CHAPTER-II INTEGRATED PROGRAMME OF
ACTION (IPA) INTEGRATED PROGRAMME OF ACTION (IPA) The IPA is a key component of the SAARC process and includes a number of important areas of cooperation. Technical Committees numbering eleven at present have been designated to coordinate work in the identified areas of cooperation. In response to the emphasis given by successive Summits on the need to further consolidate and streamline IPA and to make it more result oriented, a comprehensive set of guidelines and procedures was adopted in 1992 for the rationalisation of SAARC activities. As a result of this, there is now a greater focus on activities that would bring tangible benefits to the people of South Asia. The Secretary-General reports on the progress in the implementation of IPA to the Standing Committee, both at its inter- Summit and pre-Summit Sessions. The Standing Committee has also taken the initiative to review the institutional mechanisms and activities of the Association, including the evaluation of the functioning of the Technical Committees, amalgamation/alteration of their mandate and also a review of the role of the Secretariat. In this context, the Independent Expert Group set up by the Secretary-General has recently undertaken an extensive review of the functioning of IPA and come up with important recommendations presently under consideration of the Member States. The highlights of the activities of the areas covered by the IPA under each Technical Committee are as follows: 1. Agriculture Under the work of this Technical Committee, Member states have been exchanging Germplasm, Breeding Materials on Livestock and Fishery in accordance with the quarantine regulations in force in their respective countries. Prototypes of Farmtools and Equipment have been exchanged for trial and adaptation. Activities for Improved Livestock through Exchange of Animals, Frozen Semen and Vaccine have also been undertaken. The responsibility of compiling lists of institutions and disciplines capable of offering training in member countries has been entrusted to SAIC. Rice and Wheat-breeding Programmes for enhancing productivity have been conducted while Multilocation trials for various crops are being undertaken. Regular meetings of Counterpart Scientists is an important feature of the Committee's programmes. The list of Counterpart Scientists in the twelve agreed areas of crops and disciplines have been finalised for networking. These are : Rice (Millet); Wheat; Oilseeds; Horticulture (Potato) Vegetables and Fruits; Fisheries; Forestry; Transfer of Technology; Livestock (Animal Health and Production); Farm Machinery and Implements; Post Harvest Technology; Agriculture Economics & Policies and Soils. Progress has been made towards establishing a network on Amelioration of Problem Soils. The programme for the 1990s focuses on Genetic Engineering and Bio-Technology (for crop and livestock improvement, agricultural and horticultural development, embryo transfer technology for livestock and conservation of endangered germplasm); Homestead Vegetable Production; Food Availability and Nutritional Balance; Data Base on Technology and Training facilities in agricultural science within the SAARC countries; and meeting of the Expert Group on Crop Diseases. Two important project proposals namely (i) Promotion of the "Bio-Villages, and (ii) Reaching the Million - Training of Farmers and Farm Women by 2000 A.D. have recently been completed and future course of action on these proposals is underway. Following its Sixteenth Meeting, the Committee initiated thematic discussion on one important agricultural topic annually. During the same meeting, the Member Countries had extensive discussion on the theme SAARC Agricultural Perspective to the year 2020. In the light of the discussion on the occasion, the Committee recommended that the Member Countries should step up efforts to strengthen regional cooperation as part of a comprehensive strategy to address the main challenges facing the agricultural sector in the SAARC region. 2. Communications With a view to bringing about an over-all improvement in the postal services in the region, the work programme in Postal sector includes training, seminars, workshops study tours etc. covering a number of areas. Training programmes were held for First and Middle Level Officers and for Trainers as well as in Philately, International Postal Services, International Mail Accounting and Routing, Postal Management Services and Post Office Savings Banks. Seminars / Workshops were organized on Postal Operation and future challenges, Mechanisation of Postal Operations, Agency functions, Financial Services, Caring for Customer, Expedited Mail Service (EMS), Circulation System of EMS and Postal Marketing. Study tours on Agency Services, Safety and Security of Postal Articles, Postal Services in Hilly or Rural Areas and New Mail and Financial Service in Pakistan were undertaken to gain first-hand knowledge of problems and plans for improvement of postal services. SAARC Philatelic Exhibitions have been held to exchange/share knowledge and develop skills of philately. Since 1985, Letter Writing