South Asian Association of Regional Co-operation

How many resources are being used to fight the war on poverty and ignorance? The gap between rich and poor tends to be growing in most countries. There is more concern about attracting foreign investment than solving the problem of poverty and that investment often ruins traditional agriculture and drives people into cities expropriating land as in China. Even though there may be a rising tide it does not raise all boats equally in fact many it sinks.


We must win war against poverty, ignorance & disease: PM
New Delhi, April. 4 (PTI): Declaring that the countries in the South Asian region must win the war against all forms of extremism and intolerance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today said that an all out war must be waged against poverty, ignorance and disease afflicting the region.

Addressing the concluding ceremony of the 14th South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Singh said "we must resolve our differences and we must enhance regional cooperation. We must also win the war against all forms of extremism and intolerance in our region".

Observing that New Delhi has occupied the chair at an important moment, he said though the region has been transformed in the last half century, "yet, we face the challenge of being home to the largest concentration of poor and illiterate people."

"We must win decisively the war against poverty, ignorance and disease. I cannot agree more that the touchstone of our efforts to reinvigorate SAARC must be the difference we make to the lives of the poorest of the poor and the weakest of the weak. This is our highest mandate" he said.

Sharing dais with leaders of Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, he said "to win this war, we must work together".

He said the summit has agreed to operationalise the SAARC Development Fund, establish the South Asian University, create a SAARC Food Bank and set up the SAARC Arbitration Council.

Noting that the Declaration adopted today was "comprehensive and forward looking", he said it gave SAARC a wider mandate to promote peace and development in the region including through greater connectivity - in trade, in the movement of people and through the flow of ideas.