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Landmark meeting of SAARC Countries on protection of Children to be held in Delhi from 9th-11th May, 2016

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Landmark meeting of SAARC Countries on protection of Children to be held in Delhi from 9th-11th May, 2016

The eight nations composing the South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC) are assembling in New Delhi from 9th-11th May, 2016 for their 4th Ministerial Meeting, to set strategies and agree on commitments to ensure the protection and security of the children of the region. The landmark meeting is being hosted by the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.

The Ministerial meeting on 11th May will be preceded by a two day technical consultation focusing on critical issues of child protection and violence in the region. Delegates from the governments and civil society organizations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will assess progress and developments of the past decade of regional effort and identify priorities for SAIEVAC for the next five years.

Indias Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh, will deliver the keynote statement to the Ministerial Meeting on 11th May, 2016 . The Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, will chair the meeting. Ministers of the member countries are expected to participate make statements to provide the high-level regional leadership to set the course for SAIEVACs next period of regional action.

SAIEVAC is the Apex Body of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) created to bring governments of the region into active engagement for child protection against violence. SAARC made history in 1986 by installing children as a summit-level concern and commitment. The forthcoming 4th Ministerial Meeting marks 30 years since that SAARC summit commitment. It is notable that the present Secretary General of SAARC, Mr. Arjun Bahadur Thapa is addressing the Ministerial Meeting.

The 4th Ministerial Meeting carries forward the collective inter governmental ownership of SAIEVAC, which is reflected in its Governing Body composed of official members, representing each of the eight governments.

The technical consultation on 9th and 10th May will bring forward recommendations on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and on regional child protection opportunities emerging from country experiences. This will include Indias positive insights from its innovative measures for tracking and rescuing lost and missing children. The technical will also examine the potential of using information and communication technology for improving these measures.

India will showcase some of its major initiatives like Trackchild and Khoya Paya, Childline-1098, POCSO Act among others .

 

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First Published: May 07 2016 | 12:20 AM IST

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