KATHMANDU: People’s SAARC, a consortium of South Asian civil society and professional organisations, today stated that the upcoming SAARC Summit should take up issues of common people of the region rather than just being an elite club of South Asian leaders.
At a press conference in the capital, the People’s SAARC Secretariat called for formulation of programmes and policies to reduce poverty, end excessive domestic violence and impunity in the region.
In a statement, it called on the South Asian countries to declare a common South Asian Human Rights Charter to collectively deal with the rights violence issues.
At the press conference, Nepal coordinator of the People’s SAARC, Sharmila Karki, informed that a three-day ‘Regional Convergence’ would be held in Kathmandu prior to the upcoming 18th Summit so as to raise voices of common people of the region and to pressurise the attending leaders to take up such issues.
The event with the slogan of ‘People’s movement uniting South Asia for deepening democracy, social justice and peace’ will start on November 22 and conclude on November 24.
People’s SAARC secretariat informed that the People’s Convergence will bring together prominent civil society leaders, representatives of civil society and various organisations from SAARC nations.