Competitions have been held annually. Studies had been undertaken on Productivity Measurement Techniques applied in postal operations, Postal Delays in SAARC region, Integration of Postal Services with rural development and Concessional Mail Tariff and Mail Transmission. Other activities undertaken include issuance of commemorative stamps, postage stamp displays and philatelic exhibitions. Further studies are underway in various fields such as: Electronic Tracking and Tracing for EMS; introduction of a Professional Postal Management Course leading to Diploma; setting up of a Regional R&D Centre; and revision of accounting rates among SAARC countries. Within the overall objective of providing telecommunication services to majority of the rural population by the year 2000, the Committee has focused on efforts to promote technological and human resource development and management. There has been substantial progress in implementing the recommendations for the establishment of ISD, automatic telex, and bureaufax facilities, improvement of inter-country links, operation and maintenance of communications links, etc. Efforts are being made to further promote cooperation in improving transit facilities. An initiative has been taken to establish an Information Network among the member countries. Short-term activities in Telecommunications include Seminars/ Workshops on Data Transmission, Digital Switching, Network Management and Operations, Software maintenance, Adoption of new technologies in rural telecommunication systems, IDR satellite technology and improvement of rural telecommunications. While recognising, the need for better and cheaper telecom links between SAARC countries, the Council of Ministers at its Seventeenth Session (December 1996), discussed several possibilities, including a SAARC satellite; updating, expansion and harmonisation of telecom hardware in the region. A high-level Expert Group on Telecommunications has been set up by the Secretary-General to address these issues, as well as to examine the possibility of bringing telecommunications tariffs between SAARC countries as close to domestic rate as possible. The SAARC Communication Ministers also met for the first time in Colombo in May 1998. 3. Education, Culture and Sports The priority themes identified for cooperation in the field of Education are Women and Education; Universal Primary Education; Literacy, Post Literacy and Continuing Education; Educational Research; Science and Technical Education, Education for the Underserved Areas and Distance Education. The nomination of Nodal Agencies for each of the priority themes have been completed and appropriate Action Plans are being prepared. Short-term activities in the field of Education include, Expert Group Meetings; Workshops / Seminars on the priority themes; Modernisation of Curriculum; Environmental Education including Population Education; Planning and Management of Education, Teacher Training, Higher Education and Book Production and Marketing. Publication of an Anthology of South Asian Poetry has been completed and preparation of an Anthology of short stories of SAARC countries is underway. The Committee is also engaged in the improvement and expansion of the SAARC Chairs, Fellowships and Scholarships Scheme. In this context, emphasis is being placed on augmenting the utility and effectiveness of the Scheme; exchanging detailed information on the Scheme particularly relating to offers, facilities, eligibility requirements, disciplines etc. and reviewing and assessing the implementation of the scheme. Nodal Points for establishing a networking arrangement for sharing information on Mass Literacy Programmes have been identified. The modalities and operational framework for this purpose are being prepared. 4. Environment
and Meteorology Environment was identified as an area that called for the urgent attention of SAARC in 1987, during which year the Heads of State or Government decided to commission a Study on "Causes and Consequences of Natural Disasters and the Protection and Preservation of the Environment". Following this decision at the Third SAARC Summit in Kathmandu in 1987, National Studies were undertaken and subsequently consolidated into a Regional Study, which was approved by the Sixth SAARC Summit (Colombo, 1991). The other Regional Study conducted by SAARC relates to the "Greenhouse Effect and its Impact on the Region". This Study was completed in 1992 and approved by the Seventh SAARC Summit in Dhaka in 1993. The Heads of State or Government during their Eighth Summit (New Delhi, 1995) stressed the importance of effective and speedy implementation of the recommendations of the two Studies on Environment. Further, at their Ninth Summit, they also gave directives that SAARC Environmental Ministers Meeting would be institutionalised to focus more directly on the environmental concerns of the region. Accordingly, the conference of the SAARC Environment Ministers was held in Male' in October 1997 which formulated an Action Plan for immediate implementation of recommendations contained in the two SAARC Studies on Environment. It also formulated a