Report on the Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation, Connectivity and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia

Transcription

1 Report on the Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation, Connectivity and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia November 2013, New Delhi, India 1

2 Background South and South-West Asian subregion has undergone major structural changes and industrial development in recent years. Despite temporary economic slowdown, it has weathered the global financial crisis rather well and has also made remarkable progress in reducing poverty and achieving other MDGs. However, the subregion is home to the largest concentration of people living in poverty and hunger and many gaps still remain, including wide infrastructure gaps. The subregion remains one of the least integrated in the world as the connectivity across border remains poor. Four of the ten countries in South and South-West Asia are least developed countries, while three are also landlocked. In view of these subregional challenges, the Policy Dialogue on Regional Cooperation, Connectivity and Inclusive Development in South and South-West Asia was organized by UNESCAP-South and South West Asia Office (UNESCAP-SSWA). The aim of the dialogue was to draw on country experiences to develop greater regional cooperation for connectivity, transport and trade facilitation, food and energy security in the subregion. It brought together over 120 participants from all ten countries in the subregion, representing Government officials, policy makers, development and substantive experts, academia and civil society representatives. The Dialogue reviewed most pressing challenges facing the subregion and ways to address them through regional cooperation. It was attended by H.E. Dr. E.M.S Natchiappan, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Government of India who delivered the inaugural address. H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tariq Ismati, Deputy Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Afghanistan, also delivered a special address at the event. The highlevel event, which also involved the Trade and Investment, Environment and Transport Divisions of UNESCAP, saw the launch of three reports as part of its programme, the Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2013; the Human Development in South Asia 2013: Water for Human Development, co-organized with the Mahbub-ul Haq Centre and the UNESCAP-SSWA s Towards Seamless Connectivity in South and South-West Asia. DAY 1: 28 NOVEMBER 2013 Opening Session: Dr. Nagesh Kumar opened the Policy Dialogue highlighting the objectives of the policy dialogue. The South and South-West Asia region was described as a subregion 2

3 that had managed to weather the financial crisis and has even made great strides in poverty reduction over the past decade, a crucial component of the MDG agenda. Dr. Kumar explained the tremendous untapped potential of intraregional trade within the region. He noted that there was the potential of $72 billion in exports within the region. Why then, he asked, has this potential not been exploited. Dr. Kumar noted several key barriers that have held back the region from achieving its potential in terms of trade. Most notable include the poor transport connectivity and other barriers to trade at the borders as well as weak banking links. These factors led to high cost of trade, often higher than it is with North America and Europe. Dr. Kumar concluded this introduction by emphasizing the importance of strengthening regional transport connectivity. Furthermore, he added that it was essential to enhance regional cooperation to increase food and energy security within the region. H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tariq Ismati shared some of the key issues faced by Afghanistan and compared and contrasted them with the issues of the region as a whole. For example, while 70% of Afghanistan s population lives in rural areas, only 10% have access to energy and around 28% of the population as a whole has access to electricity. He listed security and lack of capacity as Afghanistan s main concerns. In terms of the South and South-West Asia region, Mr. Ismati noted weak cross border trade systems and poverty as the major hindrances to growth. He discussed some of the initiatives that have been implemented as well as his suggestions for future improvements. Mr. Ismati s main concerns moving forward include the promotion of clean energy security and taking a proactive role to meet energy needs. H.E. Dr. E.M.S. Natchiappan opened his discussion acknowledging that India had always been opening up doors for the neighborhood. Furthermore, Dr. Natchiappan discussed the ways in which the U.S. and Europe benefited from Asian knowledge and growth. He stressed the importance of utilizing as much solar power as possible and finally concluded with the thought that Asia would become a very powerful continent with greater regional connectivity. Ms. Lise Grande concluded the opening session with her vote of thanks. She emphasized the critical role that solar energy could play in the South and South- West Asia region and would enable the region to grow faster than any region in the world. She stressed the fact that mutual benefit in the region was much greater than individual interest. Ms. Grande pointed out that energy was necessary for growth and poverty reduction. Furthermore, regional cooperation could attribute to greater economic growth, assist in overcoming crippling structural barriers, and aid in managing water resources. Session 1: High-Level Panel on Potential of Regional Cooperation, Connectivity and Inclusive Development 3

