SAARC workshop on SDGs to be held today
By Adnan Rafique

ISLAMABAD—Planning and Development Division in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing a National Consultative Workshop on SAARC Development Goals (SDGs) today (Thursday) at Margallah Hotel.
Deputy Chairman Planning Commission will inaugurate he Workshop while Donya Aziz, Parliamentary Secretary for Population Welfare will be the Chief Guest for the closing. The one day National Consultative Workshop is being organized in an effort to gather input from the stakeholders in developing indicators, agreeing on bench marks and setting targets for 2010 in five thematic areas-Livelihood, Education, Health, Women Development and Environment. Representatives from Federal, Provincial and District Governments, Federally Administered Special Areas, Civil Society, NGOs, Academia, Development Partners and representative of women activist group are expected to participate. The Twelfth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan in 2004 directed
the Independent South Asian Committee for Poverty Alleviation to submit comprehensive and realistic blue print setting out SAARC Development Goals for the next five years in the areas of poverty alleviation, education, health and environment giving due regard among others to suggesting made in the ISACPA report. The report recommended 22 priority goals to constitute the SIDGs for the period 2005-2010 in four thematic areas. The 13th SAARC Summit in Bangladesh in November 2005 approved the SAARC Development Goals for the SAARC region.
In order to review progress on implementation of decision, First meeting of the SAARC Ministers on Poverty Alleviation was held in Colombo Sri Lanka in August 2006 decided that SAARC members States may initiate national level consultations for formulation of specific targets and indicators of SDGs, on priority basis.