collective position on climate change which was subsequently presented to the Kyoto Conference in December 1997. The Committee has identified measures for immediate action from among the recommendations in these two studies and decided on a number of modalities for their implementation. These include, improving climate monitoring capability through networking arrangement and through SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC); developing climate change and sea-level rise scenario through country specific studies and sharing of information data in this respect; making available to member states expertise on climate research and monitoring Greenhouse Gases emission; identification of training and research institutions and ongoing programmes; exchange of information and data; exchange of experience on strategies for developing mitigating and adaptive responses to climate change. The work programme of the Technical Committee also covers topics such as Approaches to Environmental Legislation, Regulations and Standards in SAARC countries; Rehabilitation of Degraded Lands; Training Course on Wetlands Assessment and Management; Workshop on Alternate / Renewable Energy and Workshop of SAARC National Experts on Climate Change. The urgent need to establish a networking approach through identified nodal points/institutions has also been stressed. A SAARC Environmental Ministers Conference was held in New Delhi in April 1992 to evolve a joint position on the issues related to the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The Environment Ministers also met second time in New Delhi in April 1997 to coordinate their position before the Special Session of the UN General Assembly to be held in June, 1997 to review Agenda 21. In the field of Meteorology, a number of seminars / workshops have been organised in areas such as joint Inter-Comparison of Barometers, Meteorological Instruments, Agricultural Meteorology, Numerical Weather Prediction, Crop-Weather relationship and Crop- Yield Forecast, Long Range Weather Forecasting, Radar Meteorology etc. Training programmes have been conducted on Meteorological Telecommunications, Management and Establishment of National Data Centres, Monsoon Forecasting etc. State-of-the-Art Reports on Western Disturbances, Tropical Cyclones including Prediction of Recurvature, Thunder Storms, Long Range Forecasting of Monsoon Rain, Short Range Prediction of Monsoon and Norwesters, Tornadoes and Water Sprouts, have been completed. Expert panels have been convened on specialized fields such as Agro-meteorology; Climatology and Data Exchange and Instrumentation. An Annual Regional Award is given to a young scientist or a group of scientists for a research paper on meteorological topics to encourage research in the field of Meteorology. Another Award has been introduced since 1995 for senior scientists to encourage research work in the field of Meteorology. The Committee also addresses issues relating to the work of the SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) established in Dhaka. 5. Health, Population Activities and Child Welfare The primary focus of the Committee has been on children, population welfare and policy, maternal and child health, primary health care, disabled and handicapped persons, control and eradication of major diseases in the region such as malaria, leprosy, tuberculosis, diarrhoea diseases, rabies, AIDS, and iodine deficiency disorder. Important health issues have also been at the centre of SAARC's social agenda. The SAARC Member States have thus taken a number of initiatives to address several key issues relating to population control, serious problems in the area of health care and disease control. Discussions on health issues have highlighted the need for strengthening efforts to combat problems posed by the resurgence of communicable diseases such as malaria, TB, water borne diseases and the emergence of AIDS as major health hazards. Stress has been laid on greater inter-country coordination and cooperation amongst the Member States to enable them to make a frontal attack on the communicable and non-communicable diseases afflicting the region. Networking arrangements for training, research and eradication of malaria and regional approach for combating major diseases in the region have been undertaken. A Directory of training programmes in six priority areas, i.e. malaria, tuberculosis, leprosy, diarrhoeal diseases, human rabies an maternal and child health have been prepared and circulated. In addition, several status papers on important subjects relating to health have been circulated among the Member States. Member States have also identified Centres such as the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi and the National Institute of Malaria Training and Research, Lahore to act as focal points on the different diseases. Likewise, the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre, established in Kathmandu in 1992, has been specifically entrusted with the main objective to work towards the prevention and control of tuberculosis in the SAARC region by coordinating the efforts of the National TB