4 Chair H.E. Mr. Qaiser Shaikh opened Session 1 with a brief introduction into the topic and then handed the floor over to the high-level panelists. The first panelist, Dr. Saman Kelegama, focused his discussion on enhancing regional cooperation and economic connectivity in South Asia. He noted that South Asia had emerged as one of the fastest growing regions in the world. Furthermore, the institutions in the SAARC region have a very important role for developing connectivity within the region. Dr. Kelegama elaborated upon some of the reasons regional trade in services had remained low. One of the most critical challenges is transport connectivity and infrastructure, a category in which South Asia lags behind the world average. Dr. Kelegama proceeded to propose a Regional Infrastructure Fund to help improve regional connectivity. While improved connectivity is critical towards increasing trade and investment within the region, he concluded by emphasizing that there were a number of other challenges that need to be addressed for the region to prosper. Ambassador M. Humayun Kabir began his discussion with an overview on the policies of Bangladesh, the country s domestic politics and the current status the nation. He discussed the challenges Bangladesh continues to face as well as the way forward for the country. Mr. Kabir delved into the topic of connectivity and why now was such a crucial time for his nation. He noted India s rise as an economic power and noted that Bangladesh serves as a bridge between India and many other nations. Mr. Kabir proceeded to define Bangladesh s agenda on the connectivity issues. He discussed how other stakeholder looked upon the topic of deeper connectivity in South Asia. Finally, the Ambassador Kabir elaborated upon some of the challenges that are slowing down growth such as the energy limitations and connectivity between Bangladesh and India. Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel focused on the impact of regional collaboration. Regional collaboration, he explained would strengthen peace in the region and would also bring about greater economic growth. This growth would create the resources needed to reduce, and ultimately eradicate, poverty. Mr. Khakakhel stressed the need to encourage greater investment from within as well as globally. Furthermore, Mr. Khakakhel brought up three of the crucial challenges the region faces that will be critical towards further development. First, he noted the challenge of water within the region. The region is water stressed and most countries will continue to face increasing pressures as their populations continue to grow. Another issue the South Asia region is facing is climate change. South Asia will be one of the worst affected by climate change, explained Ambassador Khakakhel. The region must work together to share information to counteract the effects of climate change. India in particular, will need very large quantities of energy, another good reason for increased connectivity. He explained how climate change is multi-dimensional in that it exacerbates other challenges such as water/food security, health, and energy. Finally, he emphasized the importance of women s empowerment within the region. There is no way this region can make progress without tremendous legal affirmative action to improve, enable, and empower women, he explained. He 4

5 concluded with his belief that the region could not develop alone and that working together would be essential. Ms. L Savithri began with the discussion about SAFTA. She noted that many SAFTA nations were Least Developed Countries. While trade has been increasing, in order to further enhance trade, it is essential for the harmonization of standards and customs procedures. She concluded by discussing the impact SAARC had had on trade within the region, noting that in many cases it had led to the harmonization of standards. Ms. Pramila Acharya Rijal presenting a report of the policy dialogue on women entrepreneurship in South Asia held a day before, emphasized the need for men to be active and heavily involved in all matters related to women s economic empowerment and access to entrepreneurial ventures. She focused on regional cooperation for promoting women s economic involvement in entrepreneurship. Capacity building and development (for example establishing resource centers) are vital towards inclusive development. Ms. Rijal argued the importance of capacitybuilding programmes for women entrepreneurs like that being conducted by the Goldman Sachs 10,000 women program. Session 2: Strengthening Regional Connectivity, Transport, and Trade Facilitation Chair Mr. Abolghasem Tahmasebi opened the second session with a brief introduction into the topic and by thanking those who made this policy dialogue possible. Mr. Ussal Sahbaz discussed the need to create better connectivity between his home nation of Turkey and the rest of the South and South-West Asia region. He noted that there was currently very limited trade between Turkey and South and South-West Asia. This is mostly due to connectivity problems such as subpar railroads and other lagging infrastructure. Mr. Sahbaz suggested the extension of train and transport coordination. He also recommended the enlargement of the current three-country consultation platform for greater coordination and connectivity. Dr. Shaheen Afroze focused her discussion on enhancing connectivity and trade facilitation within the region. The South and South-West Asia region is the least integrated region in the world. However, it is currently among the fastest growing regions and its diversity offers room for significantly greater growth. Dr. Afroze proceeded to explain some of the key challenges to connectivity in the region including infrastructure, administrative, security, and mistrust. Dr. Afroze then discussed some of the initiatives taken by Bangladesh to counteract these problems. Some domestic examples include improved infrastructure, port reforms, and a closer working relationship between the public and private sectors. Some regional 5

