were able to have in-depth discussions on one of the most challenging issues of our times.”
The secretary general was also directed to commission a study aimed at accreditation of SAARC with the Kyoto Protocol’s adaptation fund as a regional entity for undertaking adaptation projects in South Asia.
Member states agreed, according to the statement, to review the implementation of the Dhaka Declaration and SAARC action plan on climate change, to ensure timely implementation.
Maldives’ proposal to host the 17th SAARC summit was also approved by the summit yesterday. President Mohamad Nahseed, as the leader to host the 2011 summit, said that “Bhutan has set the bar very high for the Maldives”.
Leaders agreed to commission a SAARC inter-governmental marine initiative to strengthen the understanding of shared oce ans and water bodies in the region. They also stressed the importance of conservation of bio-diversity and natural resources and monitoring mountain ecology in the region.
South Asian leaders, in the statement, decided to complete the ratification process for the SAARC convention on cooperation on environment as soon as possible.
In the ‘joint declaration’, the leaders endorsed the r ecommendation to declare 2010-2020 as the decade of intra-regional connectivity in SAARC and agreed to expedite negotiations with a view to finalise agreements on motor vehicles and railways.
“The declaration and the climate change statement has prescribed a lot of work for the members with a limited timeline,” said SAARC secretary general, Dr Sheel Kant Sharma, at a press conference in Thimphu.
The leaders also noted in the joint declaration that the government of Maldives would nominate a woman secretary general as the 10th secretary general of SAARC, as an initiative to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality in the region.
Lyonchhoen Jigmi Y Thinley at the concluding session said that one of the most significant achievements of this summit was the decision to develop a “vision statement” by a “south Asian forum”. “It is a matter of satisfaction that the forum will consist of eminent personalities from diverse backgrounds from our region and beyond. The forum will provide a platform to debate, discuss and exchange ideas on South Asia and its future,” Lyonchhoen said.
Another milestone achieved by the summit is operationalisation of the South Asian university in New Delhi, Lyonchhoen said. “The university, when it opens in August, is destined to become the centre of excellence for higher learning in South Asia and it is here that we also expect the establishment of a low carbon research institute,” he said.
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