JOINT PRESS RELEASE

SIGNING OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU) BETWEEN SOUTH ASIAN ASSOCIATION FOR REGIONAL COOPERATION (SAARC) AND SOUTH ASIA CO-OPERATIVE ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME (SACEP)

An MOU between SAARC and SACEP was signed on 8 July 2004 by H.E. Mr. Q.A.M.A. Rahim, SAARC Secretary General and Mr. Mahboob Elahi, Director General of SACEP.

The MOU has been signed pursuant to the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers of SAARC and the Ministers of Environment, and the Governing Council and Consultative Committee of SACEP.

The MOU will constitute a framework of cooperation between SAARC and SACEP in the area of environment protection consistent with the SAARC Charter and the mandate of SACEP. It provides for the two organizations to cooperate including developing mutually supportive arrangements to implement their respective Environmental Programmes and Action Plans; exchange information on the state of the global and regional environment and emerging environmental issues; collaborating in producing studies and reports on priority concerns in the field of environment; and strengthening capacity for effectively addressing global, regional and national environmental concerns, including through participation in multilateral environmental negotiations and the environmental agreements.

South Asia with its increasing population and expanding economies are facing myriad problems in safeguarding its natural resource base. Therefore, this framework of cooperation between SAARC and SACEP reflects the vision of the region to face the challenge of sustainable development. It is also a realization of the importance of capitalizing on the separate strengths of the two organizations to address environmental issues.

8 July 2004