Control Programmes of the Member Countries. The Centre is also proactive in training, research and dissemination of information in the region. The development and well-being of children is another principal area of cooperation identified by SAARC from its very inception. The objective of building a region-wise consensus on social action for achieving the rights of the child and the goals set for them within the framework of the survival, development and protection strategy was addressed during three Ministerial Conferences held in 1986, 1992 and 1996 respectively. The momentum generated during the First SAARC Ministerial Conference on Children has contributed in a major way to the convening of the World Summit on Children held in New York in September 1990. Ministerial Conferences of a thematic nature have also become a regular feature of SAARC. Among others, a Ministerial Conference on Women and Family Health was held in Kathmandu (1993) and a Ministerial Meeting on Disabled Persons in Islamabad (1993). In accordance with a decision of the Second SAARC Summit held in Bangalore in 1986, that the survival, protection and development of Children be given the highest priority and the SAARC Leader directed that annual reviews be undertaken on the situation of children in SAARC countries. Accordingly, the reviews which began in 1993 have become a regular feature of the work in the Technical Committee on Health, Population Activities and Child Welfare. The Annual Situation Reviews on children have been an important source of ascertaining the status of the indicators relating to the well-being of children in the SAARC countries. It has also revealed areas where progress had been slow and required urgent interventions. The Ninth Summit has given a further impetus to cooperation among the Member States in tackling the important issues relating to women and children. Among many other, they resolved to implement appropriate polices at the national level to achieve the targets and objectives set out in the Rawalpindi Resolution adopted at the end of the Third SAARC Ministerial Conference on Children of South Asia held in August 1996, including the call to eliminate the evil of child labour by the Year 2010. They also recognised that the problems faced by children were inextricably linked to the prevailing socio-economic conditions and problems of the region, and therefore, called for a holistic approach to address them. They expressed the need to formulate a Convention on Regional Arrangements on the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia in launching the SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child, from the year 2001 A.D. to 2010 A.D. In the area of child development, SAARC has been very closely cooperating with international agencies such as UNICEF with which SAARC has signed an MOU in December 1993. The SAARC- UNICEF MOU envisages cooperation in implementing the relevant SAARC decisions relating to Children through an annual agenda which include joint studies, exchange of documentation and monitoring of implementation. Other agencies such as WHO and UNFPA have also shown interest to cooperate with SAARC in advancing the social development agenda of SAARC. 6. Prevention of Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse Cooperation among Drug Law Enforcement Agencies and Officers is being developed through short-term activities such as Seminars and Training Courses. Nodal Agencies in member states have been nominated to exchange information and intelligence on drug offences. The SAARC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (SDOMD) has been established in Colombo to collate, analyse and disseminate information on drug offences. Efforts are afoot for further strengthening SDOMD. In the field of demand reduction, short-term activities such as workshops/seminars held so far have focused on the role of media in drug abuse prevention, community mobilisation against drug abuse, preventive education, school curriculum development, treatment and relapse prevention and exchange of information on indigenous and innovative methods of treatment. A networking arrangement among Nodal Institutions in drug abuse prevention is being established. Meetings of selected NGOs involved in Drug Abuse Prevention have been held. A Directory of such Organisations has been compiled in order to promote greater interaction among them. The Colombo Plan Bureau's Project Proposal and the establishment of working relations between SAARC and the Colombo Plan Bureau were approved by the Standing Committee. This will promote and encourage cooperation among NGOs in SAARC countries involved in anti-narcotics activities. Efforts have been directed at promoting SAARC member states' accession to the relevant UN Conventions, conclusion of Regional and Drug Convention and harmonisation and consolidation of national drug laws. A Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation between SAARC and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme (UNDCP) has been signed. 