1.The Prime Minister of the People's Republic
of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Begum Khaleda Zia, the King of Bhutan,
His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, the Prime Minister of the
Republic of India, His Excellency Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, the
President of the Republic of Maldives, His Excellency Mr. Maumoon
Abdul Gayoom, the Prime Minister of Nepal, the Rt. Hon. Manmohan
Adhikari, the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, His
Excellency Mr. Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari and the President of
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Her Excellency
Mrs. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga met at the Eighth Summit
of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
at New Delhi, India on 2-4 May 1995.
SAARC DECADE
2. The Heads of State or Government expressed their satisfaction
on the achievements of the First Decade of SAARC and resolved
to celebrate its completion of the First Decade both in the
individual Member States and collectively. They endorsed the
proposal of the Council of Ministers to convene a Commemorative
Session of the Council on the theme "SAARC - Vision for
the Second Decade" to identify the areas on which SAARC
should focus in its Second Decade.
REGIONAL COOPERATION
3. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their resolve
to intensify regional cooperation in order to accelerate the
process of promoting the welfare and improving the quality of
life of the peoples of South Asia. They reiterated their commitment
to the principles and objectives enshrined in the SAARC Charter,
particularly, to the principles of sovereign equality, territorial
integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference
in each other's internal affairs. They recalled their conviction
that in an increasingly interdependent world, regional cooperation
was a dynamic instrument for promoting economic prosperity,
mutual understanding and good neighbourly relations to achieve
the objectives of peace and stability in South Asia. In this
context, a climate of peace and stability would contribute to
the economic growth.
ERADICATION OF POVERTY IN SOUTH ASIA
4. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment
to the eradication of poverty in South Asia, preferably by the
year 2002 A.D. through an Agenda of Action.
5. The Leaders endorsed the recommendations of the Finance/Planning
Ministers' Meeting held in Dhaka in July 1994 which recommended
that a mechanism should be set up which would act as a forum
for exchange of information on poverty eradication programmes,
in the context of the policies and strategies adopted, particularly
exchange of information on technologies that are relevant to
efforts at poverty eradication. They agreed that this process
could be strengthened by sharing and exchanging relevant studies
carried out by independent research institutions and experts.
This mechanism would be in the form of a three-tier institutional
structure as recommended in the Report and would meet once a
year. They noted that such a mechanism has been set up enabling
the procedures of exchange of information to commence and welcomed
the offer of India to host the first round of the three-tier
mechanism.
6. The Heads of State or Government directed that the next
meeting of Finance/Planning Ministers consider the efficacy
of such mechanism towards eradicating poverty in the region
and report on the progress achieved to the Ninth SAARC Summit,
through the Council of Ministers.
7. In this context, they decided to declare 1995 as the "SAARC
Year of Poverty Eradication".
8. Acknowledging that the abiding human qualities of dignity,
creativity and productive potential are eroded by chronic poverty,
the Heads of State or Government reiterated their commitment
to empowering the poor for enhanced growth consistent with human
development and equity.
9. Recognizing that poverty is a complex multi-dimensional
problem with origins in both national and international domains,
country-specific programmes to tackle poverty and international
efforts supporting national efforts and the parallel process
of creating a supportive international environment conducive
to economic growth and social development of developing countries,
are crucial for a solution to this problem. The World Summit
for Social Development recognized the need for focusing the
attention of the international community on and support the
special needs of countries and regions in which there are substantial
concentrations of people living in poverty, in particular those
in South Asia and which face serious difficulties in achieving
social and economic development. The Heads of State or Government
reiterated their commitment to eradicate poverty and noted with
appreciation the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.
10. The Heads of State or Government committed themselves to
addressing the fundamental causes of poverty and to provide
for the basic needs of all. They reaffirmed their commitment
to work for guaranteeing the realisation of the rights of all,
in particular those of the poor, to food, work, shelter, health,
education, resources and information.
11. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment
to provide expanded opportunities to the poor to enhance their
overall capacities and improve living conditions and to adequate
economic and social protection during unemployment, disability
and old age. While recognising the need to improve, expand and
deregulate markets to promote sustained economic growth they
felt it was essential to mitigate any negative features created
by the market forces and make all efforts to make the markets
friendly to the poor. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed
the necessity to ensure that financial systems and other public
policies are geared towards poverty eradication and warned against
increase in socially divisive disparities.
