29 Sept, Kathmandu:

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said implementing the constitution together with concluding the remaining task of the peace process is the topmost priority of the government.

Inaugurating the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Effectiveness Conference here today, the Prime Minister said a process to amend the constitution has been initiated with the political consent to find a ground for the meaningful enforcement of the country’s main law.

SAARC effectiveness meeting

The two-day conference is organised by the International Relations and Labour Committee of Legislature-Parliament.

“The government has started preparations for holding the three-tier elections,” he added.

The Prime Minister expressed his hope that the Nepal’s new constitution would prove a milestone in attaining economic progress with establishing political stability.

Admitting that the SAARC, a regional bloc of eight South Asian countries, has yet to prove its effective presence in the socio-economic development of the region’s people as envisaged in its charter, the Prime Minister insisted on the restructuring of the SAARC mechanism.

Nepal got the chairmanship of the regional body from the 18th SAARC Summit which was organized in Kathmandu in 2014.

The 19th SAARC Summit is to be held in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad.

Through the two-day conference, Nepal as the chair country of the SAARC, is expected to furnish recommendations to the member states on how the regional body would move ahead to play further effective role in eradicating poverty, countering terrorism and advancing economic prosperity in the region.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister said poverty, terrorism and climate change impact are the common challenges for development facing the SAARC countries and such issues should be addressed through collective efforts.

Though the SAARC has already completed 30 years of the establishment, it has not been able to meet the expectations of the region’s people and the enforcement of the past agreements and treaties is yet to be accelerated, he added.

Also speaking on the occasion, Speaker Onsari Gharti expressed her hope that the conference would be successful in furnishing recommendations to the SAARC heads of the governments to make the 19th SAARC Summit successful.

Former Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said though the South Asia is rich in human and natural resources, the region is still under the extreme poverty in the absence of the proper utilisation of such property.

Onwards the focus of SAARC should be laid on the promotion of tourism, and attainment of food security and economic progress through collaborative efforts, he said.

Former Deputy Prime Minister Sujata Koirala expressed her confidence that the conference would be successful in meeting its goal.

In the inaugural session, Committee President Prabhu Saha said the working papers on different five topics will be presented during the conference. RSS