7.Rural Development Several workshops/seminars and training courses covering practically all aspects of rural development including regional planning, poverty focused development, rural energy, design of agricultural projects, local level planning, inter-country comparisons, appropriate technology, disaster management, rural child development, rural sociology, peoples participation, rural water supply, employment generation, social forestry, rural communication and development of agricultural markets have been conducted in member states under the Committee. The Technical Committee has identified a set of priority areas on which activities under its aegis would be carried out. These priority areas focus on income and employment generation on a sustained basis; creation of assets and enhancing availability of credit access to the same by the rural poor; human resource development in the rural areas; development and maintenance of rural infrastructure; development and introduction of appropriate technology to enhance productivity in the rural areas; rural environments; issues related to diversification of rural economies; mobilisation of resources for rural development; gender perspective of rural development: assured supply of inputs for rural production and improvement in the marketing facilities and improvement in the institutional environment for rural development. The decision to establish a Shelter Information Network "SHELTERNET" is being followed up by the Committee which is now undertaking in-depth examination of the proposal including the operational modalities and funding. The Committee has also been entrusted with the implementation of the SAARC Youth Volunteers Programme (SYVOP) beginning from November 1989. Recently several concrete steps have been taken to prioritise the activities of the TC on Rural Development and during its Fifteenth Meeting in Kathmandu in November 1996 and eleven-point priority list has been drawn up to facilitate promotion of cooperation among the Member Countries on various issues germane to rural development in South Asia. 8. Science and Technology Seminars/Workshops/Meetings of Experts held so far were on: Post Harvest and Food Technology; Renewable Energy Resources; Photovoltaic; Pesticides; Instrumentation; Maintenance and Calibration, Cultivation and Processing of Medicine and Aromatic Plants; Delivery System of Improved Stoves for Rural Users; Low Cost Housing Technology Diffusion in Rural Areas; Treatment of Drinking Water in Rural and Urban Areas; Science Policy; Low Cost Scientific Educational Equipment; Bio-Fertilizer Technology; Bio-Mass Gasification; Recycling of Waste Water and Development of Technologies for Pollution Control; Technology Information and its Linkages; Biological Control of Plant Pests; Immunodiagnostics; Ore Benefication; Energy Modelling Techniques; Solar Thermal Technology; Technological Aspects of Low Cost Housing; Examination of Operational System of Rural Electrification Cooperative; Short-term Course on Technology Assessment and Technology Diffusion. Training Programmes have also been held for Scientists and Technologists on: Tannery Waste Management; Low Cost Housing; Development of Prawn Hatcheries; Electronics and Molecular Biology. In addition, Joint Research Projects on Design and Manufacture of Food Processing Equipment and Appropriate Post Harvest Food Technology for Perishable items have been carried out. State-of-the-Art Reports have been completed on: Bio-Gas; Mineral Resources Exploration; Producer Gas; Application of Remote Sensing Techniques; Use of Organic Fertilisers; Building Material and Housing Technologies; Selected Rural Technologies - Food Processing Technologies and Handicrafts; and Electronic Products. Directories are being prepared on: Specialised Analytical Instrumentation Facilities and Techniques; Process Engineering/ Pilot Plant Facilities in Agro Food Processing. Networking Arrangements are being established in the fields of: (a) Bio-technology and Genetic Engineering; (b) Energy Modelling Techniques; (c) Technology Information; and (d) Low Cost Housing and Building Technologies. The Technical Committee also recommended the establishment of a SAARC Bio-technology Council. So far the Technical Committee has held fifteen Meetings. 9. Tourism Among others, activities of the Committee include training facilities by the member states in the field of tourism and hotel management; production of SAARC Travel Guide and SAARC tourism promotional film on the theme "A Unique Holiday with Diversity : From Top of the World to the Sunny beaches". Efforts are also being made by the Committee for early launching of the SAARC Scheme for Promotion of Organised Tourism. On the recommendation of the Committee, Tourism Ministers of SAARC Countries met in Colombo in September 1997. The activities relating to the constitution of a Group of Experts on Tourism to prepare a comprehensive strategic plan for the overall development of tourism for the next five-year period is in progress. 