12. The Heads of State or Government agreed that the Governments
of SAARC countries will have to play a lead role in promoting
the support structures needed for poverty eradication, including
people's institutions and non-governmental organisations in
the context of organising the people and fostering decentralisation
and local self-governance and encouraging organisation of the
poor, in the context of their social and economic interests.
SAARC PREFERENTIAL TRADING ARRANGEMENT (SAPTA)
13. The Heads of State or Government noted with satisfaction
that subsequent to the signing of the Framework Agreement on
SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) during their
Seventh Summit in Dhaka in April 1993, the first round of trade
negotiations to exchange trade concessions among Member States
has been completed. They directed that all necessary steps should
be taken to facilitate ratification by all Member States and
operationalise SAPTA by the end of 1995 as mandated.
14. The Leaders reiterated their firm belief that the operationalisation
of SAPTA will herald the beginning of a new and significant
process of regional cooperation and would lend strength to SAARC
as an institution for promoting the welfare of the peoples of
South Asia.
15. In view of the fast changing international economic environment,
creation of major trading and economic groupings, establishment
of the World Trade Organisation subsequent to the successful
conclusion of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations
and unilateral economic liberalisation measures being adopted
by Member Countries, the Heads of State or Government emphasised
the urgency of broadening and deepening cooperation within a
specific and rapid time-frame in the core areas of trade and
economic relations in the region. These developments call for
added urgency to achieve more progress towards operationalisation
of SAPTA and intensification of cooperation to expand regional
trade. To that end, they decided that the "Components"
and "Additional Measures" identified in Articles 4
and 6 respectively of the SAPTA Agreement should be implemented.
INTEGRATED PROGRAMME OF ACTION
16. The Heads of State or Government noted the progress made
through the Integrated Programme of Action covering a number
of crucial areas and activities.
REGIONAL CENTRES
17. The Leaders welcomed the establishment of the SAARC Documentation
Centre (SDC) in New Delhi in May 1994 and the SAARC Meteorological
Research Centre (SMRC) at Dhaka in January this year.
WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT
18. Noting that increased political and social consciousness
in the region had highlighted the issues of elimination of gender-disparity
and empowerment of women which are essential for their socio-economic
development, the Heads of State or Government underlined the
urgency of addressing these issues through further affirmative
action.
19. The Leaders endorsed the "Kathmandu Resolution on
Women and Family Health", adopted by the Ministerial Conference
on Women and Family Health in Kathmandu in November 1993, and
expressed satisfaction that appropriate programmes were being
undertaken to implement the Resolution at the national level
by the Member States.
20. The Leaders noted the progress in the implementation of
the Plan of Action to mark 1991-2000 as the 'SAARC Decade of
the Girl-Child', and requested the Council of Ministers to conduct
a comprehensive mid-decade review for presentation to the Ninth
SAARC Summit.
21. Recognising the serious threat faced by certain groups
of Girl Children in Especially Difficult Circumstances (GCEDC)
including those orphaned, disabled and exploited, the Leaders
decided that an urgent appraisal of the situation of these children
be undertaken by the Council of Ministers and specific recommendations
be presented to the Ninth SAARC Summit.
22. Considering that the exploitation of the Girl Child is
a direct reflection of the status of women in society, the Leaders
reaffirmed their resolve to take necessary measures to eliminate
all forms of discrimination against women and girl-children.
CHILDREN
23. The Heads of State or Government expressed satisfaction
that the annual reviews of the situation of children in SAARC
countries for the years 1993 and 1994 had been completed which
indicated reduction in infant mortality and significant progress
in the immunisation programme for children in the region.
24. Recalling the mid-decade goals of the World Summit for
Children, the Heads of State or Government resolved to intensify
their efforts both at the national and regional levels for attainment
of these goals.
25. The Leaders welcomed that all Member States have become
party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child. They felt
that the recently held Cairo International Conference on Population
and Development (ICPD) in September 1994 and the Copenhagen
World Summit on Social Development in March 1995 had imparted
fresh impetus to the on-going efforts for the survival, protection
and development of children in South Asia.
YOUTH
26. The Heads of State or Government endorsed the Malé
Resolution on Youth adopted by the Ministerial Conference on
Youth in South Asia held in the Maldives in May 1994 and noted
that the Conference had, inter-alia, served to focus attention
on the status of the youth and the challenges faced by them.
The Leaders noted with satisfaction that the Agenda for Action
incorporated in the Resolution is being implemented by Member
States with a view to integrating the youth into the process
of national development. They noted with satisfaction that the
SAARC Youth Resolution had been adopted and the SAARC Youth
Awards Scheme has been established.