6 initiatives include the Joint Communique between India and Bangladesh in Dr. Afroze concluded with the way forward for Bangladesh and the region as a whole. This includes greater investment in infrastructure, experience sharing, improving the efficiency of customs authorities, the need for standardization and simplifying customs procedures, and a strong political commitment. Mr. TCA Srinivasa Raghavan stated that all attendees know what needed to be done to further develop the region. He explained that large parts of Asia have destroyed connectivity, therefore it was essential to restore, not build, connectivity. He noted that while the economies of Asia were homogenous, they were politically heterogeneous. Furthermore, Mr. Raghavan noted the historical prevalence of nations having issues with smaller neighbors. In this case, India has seven small neighbors, and the issue with Pakistan is a crucial one that has global ramifications. Mr. Y.S. Shahrawat began with the efforts being made to strengthen transport, regional connectivity, and trade facilitation. He concluded with a discussion on how India, because of its location, sees itself as a bridge between Europe and different parts of Asia. Mr. T.A. Khan discussed the vital aspects of strengthening regional connectivity, transport, and trade facilitation. A major challenge towards achieving these goals is how to interpret data. For continued regional cooperation, Mr. Khan recommended reducing lengthy customs handling times and the synchronization of cross-border procedures. He concluded his discussion by touching upon e-commerce connectivity and how the region could significantly benefit from it. Mr. Sandeep Raj Jain explained what UNESCAP was doing for regional connectivity and the way forward. Mr. Raj Jain discussed the UNESCAP initiative on improving regional connectivity and presented its master plan to strengthen regional transport. Mr. Raj Jain discussed the 2013 World Bank s Doing Business report as well at the Logistics Performance Index. In both cases the South and South-West Asia region ranked very poorly across the board. These results can be explained by the fact that weak connectivity results in low intraregional trade. Finally, Mr. Raj Jain concluded by explaining the UNESCAP initiative to enhance regional connectivity. Mr. Bipul Chatterjee explained that the real issue in the region is bilateral trade relations between India and Pakistan. Session 3: Launch of Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2013 Chair Mr. Sumanta Chaudhuri introduced the third session with an introduction of the topic at hand. 6

7 Dr. Mia Mikic started her presentation with two key messages. First, the Asia Pacific region continues to outperform the rest of the world while learning to live and prosper without strong external demand. Next, the Asia Pacific region needs to move beyond the orthodox model of export led growth and towards inclusive trade and investment that benefits all. She continued by explaining that export growth is slowing down in Asia. Furthermore, there are large gaps in trade facilitation figures in Asia. Dr. Mikic explained that while the reduction of poverty in Asia (a key aspect of the MDGs) had been successful, it is mostly a result of China s recent success and growth. In fact, in many areas of the region income inequality has actually risen greatly, according to the Gini Index. She concluded with a discussion regarding the movement towards inclusive trade and investment. Dr. Poshraj Pandey focused his discussion on inclusive growth, as growth itself had not necessarily reduced inequality. It is therefore essential, he explained, to ensure that growth is felt by all segments of society. Mr. Manab Majumdar explained how critical infrastructure connectivity was for regional connectivity, trade, and investment. As a result, finance has become one of the most important issues. Going forward it is essential to ensure that the trade in the region is more inclusive. Furthermore, export diversification is crucial to rid the region of dependence on a small number of markets or products. Dr. Khondaker Golam Moazzem commended the work produced in the report, and excellent elaboration on issues related to contractions in trade and investment, at global and Asia Pacific region. The report outlined general dynamics at intraregional and in merchandises, service trade, preferential trade agreements. Dr. Moazzem shared that he would have liked to see the empirical basis for preparing the thematic part of this report. Performance of different countries would have been good to highlight. Dr. Moazzem went to explain the type of data and analysis that would have enriched the report. Prof. Sajal Mathur suggested that the report could have had more crisp and elaborate recommendations. The report also missed the stronger analysis poverty and inequality. Prof. Mathur highlighted that the debate should not be about growth vs. distribution, but rather about growth and distribution, which would have been important to emphasize in the report. Session 4: Regional Cooperation Agenda for Food Security Chair Prof. G.K. Chadha began the fourth session with brief opening remarks and an introduction into the topic and panelists. Dr. S. Mahendra Dev discussed the current state of food and nutrition security in the region. He noted the current supply issues in oils, seeds, fruits, vegetables, and meats. Furthermore, the region has been experiencing high food inflation and price volatility. The big challenge in the region however, is malnutrition. Around 45% of 7

