The South Asian leaders assembled in this panoramic mountainous city to attend the 16th Saarc summit beginning Wednesday to take a joint initiative to tackle the terrible impact of the changing climate as well as to boost trade among the 8-member regional grouping.
Climate change is the key theme of the Thimpu Summit, as the impact of the changing climate is not only the greatest long-term threat to the region but a pressing global challenge as well.
Addressing the threat of climate change is an integral component of the overreaching Saarc goal of poverty in South Asia. Bangladesh and the Maldives are recognised as the worst victims of the global warming.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, host Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will attend the silver jubilee summit.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that started its journey from Bangladesh in 1985 with a dream of improving the socio-economic condition of 1.5 billion people of this impoverished region marks silver jubilee this year.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in Thimpu Tuesday morning, will lead Bangladesh at the two-day summit. She will deliver a statement along with other Saarc leaders at the opening session to be held at the Grand Assembly Hall Wednesday afternoon.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to call for establishment of Saarc Himalayan Council, in the model of the Artic Council, for assisting affected countries in the region.
She may propose for setting up an International Adaptation and Research Center in Bangladesh for recommending adaptive measures because of the country’s years of experience in adaptation.
Representatives of nine observers with Saarc - Australia, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Mauritius, USA and the European Union - will also be present at the summit.
Bhutan, a founder member of the Saarc, is hosting the summit for the first time within two years of the establishment of a democratically elected government in 2008 ending the 100 years of monarchy.
The 16th summit will make a separate declaration on climate change -Towards a green and happy South Asia.
Two agreements - one on environment and the other on trade in services - will be signed during the summit.
The Saarc convention on environment is expected to promote cooperation among the member countries in the field of environment and sustainable development.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao says the scope of cooperation under the convention will extend to exchange best practices and knowledge, capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology in areas like climate change, coastal zone management, wildlife conservation and environmental impact assessment studies.
The Saarc agreement on trade in services is expected to enable the realisation of the region’s immense potential in services areas such as health, hospitality, communications, computer and information and air transport, and augment intra-regional trade in services.
One of the highlights of the Thimpu summit would be the inauguration of the Permanent Secretariat of the Saarc Development Fund (SDF) with initial capital of US$ 300 million to support Saarc socio-economic projects including on climate change.
On the second day of the summit (Thursday), the Saarc leaders will go for retreat at the ‘Saarc Village’ and hold informal discussions on issues relating to Saarc.
On the sidelines of the summit, the leaders will also seize the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings.
The 16th summit will end on Thursday adopting the `Thimpu Declaration’ and the `Declaration on the Climate Change’.
The Council of Ministers representing the Foreign Ministers of the Saarc countries met Tuesday to finalise the draft declarations to be endorsed by the Saarc leaders on the second day of the summit.
Earlier, Saarc standing committee representing the foreign secretaries ended their two-day meeting.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley told reporters that the discussions were positive and constructive.
Meanwhile, the lush green mountainous city of Thimphu wore a new look with streets from Paro International Airport to capital Thimpu decorated with miniature flags of the Saarc countries and portraits of the Saarc leaders.
School children attired in traditional Bhutanese dresses welcomed the Saarc leaders by waiving hands and miniature flags with flashing smile.
Bhutanese Royal Army and Royal Police have put up a security bulwark in and around the capital.
Climate change is the key theme of the Thimpu Summit, as the impact of the changing climate is not only the greatest long-term threat to the region but a pressing global challenge as well.
Addressing the threat of climate change is an integral component of the overreaching Saarc goal of poverty in South Asia. Bangladesh and the Maldives are recognised as the worst victims of the global warming.
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, host Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Y Thinley, Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed, Nepalese Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal, Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse will attend the silver jubilee summit.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) that started its journey from Bangladesh in 1985 with a dream of improving the socio-economic condition of 1.5 billion people of this impoverished region marks silver jubilee this year.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who arrived in Thimpu Tuesday morning, will lead Bangladesh at the two-day summit. She will deliver a statement along with other Saarc leaders at the opening session to be held at the Grand Assembly Hall Wednesday afternoon.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is likely to call for establishment of Saarc Himalayan Council, in the model of the Artic Council, for assisting affected countries in the region.
She may propose for setting up an International Adaptation and Research Center in Bangladesh for recommending adaptive measures because of the country’s years of experience in adaptation.
Representatives of nine observers with Saarc - Australia, China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Mauritius, USA and the European Union - will also be present at the summit.
Bhutan, a founder member of the Saarc, is hosting the summit for the first time within two years of the establishment of a democratically elected government in 2008 ending the 100 years of monarchy.
The 16th summit will make a separate declaration on climate change -Towards a green and happy South Asia.
Two agreements - one on environment and the other on trade in services - will be signed during the summit.
The Saarc convention on environment is expected to promote cooperation among the member countries in the field of environment and sustainable development.
Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao says the scope of cooperation under the convention will extend to exchange best practices and knowledge, capacity building and transfer of eco-friendly technology in areas like climate change, coastal zone management, wildlife conservation and environmental impact assessment studies.
The Saarc agreement on trade in services is expected to enable the realisation of the region’s immense potential in services areas such as health, hospitality, communications, computer and information and air transport, and augment intra-regional trade in services.
One of the highlights of the Thimpu summit would be the inauguration of the Permanent Secretariat of the Saarc Development Fund (SDF) with initial capital of US$ 300 million to support Saarc socio-economic projects including on climate change.
On the second day of the summit (Thursday), the Saarc leaders will go for retreat at the ‘Saarc Village’ and hold informal discussions on issues relating to Saarc.
On the sidelines of the summit, the leaders will also seize the opportunity to hold bilateral meetings.
The 16th summit will end on Thursday adopting the `Thimpu Declaration’ and the `Declaration on the Climate Change’.
The Council of Ministers representing the Foreign Ministers of the Saarc countries met Tuesday to finalise the draft declarations to be endorsed by the Saarc leaders on the second day of the summit.
Earlier, Saarc standing committee representing the foreign secretaries ended their two-day meeting.
Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigme Thinley told reporters that the discussions were positive and constructive.
Meanwhile, the lush green mountainous city of Thimphu wore a new look with streets from Paro International Airport to capital Thimpu decorated with miniature flags of the Saarc countries and portraits of the Saarc leaders.
School children attired in traditional Bhutanese dresses welcomed the Saarc leaders by waiving hands and miniature flags with flashing smile.
Bhutanese Royal Army and Royal Police have put up a security bulwark in and around the capital.
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