27. The Leaders expressed satisfaction on the implementation
of the Plan of Action to mark 1994 as the SAARC Year of the
Youth in Member States and resolved to continue the momentum
generated in Member States.
PERSONS WITH DISABILITY
28. The Heads of State or Government noted with satisfaction
that the Ministerial Conference on Disabled Persons was held
in Islamabad in December 1993. They endorsed the Islamabad Resolution
on Disabled Persons and the recommendations of the Conference
and noted that the Conference had further increased awareness
among the peoples of South Asia regarding the needs and problems
of the disabled persons. They welcomed the activities and programmes
launched by the Member States in pursuance of the Resolution
for the protection and promotion of persons with disability.
SHELTER
29. The Heads of State or Government, recognising that housing
was a basic right for all people and that, in addition to governmental
efforts, private initiatives of the people and non-governmental
agencies should be supported, reaffirmed their commitment to
work towards the global objective of "Shelter for All by
the Year 2000."
LITERACY
30. The Heads of State or Government noted that illiteracy
is one of the major causes of poverty, backwardness and social
injustices and called on the Member States to initiate more
concrete programmes aimed at eradicating illiteracy in the region
preferably by the year 2000 A.D. They decided to observe 1996
as the "SAARC Year of Literacy".
ENVIRONMENT
31. Reaffirming the need for a concerted action for the protection
and preservation of the environment, the Heads of State or Government
expressed their satisfaction over the formulation of a common
position by Member States prior to the World Conference on Natural
Disaster Reduction and the presentation of the collective position
at the Yokohama Conference. They recognised that international
cooperation is vital for building up national capabilities,
transfer of appropriate technology and promotion of multilateral
projects and research efforts in natural disaster reduction.
32. The Heads of State or Government expressed their deep concern
at the unabated degradation of the environment and recurrence
of devastating natural disasters. They also underscored the
risks and dangers involved in overlooking the challenge posed
by these problems. They expressed their commitment to implementing
at all levels - national, bilateral, regional and global - programmes
for the protection and preservation of the environment and prevention
of its degradation. The Heads of State or Government stressed
the importance of continuing the on-going SAARC activities in
the field of environment.
33. The Heads of State or Government noted that although some
work has been carried out in the area of disseminating information
on the problems of environmental degradation and their impact
on the region, progress in the implementation of the recommendations
of the SAARC Regional Study on the Causes and Consequences of
Natural Disasters and the Protection and Preservation of the
Environment and the Regional Study on Greenhouse Effect and
its Impact on the Region, which were completed in 1992, had
been slow. They stressed the importance of effective and speedy
implementation of the recommendations of the two Studies and
requested Member States to take all necessary steps without
further delay in vital areas such as sharing and developing
scientific capabilities to protect and manage the environment.
They further directed the Technical Committee on Environment
to monitor the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations
of the two Studies, and submit a report to the Ninth Summit
through the Council of Ministers.
34. The Heads of State or Government recalled the decisions
expressed in the Dhaka Declaration of April, 1993 on the outcome
of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED) of June, 1992 and reiterated the urgent need to ensure
the flow of new and additional resources that are adequate and
predictable to successfully implement the programmes of Agenda
21. They also recalled the United Nations minimum target for
developed countries of 0.7 percent of GNP as Official Development
Assistance, a target which is yet to be approximated by most
developed countries. The Heads of State or Government also noted
that international actions in the area of environment protection
should be based on partnership and collective endeavours and
should reflect the principle enunciated in the UNCED, of common
but differentiated responsibilities. Integral to such actions
is the promotion of economic growth in developing countries,
that is both sustained and sustainable and direct action in
eradicating poverty.
35. The Heads of State or Government also noted that the Commission
on Sustainable Development set up to monitor the implementation
of the Rio agreements has met thrice since their earlier meeting
and expressed the hope that the Commission would be able to
facilitate the necessary flow of resources and technology.
36. The Heads of State or Government also noted that the Convention
on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change have both come into force and the first meetings
of the Conferences of Parties to each Convention have been held.
Welcoming these developments they urged that developing countries
should be assisted in meeting their commitments under the Conventions.
The establishment of the restructured Global Environment Facility
(GEF) is a beginning in this direction. However, the Heads of
State or Government urged that funds of a much larger order
would be necessary if the needs of the Conventions are to be
met.
TERRORISM
37. The Heads of State or Government expressed serious concern
on the spread of terrorism in and outside the region and reiterated
their unequivocal condemnation of all acts, methods and practices
of terrorism as criminal. They deplored all such acts for their
ruinous impact on life, property, socio-economic development
and political stability as well as on regional and international
peace and cooperation.