8 citizens in the region suffer from being underweight/stunting of growth. Contrary to popular belief, the level of malnutrition in South Asia is almost double that of Sub- Saharan Africa. Dr. Dev explained that nutrition was more complex than just access/availability to food. In South Asia alone, 1.2 billion people are without access to toilets and therefore openly defecate. In India, 53% of the population lacks toilets, creating severe health issues. Dr. Dev expressed the need for regional cooperation on the topics of availability, access, and nutrition. This includes initiatives on food and agricultural cooperation, SAFTA, cooperation on climate change, cooperation on energy and water, learning post-harvest operations, and learning from existing social protection programs. He concluded with his belief that improvements in agricultural productivity were extremely important in South Asia. Ambassador Shafqat Kakakhel explained that historically South Asia was a major producer of food, however, there has been a history of famines. Therefore, food security must continue to remain a top priority for South Asia. He proceeded to explain that while agriculture made up a relatively small portion of the region s GDP (15-25%), it accounts for 60% of the livelihoods. He noted that the region had a difficult task on its hand because it was trying to feed 17% of the population with only 2.5% of the land. Therefore, food and agriculture are extremely important topics for the region. Mr. Kakakhel pointed out that the 15 th SAARC Summit and Colombo Meetings were devoted almost entirely to food security. He proceeded to explain several of the region s challenges in terms of food security. For example, there is limited and poor quality of land resources, heavy dependence on water for agriculture, and the region remains water stressed. Furthermore, all challenges related to climate change are water related challenges. Dr. Poshraj Pandey focused on trade liberalization and food security within the region. He displayed graphs that portray the state of hunger in the region. He also delved into malnutrition and the adverse effects it has on society. Approximately 295 million people, or 17.8% of the population, in South Asia are malnourished. He then compared food production in the region with the rate of population growth. Dr. Pandey proceeded to explain how trade could be used as an instrument to enhance food security in South Asia. He proceeded to look into the issue of self-sufficiency, in terms of food sovereignty, in which nations maximize domestic production regardless of costs. He then compared this to the concept of self-reliance noting several barriers to international trade, including tariff barriers as well as non-tariff barriers. He concluded his presentation with his vision for the way forward. It is crucial to reduce tariff and non-tariff barriers, expedite SAARC standards, and prohibit export restrictions on regional trade. Dr. Saman Kelegama began with a discussion about the Global Food Security Index. He explained that the situation in South Asia had reached an alarming level. Furthermore, agricultural trade is not taking place on a large scale in this region as a result of high tariffs. He stressed the importance of cooperation in agricultural research as well as the harmonization of river/ocean water utilization. 8

9 Mr. Muhammad Al Amin began by discussing the goals of the SAARC Food Bank since its inception to its current state. He proceeded to note some of the issues faced by the SAARC Food Bank. For example, it acts more like an emergency relief bank than a food bank. Furthermore, the amount available is inadequate to take on any large-scale disasters. Other issues included lack of unified standards and the political commitment for the SAARC Food Bank. Mr. Amin continued by noting some of the policy initiatives necessary to the plans success. Some examples of these policy initiatives include contributions to the SAARC Food Bankand the pricing policy. Finally, Mr. Al Amin laid out plans for food security, infrastructure development, information sharing, and political commitment for the initiative. Mr. Matthew Hammill focused on the regional cooperation for food security. He noted that South Asia had one third of the world food insecure and half of the world s underweight. Furthermore, while the region has 20% of the world s population, it only has 4% of the land. He proceeded to lay out an agenda based on regional cooperation for food security. This included: 1. Climate resilience and sustainable agriculture 2. Regional food management 3. Liberalized national trade 4. Joint R&D 5. Regional knowledge network 6. Logistics to reduce waste 7. Policy coordination 8. Food safety and management of animal diseases 9. National resources management 10. Integrated phase classification In order to prioritize this agenda Mr. Hammill suggested a higher-level of crosssector coordination policy design, domestic policy coordination, and the empowerment of women in agriculture. Session 5: Regional Cooperation for Energy Security Chair H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tariq Ismati opened the fifth session with an introduction into the topic of energy security. Dr. Jyoti K. Parikh outlined a plan on Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADE). This plan focused on: Electricity (nature of their work) and economic growth in South Asia, Status and recent development in CBET, Rationale and drivers for cross border energy trade in the region, Diversity in demand structure, Win-win for all countries: long term benefits, Effective and efficient utilization of naturals resources, Barriers to regional energy trade (lack of political will/financing for infrastructure). 9

