First SAARC Youth Parliamentarians Conference on Peace & Harmony for Developments
- The first SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Young Parliamentarians Conference will be held on August 15-17, 2016 in Islamabad.
Hosted by the Pakistan National Assembly
- Hosted by the Pakistan National Assembly, 28 parliamentary delegates from SAARC member countries are participating in the conference. Participants pledged to work together towards addressing the issues being faced by the region.
- The conference was inaugurated by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, who said the conference was a truly momentous occasion in the history of democracy in the region.
SAARC Secretary General, Arjun Bahadur Thapa
- SAARC Secretary General, Arjun Bahadur Thapa, said the population of South Asia is growing and that the potential offered by the youth could be used for poverty eradication in the region.
Indian Lok Sabha MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo
- Indian Lok Sabha MP Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, is leading the Indian delegation. Addressing the conference, Mr. Deo said Asian countries have great potential to lead the world, if they worked together for promoting peace and harmony and towards improving their economies.
About SAARC
- The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union in South Asia. Its member states include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
- SAARC compromises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 9.12% of the global economy, as of 2015.
- SAARC was founded in Dhaka in 1985. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu. The organization promotes development of economical and regional integration. It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.
- SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the UN as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the EU. However, the organization continues to face many challenges. Disputes between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan have often clouded the union's potential and progress.