38. The Heads of State or Government once again emphasised
that highest priority should be accorded to the enactment of
enabling legislation at the national level to give effect to
the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. They
urged Member States, which had not yet done so, to enact expeditiously
enabling legislation at the national level to implement the
convention and reiterated the need for a constant dialogue and
interaction among the concerned agencies of Member States, including
submission of periodic recommendations to the Council of Ministers.
39. They underlined that cooperation among SAARC Member States
was vital if the scourge of terrorism was to be eliminated from
the region.
DRUG TRAFFICKING
40. The Heads of State or Government recognised that drug abuse
and drug trafficking with its linkages with organised crime,
illicit arms trade and terrorism continues to pose a serious
threat to the security and stability in the region.
41. While noting the efforts made by Member States as well
as the regional cooperation underway to combat this pernicious
trade, the Leaders stressed the urgency of further strengthening
the process of cooperation.
42. The Leaders welcomed the ratification of the SAARC Convention
on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances by all Member
States and entry into force of the Convention in September 1993.
They urged all Member States to take necessary follow-up action
for effective implementation of the Convention.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
43. The Heads of State or Government reiterated that cooperation
in the area of Science and Technology should be accorded high
priority. Noting that some progress had been made towards establishment
of networking arrangements, inter-alia, in the fields of Bio-Technology,
Genetic Engineering, Energy Modelling Techniques and Low-Cost
Housing and Building Technologies, the Leaders called for further
acceleration of this process.
PEOPLE-TO-PEOPLE CONTACT
44. Reiterating their earlier resolve to further promote people-to-people
contact through increased involvement of the peoples of South
Asia in the process of regional cooperation, the Heads of State
or Government noted with satisfaction that such interaction
has been taking place through various fora both within and outside
the SAARC framework and has contributed to the promotion of
mutual understanding in the region.
45. The Leaders noted that SAARCLAW (an association for persons
of the legal communities of SAARC countries) had been accorded
recognition by SAARC. The Leaders hoped that SAARCLAW would
play an effective role in fostering closer cooperation among
the legal communities in the region.
46. The Leaders noted with satisfaction that the SAARC Chamber
of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has been functioning satisfactorily.
They expressed hope that the SAARC Chamber and its constituent
units in the Member States will do their utmost to promote trade
and economic cooperation in the SAARC region. The Leaders commended
the SAARC Chamber for disseminating information on the scope,
content and potentials of SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement
(SAPTA) among the business community in the region.
47. The Heads of State or Government expressed satisfaction
that the SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme is being implemented smoothly
and has enhanced the scope of people-to-people contacts.
SOUTH ASIAN DEVELOPMENT FUND (SADF)
48. The Heads of State or Government endorsed the establishment
of a three-window South Asian Development Fund with the merger
of SAARC Fund for Regional Projects and the SAARC Regional Fund
and a third window for social development and infrastructure
development.
PROJECTION OF COLLECTIVE POSITIONS
49. The Heads of State or Government recalled their decision
taken at the Seventh SAARC Summit regarding development of collective
positions in international fora on such issues as would enhance
the international profile of South Asia and would enable the
Member States to articulate their position on them more effectively.
They noted that Council of Ministers had formulated a procedure
for projection of SAARC collective positions at such international
fora.
50. They noted with satisfaction that pursuant to the decision
at the Seventh SAARC Summit, collective positions were formulated
by Member States which were presented at the World Conference
on Natural Disaster Reduction and the World Summit for Social
Development. The Leaders also noted with satisfaction that a
SAARC collective position will also be presented at the Fourth
World Conference on Women in Beijing in September 1995.
SECURITY OF SMALL STATES
51. The Heads of State or Government reaffirming their commitment
to universally accepted principles and norms relating to the
sovereign rights and territorial integrity of all States, recognised
that small States, because of their particular problems, required
special measures of support for safeguarding their independence
and territorial integrity. They reiterated that real protection
of small and weaker States should be firmly rooted in the rule
of law. This, they stressed should be ensured by all countries
either severally or collectively through the pursuit of appropriate
actions.
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
52. The Heads of State or Government noted that the end of
the Cold War had resulted in fundamental changes in the political
landscape. It was therefore important that a new idiom be found
to address new concerns. The disappearance of the confrontation
between the two power blocs presented an opportunity towards
building a genuine consensus for a new international order.