10 Dr. Parikh proceeded by outlining the way forward for the region focusing on: Development of transparent trading systems, Political consensus, Harmonization of regulatory mechanisms, legal structure, and policy framework, Derive best practices from established international energy markets and Interconnection possibilities in South Asia. Dr. Leena Srivastava focused on energy collaboration and cooperation. Infrastructure cooperation is vital because most of the infrastructure in the region is outdated and needs to be upgraded. Dr. Srivastava mentioned ideas such as a SAARC refinery and SAARC energy plant. Dr. Srivastava stressed the need for a long-term integrated energy plan. The need is especially important for this region. This region is home to 25% of the 3 billion people in the world who lack adequate access to energy. Furthermore, such initiatives would be key drivers of jobs, also an essential need for the region. Dr. Srivastava delved into the idea that the countries in the region would face great urbanization in the coming years and would therefore demand more energy, making it evermore essential to develop new models and strengthen planning. Finally, Dr. Srivastava said There is a lot we can learn from each other in these areas. He stressed the importance of regional cooperation in achieving all of the aforementioned goals. Mr. Hongpeng Liu began with a discussion on The 2013 Asian Pacific Energy Forum, the first Asian Pacific energy forum entirely devoted to regional cooperation for energy security. He talked about the main outcomes that resulted from this forum: the Ministerial Declaration on Regional Cooperation for Energy Security and Sustainability, which focused on the use of energy in the Asia Pacific. Mr. Liu highlighted a Plan of Action that included 8 areas of priority including: Improving energy policies to enhance energy efficiency and conservation, Accelerating the development of subregional connectivity infrastructure and Promoting renewable energy for decent applications and grid connected electricity generation Mr. Liu concluded with an illustration of the future of connectivity for Asia Pacific that displayed the Pan Asian energy infrastructure in Session 6: Special Session on Regional Cooperation, Human Development and Water Chair Ms. Stuti Kakkar began the final session with an introduction to the panelists and a brief discussion about the role regional cooperation plays on human development and water security within the region. H.E. Mr. Qaiser Shaikh stressed the importance of growth with equal distribution. He explained that one country could not develop individually, rather all countries must benefit from working together. He proceeded with the Presentation of the Report, and discussed some of the main topics of the report. For example, water for human development is a major challenge faced by all South Asian nations. The world and South Asia cannot take water for granted, he stated. Six of the eight 10

11 South Asia regional nations share river systems that span national boundaries. Mr. Shaikh explained that it was essential for the countries to work together to solve this water issue. Furthermore, another critical topic of the region is climate change. Mr. Shaikh explained why climate change was a challenge that the region could not ignore and why significant preparation was essential. Dr. Arvind Kumar explained the most critical water challenged that the region faces. These challenges include: Population explosion, Climate change, Deteriorating water quality, More energy demand and Deteriorating river ecology. He proceeded to explain that water was closely associated with all the major challenges that the region faced. He discussed the reengineering of water governance and shared some examples of success stories. Mr. Kumar shared his approach for regional cooperation on this important issue and why it was so critical towards the region s success. Finally, Mr. Kumar discussed the way forward for the region, which included the need for establishment of a regional water hub as well as the adaptation to the inevitable environmental shift. Mr. Hongpeng Liu discussed regional cooperation on water issues to support sustainable development. He explained some of the water challenges in the Asia Pacific. For example, India, China, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan account for nearly half to the global water usage. Mr. Liu outlined the way forward that included the following steps: (Re) articulation of legal framework, Capacity building, Increased monitoring/assessment, Knowledge gathering and sharing Cross-sector and regional cooperation. Prof. Santosh Kumar focused on water and human development challenges in the context of disasters. He discussed the vulnerability factors, potential risks, impact on public health, development in climate change action, as well as disaster management in South Asia. He concluded with the way ahead where he stressed the need to strengthen regional bodies and institutions, data sharing, and regional response and mitigation systems. Concluding Session: The policy dialogue concluded with Dr. Nagesh Kumar drawing a few key highlights underlining the role of regional cooperation in fostering inclusive and sustainable development of South Asian countries. He thanked all the resource persons and members of the audience for the rich discussion throughout the policy dialogue.. The policy dialogue brought forward some key lessons and recommendations on regional cooperation in transport sector, trade, food and energy security. 11