10. Transport The activities of the Committee cover exchange of data and information, preparation of status papers, compilation of data-base and directories of consultancy centres for transport sector. Seminars and Workshops have covered areas such as Material and Cost of Road Construction, Maintenance of Roads, Rural Roads, Road transportation and safety; Containerisation for Railways, Urban transportation, Inland Water Transport, Maritime Transport etc. Training Courses have included Corporate Planning for Railway sector, Highway and Bridge Engineering. A Compendia of Information on Roads in the SAARC region has been completed and similarly data on Railway Transport has been compiled. Two important Directories - one on Centres of Excellence and the other on Consultants and Experts in the field of transport are being prepared. An important Study on "In-depth examination of Transport Infrastructure and Transit Facilities so as to come up with viable proposals for Improvement" has been completed. The activities held under the Transport Sector have helped in fostering better cooperation among member countries and resulted in the dissemination and exchange of data, expertise, information and experiences. The work programme for the 1990s includes a number of activities related to rail, sea and air transportation. Recently, four new specific areas of cooperation in the Transport Sector namely Transport Safety, Rural Transport, Environmental Aspects, and Energy Conservation have been identified by the Committee. Two proposals : "Establishing Joint Venture Operations to provide Container Liner Shipping Services for Long Haul Trade Routes" and "Consultancy/Contracting Joint Ventures in the Transport Sector in the SAARC Region" are also being considered by the Technical Committee. Introducing a SAARC driving licence Scheme is being prepared. Transport has been recognised a vital area in providing access to products and markets and opening up new areas of productivity, particularly with the operationalisation of SAPTA. 11. Women in Development Taking note of the mid-decade review of the SAARC Plan of Action on the Girl-Child, the Heads of State or Government expressed their determination to accelerate efforts at reduction of malnutrition and mortality rates, raising education and literacy rates, reduction of the proportion of early marriage among girls, and the postponement of the age of first pregnancy, thereby contributing to the increased welfare of the girl-child and reduction of population growth rates. An appraisal of the situation of Girl Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances (GCEDC) was also carried out in December 1996 where key common issues and concerns of SAARC Member States were identified and categorised into two groups, i.e. directly affecting GCEDC and indirectly affecting GCEDC. Recommendations were also made both on policy and programme issues. At the Ninth SAARC Summit, the Leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take urgent action to alleviate the situation of Girl Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances (GCEDC), including those orphaned, disabled and/or exploited. In this context, they endorsed the recommendations made by the Council of Ministers, aimed at the creation of a socio-economic environment in the SAARC region which would provide equal opportunities to children from all economic sections. Another important area which has received priority attention in the recent years has been the issues relating to trafficking in women and children within and between countries. During their Ninth Summit, the SAARC Leaders expressed their grave concern at the trafficking of women and children within and between countries and pledged to coordinate their efforts and take effective measures to address this problem. They also directed the Member Countries to examine the possibility of formulating a Regional Convention on Combating the Crime of Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution. Member States have underscored the need to work out such a Convention before the Tenth Summit. SAARC has also been at the forefront of these issues with their commitment to issues of gender equality and to bring women into the mainstream of development. Two Ministerial Conferences have been held one in 1986 in India and the other in Pakistan during 1990. A Regional Plan of Action has been drawn which has identified areas of concern and goals set for them. The Technical Committee on Women in Development is mandated with the task of reviewing progress every year on the implementation of the Plan of Action on Women. Several short-term activities like seminars, workshops and training courses have been held in the areas of women in law, women and environment, women's education and training, women's employment, women in agriculture and extension etc. Several activities related to different aspects of the Girl-Child have been held under the Committee. Exhibitions on Handicrafts and Design by Women have also been organised by Member States. A SAARC collective position on issues before the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995 had been formulated at the "SAARC Ministerial Meeting on Women : Towards the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing" held in Dhaka, during July 1995. Main | SAARC a Profile | SAARC Summit Declaration | Newsletter | |