53. The Heads of State or Government had wide ranging discussions
on the current global political trends and future prospects,
particularly those issues that concern South Asia. In this context,
they reiterated their deep commitment to the purposes and principles
of the UN Charter and reaffirmed their resolve to strengthen
the United Nations as the central instrument for peace, security,
disarmament, development and cooperation among the nations of
the world. While pledging their support to all constructive
initiatives aimed at strengthening the United Nations, the Leaders
emphasised that such initiatives must be undertaken with the
sole objective of rendering the United Nations and all its organs
more democratic, efficient and effective and not to limit the
focus of its attention to a narrow and isolated range of objectives.
54. Appreciating the role of some SAARC Member States in the
UN Peace Keeping Operations in various parts of the world, the
Heads of State or Government felt that such participation had
contributed towards maintenance of peace and security in the
world.
55. The Heads of State or Government reiterated their firm
commitment to the principles and objectives of the Non-aligned
Movement and underlined the continued validity and relevance
of these principles and objectives in the contemporary world.
They recalled the stabilising role played by the Movement in
global affairs since its inception. They expressed their deep
conviction that the Movement's innate strength equipped it to
continue to play a most constructive role in laying the foundations
of a new world order based on the rule of law, non-discrimination,
equity and cooperation.
56. The Heads of State or Government noted that while the international
community had successfully created the norm against chemical
and biological weapons, it had, unfortunately, been unable to
do the same with regard to nuclear weapons. The Leaders were
convinced that more needs to be done and at a far greater pace.
Reiterating that the utmost priority was to be given to nuclear
disarmament, given the danger posed by nuclear weapons, they
urged the Conference on Disarmament to negotiate an international
convention prohibiting the use or threat of use of nuclear weapons
under any circumstances and undertake negotiations for the complete
elimination of all nuclear weapons within a time bound framework.
57. The Heads of State or Government expressed their strong
commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights.
They agreed to take all necessary steps to achieve this objective.
INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL ISSUES
58. The Heads of State or Government welcomed the successful
conclusion of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations
and reaffirmed their commitment to implement fully and as scheduled,
the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations.
They also welcomed the coming into existence of the WTO and
expressed the hope that it would help to expand international
trade, particularly that of the developing countries. They reaffirmed
the immediate need to elaborate policies to enable developing
countries, to take advantage of expanded international trading
opportunities, in the context of the full implementation of
the Round. They called on all countries to refrain from any
unilateral measure not in accordance with international law,
the Charter of the United Nations and enlightened regionalism
and globalism that creates obstacles to trade relations among
States and thereby impedes the full realisation of social and
economic development.
59. Recognising that the promotion of mutually reinforcing
broad-based sustained economic growth on a global scale, as
well as a non-discriminatory, and multilateral rule-based international
trading system, provided a basis for social development, the
Heads of State or Government called for the establishment of
an open, equitable, cooperative and mutually beneficial international
economic environment. They also called for a reduction of trade
barriers and promotion of expanded access to global markets.
60. The Heads of State or Government reaffirmed their commitment
to safeguard the basic interests of workers. They called upon
countries to refrain from erecting trade barriers in the guise
of promotion and protection of workers' rights. They deplored
the tendency to impose any conditionalities on international
trade, whether as a "social clause" or as the "environmental
clause", while reiterating their commitment to ensuring
workers' rights as well as protection of the environment.
SPECIAL MEASURES FOR THE LEAST DEVELOPED AND LAND-LOCKED COUNTRIES
61. The Heads of State or Government noted with deep concern
that economic growth in the Least Developed Countries and Land-Locked
Countries is not satisfactory and emphasised the need to take
special measures for accelerating the process of development.
They reiterated the need to fulfil the internationally agreed
aid targets for the developing countries and the Least Developed
Countries. They
emphasised on the need for exceptional finance to facilitate
implementation of economic reform programmes in SAARC Countries.
DATES AND VENUE OF THE NINTH MEETING OF THE SAARC HEADS OF
STATE OR GOVERNMENT
62. The Heads of State or Government gratefully accepted the
offer of the Government of Maldives to host the Ninth SAARC
Summit. The dates would be finalised in consultation with Member
States.
63. The Heads of State or Government of Bangladesh, Bhutan,
Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka expressed their deep
appreciation for the exemplary manner in which the Prime Minister
of India had discharged his responsibilities as Chairman of
the Meeting. They expressed their profound gratitude for the
warm and gracious hospitality extended to them by the Government
and the people of the Republic of India and for the excellent
arrangements made for the Meeting.