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13 DAY 1: 28 November 2013 Agenda 09:30 10:00 Registration 10:00 11:00 Opening Session Opening statement: Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Director, ESCAP-SSWA Special address: H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tariq Ismati, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development, Afghanistan Launch of new publications by the dignitaries Inaugural address: H.E. Dr. E.M.S. Natchiappan, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Government of India Vote of thanks: Ms. Lise Grande, United Nations Resident Coordinator, India 11:00 11:30 Group Photo and Tea and coffee break 11:30 13:00 Session 1: High-level Panel on Potential of Regional Cooperation, Connectivity and Inclusive Development 13:00 14:00 Lunch Chair: H.E. Mr. Qaiser Shaikh, Member of National Assembly, Pakistan High-level Panelists Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka Amb. M. Humayun Kabir, Vice President, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute, Dhaka Amb. Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairman, Board of Governors, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad Ms. L. Savithri, Director, SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu Key recommendations from ESCAP/SCWEC/FICCI Flo South Asia Policy Dialogue on Women Entrepreneurship: Ms. Pramila Acharya Rijal, Chairperson, SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council, Kathmandu Open discussion 14:00 15:30 Session 2: Strengthening Regional Connectivity, Transport and Trade Facilitation 13

14 Chair Mr. Abolghasem Tahmasebi, Deputy Secretary General, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO Secretariat), Tehran Panelists Mr. Ussal Sahbaz, Adviser, Economic Policy Foundation (TEPAV), Turkey Dr. Shaheen Afroze, Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Dhaka Mr. TCA Srinivasa Raghavan, Senior Fellow, Asian Institute of Transport Development, New Delhi Mr. Y.S. Shahrawat, Chairman, Land Ports Authority, Government of India Mr. T.A. Khan, Controller of Certifying Authorities, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Govt of India and Vice Chairman, UN/CEFACT Mr. Sandeep Raj Jain, Economic Affairs Officer, Transport Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Mr. Bipul Chatterjee, Deputy Executive Director, CUTS International, Jaipur Open discussion 15:30 16:00 Tea and coffee break 16:00 17:30 Session 3: Launch of Asia-Pacific Trade and Investment Report 2013 Chair: Mr. Sumanta Chaudhuri, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India Presentation: Dr. Mia Mikic, Chief (TPAS), Trade and Investment Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Panelists: Dr. Poshraj Pandey, Executive Chairman, SAWTEE, Kathmandu Mr. Manab Majumdar, Assistant Secretary-General, FICCI, New Delhi Dr. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Additional Director, Research, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka Prof. Sajal Mathur, Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi 14

15 Open discussion 19:30 Reception and Dinner ( Hall 2020, 20 th Floor, Le Meridien Hotel) Screening of the film Highway to 21 st Century, by Suhas Borker DAY 2: 29 November :00 11:30 Session 4: Regional Cooperation Agenda for Food Security Chair Prof. G.K. Chadha, President, South Asian University, New Delhi Panelists Amb. Shafqat Kakakhel, Chairman, Board of Governors, Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Islamabad Dr. Poshraj Pandey, Executive Director, SAWTEE, Kathmandu Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka Dr. S. Mahendra Dev, Director (Vice-Chancellor), Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Mr. Muhammad Al Amin, Senior Research Associate, Centre for Policy Dialogue, Dhaka Mr. Matthew Hammill, Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP-SSWA Open discussion 11:30 11:45 Tea and coffee break 11:45 13:00 Session 5: Regional Cooperation for Energy Security Chair: H.E. Mr. Mohammad Tariq Ismati, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Afghanistan Panelists Dr. Jyoti K. Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), New Delhi Dr. Leena Srivastava, Vice Chancellor & Professor, TERI 15

16 13:00 14:00 Lunch University, New Delhi Mr. Hongpeng Liu, Chief (ESWRS) Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Open discussion 14:00 15:30 Session 6: Special Session on Regional Cooperation, Human Development and Water Launch of Human Development in South Asia 2013: Water for Human Development (in collaboration with Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre and the India Water Foundation) Chair Ms. Stuti Kakkar, IAS, Secretary, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India Presentation of the Report: H.E. Mr. Qaiser Shaikh, Member of National Assembly, Pakistan and Member of the Board, Mahbub-ul- Haq Human Development Centre, Lahore Panelists 15:30 16:00 Concluding Session 16:00 Tea and coffee served Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation, New Delhi Mr. Hongpeng Liu, Chief (ESWRS) Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Prof. Santosh Kumar, Director, SAARC Disaster Management Centre, Delhi 16

