SAARC officials meet in Kandy

The SAARC Programming Committee comprising senior officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of SAARC Member States will hold its first meeting since the 15th SAARC Summit, in Kandy today and tomorrow.

The two-day meeting at Hotel Earl’s Regency in Kandy 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.

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, 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 prioritisation and rationalisation of the work of SAARC Technical Committees, Working Groups and Regional Centres and related Inter-Governmental Meetings.

The inauguration ceremony of the meeting today will be graced by several dignitaries from Kandy including the Central Province Governor Tikiri Kobbekaduwa, Mayor of the City of Kandy L.B.

Aluvihare and Diyawadana Nilame, Pradeep Nilanga Dela Bandara as well as faculty members of the University of Peradeniya and Chambers of Commerce. This 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 countrywide for the success of the SAARC process.