ISLAMABAD: A three-day international conference on sustainable
development opened here on Tuesday. The conference is being attended by
representatives from more than 16 South Asian countries and over 50
international experts.

The conference was meant to find ways to
rid people of the region and beyond from problems they face and attain
sustainable development, peace and prosperity.

The conference was
organised the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) of
Pakistan. The theme of the conference was “Pathways to sustainable
development in South Asia and beyond” here on Tuesday. The conference
will continue till Thursday.

President Mamnoon Hussain was the
chief guest. Other dignitaries attending the conference were Federal
Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Ahsan Iqbal and UN
Under-Secretary General for Regional Economic and Social Commission of
Asia and Pacific region Dr Shamshad Akhtar.

A number of top
development practitioners, policy experts, academics, researchers,
economists, and policymakers from inside and outside the country,
especially from the South Asia, attended the conference.

Speaking
on the occasion, President Mamnoon emphasized the need for undertaking
concerted initiatives to enhance mutual cooperation and integration
among South Asian countries to attain the goal of sustainable
development, peace and prosperity in the region.

“Closer regional
collaboration and integration will help achieve the shared vision of a
peaceful, prosperous and developed region,” the president said.

“I
would like to urge upon all leaders and experts assembled here to
deeply analyse the Kathmandu Declaration in which our political leaders
have committed themselves to moving towards a more integrated region and
establishing an economic community to pull millions of people out of
poverty, deprivation and vulnerability.

“Your independent
research and advice on workable solutions to your respective governments
and the Saarc Secretariat will help achieve the shared goal of a
peaceful, prosperous and developed region,” the president said.

Addressing
the conference, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms
Ahsan Iqbal said that unprecedented challenges required unprecedented
regional collaboration and efforts to address common regional
challenges.

The minister stressed the need for bridging the gap
between knowing and doing (knowledge and practice), with a pro-poor
strategy.

“South Asian countries have the economic indicators of
middle income but social indicators of under-developed countries,” he
said.

“We live in an era of unprecedented change and paradigm shifts, which require unprecedented collaboration,” the minister said.

Dr
Shamshad Akhtar said that rising greenhouse gas emissions was a serious
threat to the health of people in South Asia and suggested that low
carbon sustainable technologies must be applied for sustainable
development in the region.

“$10 billion has been allocated
through a Green Climate Fund of the UN to promote Clean Development
Mechanism (CDM),” she said, adding that every dollar spent on sanitation
could help a government save $5 on health expenditure.

Dr Abid
Qaiyum Suleri, the Executive Director of the SDPI, said recent fast
emerging multi-party democracies in a majority of South Asian countries
had led to formation of new elected governments, though their respective
opposition groups had cast doubts about the electoral transparency.

“But
one thing is clear that once governments are elected through a voting
process (despite allegations of malpractices by their respected
opponents), they have certainly to think about their people and their
development,” he said.

Source : http://www.dawn.com/news/1149908