17 List of Participants Afghanistan H.E. Mr Mohammad Tariq Ismati, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Ruaral Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), Afghanistan. Tel: +93 (0) Ms. Kamela Sidiqi, Chief Executive Officer, Kaweyan Business Development Services, Kabul Bangladesh Amb. Humayun Kabir, Vice President, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute. Dr. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Additional Director, Research, Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh Mr. Muhammad Al Amin, Senior Research Associate, Center for Policy Dialogue(CPD), Bangladesh Dr. Shaheen Afroze, Research Director, Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies, Dhaka Ms. Selima Ahmad, Founder President, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry Bhutan Ms. Damchae Dem, Bhutan Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAOWE) India Mr. Sumanta Chaudhuri, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India Mr. Y.S. Shahrawat, Chairman, Land Ports Authority, Government of India Prof. S. Mahendra Dev, Director (Vice- Chancellor), Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Ms. Stuti Kakkar IAS, Secretary, Department of Disability Affairs, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, New Delhi Mr. T.C.A. Srinivasa Raghavan, Senior Fellow, Asian Institute of Transport Development, New Delhi 17

18 Mr. T.A Khan, Controller of Certifying Authorities, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, Govt of India and Vice Chairman, UN/CEFACT, New Delhi Dr. Arvind Kumar, President, India Water Foundation, South Extension Part-II, New Delhi Prof. Santosh Kumar, Director, SAARC Disaster Management Centre, Delhi Dr. Leena Srivastava, Hony.Executive Director (Operations), TERI, Vice Chancellor, TERI University, Plot No. 10 Institutional Area, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi Prof. Sajal Mathur, Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi Dr. Jyoti Parikh, Executive Director, Integrated Research and Action for Development (IRADe), C-50, Asian Games Village Complex, Khelgaon, New Delhi Islamic Republic of Iran Mr. M.Ajam, Second Counsellor, Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Maldives Ms. Fathimath Sheereen Ibrahim, CEO, Efes Institute of Cakes, Decorations and Arts, Maldives Ms. Nasreen Ibrahim, Efes Institute of Cakes, Decorations and Arts, Maldives Nepal Dr. Poshraj Pandey, Executive Director, SAWTEE, Kathmandu Ms Pramila Acharya Rijal Chairperson, SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council, Kathmandu Pakistan H.E. Mr Qaiser Shaikh, Member of National Assembly, Pakistan and Member of the Board, Mahbub-ul-Haq Human Development Centre, Lahore. Amb. Shafaqat Kakakhel, former Deputy Executive Director of UNEP and Chair, SDPI Board of Governors, Islamabad, Pakistan 18

19 Ms. Shamama Arbab, Peshawar Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pakistan Ms. Aasia Saail Khan, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sri Lanka Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka Ms. Janaki Gunawardena, Founder/President, Business and Professional Women, Sri Lanka Ms. Fathuma Ameena Rezani Aziz, Sri Lanka Ms. Manel Chitra Atukorale, Business and Professional Women, Sri Lanka Mr. Kapila Fonseka, Minister, High Commission for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, 27 Kautilya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi Turkey Mr. Ussal Sahbaz, Adviser, Economic Policy Foundation (TEPAV), Turkey. Ms. Feride Inan, Economic Policy Research Foundation of Turkey (TEPAV), Turkey Economic Cooperation Organization Mr. Abolghasem Tahmasebi, Deputy Secretary General, Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Secretariat, No.1 Golbou Alley, Kamranieh, Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Tel: , ; Fax: SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION (SAARC) Ms. L. Savithri, Director, SAARC Secretariat SECRETARIAT UNESCAP Dr. Mia Mikic, Trade and Investment Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Mr. Hongpeng Liu, Chief (ESWRS) Environment and Development Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok 19

20 Mr. Sandeep Raj Jain, Economic Affairs Officer, Transport Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok Mr. Michael Williamson, Head, Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT), New Delhi ESCAP SOUTH AND SOUTH-WEST ASIA OFFICE Dr. Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist of ESCAP and Director, ESCAP South and South- West Asia Office, New Delhi Dr. Dayaratna Silva, Deputy Director, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, New Delhi Mr. Matthew Hammill, Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, New Delhi Ms. Wanphen Sreshthaputri Korotki, Social Affairs Officer, ESCAP South and South- West Asia Office, New Delhi Ms. Ivana Brnovic, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, New Delhi Dr. Manas Bhattacharyya, Senior Consultant, ESCAP South and South-West Asia Office, New Delhi Mr. Adil Ali, SELECTED OTHER INVITEES Mr. Afaq, Brief India, Mr. Ajit K. Motwani, Advisor, Knowledge Consortium of Gujarat, Department of Education, Government of Gujarat, 3 rd Floor, Block 12, Dr. Jivraj Mehta Bhavan, Gandhinagar. ajitmotwani@hotmail.com Mr. Akshat Mishra, CUTS, akm@cuts.org Mr. Ashok Marwah, ashok.marwah@aricent.in, Tel: Mr. Bipul Chattarji, CUTS, bc@cuts.org, Tel: Ms. Caroline Mills, AusAid, caraline.mills@dfat.gov.au Ms. Chiara Palro, Chiara.polro@dfat.gov.au, Tel:

21 Mr. Dinoj K Upadhyay, dinoj@icwa.in Ms. G. Mishra, garimam_44@yahoo.com, Tel: Mr. I.N Mukherji, Formerly Professor of South Asian Studies and Dean School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi & Senior Consultant, Research and Information System for Developing Countries, Core 4-B, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi ); Tel:: , Res: Ms. Josefina Oraa, AANK, 11 Zakir Bagh, Tower 1, New Delhi j.y.f.oraa@gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Jyoti Chandiramani, Director, Symbiosis School of Economics, Pune. director@sse.ac.in; jyotichandiramani@gmail.com Mr. J.K Bassin, Tel: Mr. J.S. Samra, jssamra@yahoo.com, Tel: Ms. Lipika Sud, All India Governing Body Member, Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI - FLO), lipika@lipika.com Ms. Manju Malyani, manju.malyani757@hotmail.com, Tel: Mr. Md. Absar Alam, alamabsar@gmail.com, Tel: Mr. Md. Alauddin, a.mohammad@econdir.ac.bd Mr M.P Bezbaruah, mpbezbaruah@yahoo.com, Tel: Mr. Nalin Surie, Vice President, The Association of Indian Diplomats, 'Sapru House', Barakhamba Road, New Delhi Tel:: ; Fax: association.diplomats@rediffmail.com; association@diplo mats.com Mr. Naushad Ali Azad, azad_jmi@yahoo.com, Tel: Ms. Neeru Batra, ba.neeru@gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Neelima Srivastav, srivastav.neelima@gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Nikita Singla, nikita.singla17@gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Nina Dey Gupta, Tel:

22 Ms. Nitya Batra, nityabta2gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Palakh Jain, Tel: Mr. Pankaj Sharma, Tel: Mr. Parth Joshi, Tel: Mr. P.Sharma, CUTS, Tel: Ms. R Kaur, rkl32.iari@gmail.com, Tel: Mr. Ramesh Chopra, rameshchopra@gmail.com Mr. Sayed Mujtaba Ahmedi, mujtabaahmadi@yahoo.com, Tel: Mr. S.C Dhiman, Tel: Mr. S.K Chakraborty, DSIR, Government of India. Tel: Ms. Shilpi Kapur, shilpi.kapur@teri.res.in, Tel: Mr. Suhas Borker, suhasborker.cftvnews@gmail.com, Tel: Mr. Sushi Singh, Tel: Mr. Sohan P Shah, Sohansha@gmail.com, Tel: , Mr. S.P Tripathi, Tel: Prof. S. Sitaraman, Amity University, ssitaraman@amity.edu, Tel: Ms. Tripta Garg, tripta.garg@nic.in, Tel: Mr. Tushar Pandey, tushar.pandey@gmail.com, Tel: Ms. Yathi Arya, Yarya@taza.com, Tel: Dr. Yogesh Suri, yogesh.suri@gov.in, Tel: Mr. Viju.V.V, viju02ap@gmail.com, Tel: Mr. VK Garg, vkgarg48@gmail.com, Tel: Gen. Vinod Sehgal, EcoMonitors Society 22

23 Dr Ram Gopal Agarwal, RIS Dr Aradhna Aggarwal, NCAER OBSERVERS Students of South Asian University, New Delhi Mr. Ahmad Shah Mobariz, SAU, Ms. Beni Chugh, Ms. Gauri Khanduja, Mr. Karan Singh, Ms. Lavanya Ganesh, Mr. Mamnur Rashid, Mr. Mojtaba Modabber Jafari, Mr. Nasir Ali, nasiralisau@gmail.com Ms. Pankhuri Jha, Pankhuri.jha123@gmail.com Mr. Ram Narayan Shreshta, ramshrestha02@gmail.com Ms. Sandhya Karna, Karna_sandhya@yahoo.com Mr. Santhirakumar Samithamby, Santhiran28@gmail.com Ms. Shradha Jain, Shradhajain91@gmail.com Ms. Shweta Sharma, shwetasharmaeco@gmail.com Ms. Surbhi Kesar, Kesar.surbhi.05@gmail.com Mr. Vinod Ram Kishan, Vnd_rk@yahoo.com Mr. Vishal Choudhury, Vishal.cy@gmail.com 23