Experts call for effective use of Saarc forum

Islamabad: Knowledge sharing and learning each other’s best practices to deal with global pandemics like COVID-19 would be significantly important for the South Asian countries in the future. The platform of SAARC, despite all challenges, could be used effectively at least by applying a sectoral approach, especially in the areas of health, food security, social sector development and climate change in the region.

This was crux of the thoughts shared by experts from South Asia and Pacific region during an online policy dialogue organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) here on ‘COVID-19 and regional cooperation in South Asia’.

Research Fellow at the Deakin University, Australia, Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed said COVID-19 had provided us with the opportunity to revive regional cooperation between the SAARC countries.

He said the priorities need to be changed and the post-COVID-19 cooperation could be more focused on food supply chain, livelihood and vaccination. "The idea of SAARC Virtual Summit needs to be worked upon to revive cooperation on such urgent matters," he said.

SDPI Executive Director Dr Abid Qaiyum Suleri said the pandemic signified the importance of changing the mindset as the insecurities that people in the region face today are beyond the physical security.

He said that the insecurities appeared as a result of the pandemic, climate change and food chain could only be responded by working together. “How to keep our food chain intact and creating a balance between saving the lives and ensuring livelihoods are some of the critical questions to ponder over in the post pandemic world,” he said.

Dr Abid said SAARC was an organisation whose presence may not seem to create a positive difference but its absence would create a much bigger negative effect. Dr Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir of the Dhaka University, Bangladesh said that South Asia is the least integrated region in the world.

"The coronavirus has exposed our development models that need to be made people-centric now," he said. Prof. Dr Shaheen Akhtar of the National Defence University, Islamabad, said it’s time to establish sustainable peace in the region and to take the confidence-building measures to help people in distress in the conflict areas.

Dr Niranjan Sahoo, senior research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, India, said the SAARC countries should be looking forward to revive this platform, establish peace and respond to shared challenges through enhanced cooperation.

Dr Anton Piyarathne of the Open University of Sri Lanka, said the areas for short-term cooperation between the South Asian countries such as dealing with the pandemic and long-term cooperation should be assessed and mapped out to strengthen a base for the regional cooperation.

Prof Siri Hettige of the Colombo University, Sri Lanka, said setting the realistic goals for the regional cooperation would be more important in the present context. He said reviving SAARC in post Covid-19 world would be important and it could be started by sharing knowledge, learning and best practices on the dealing the global pandemic.

Dr Prakash Bhattari of Center for Social Change, Nepal, said the areas of collaboration and cooperation between the SAARC countries at the moment could be identified by employing sectoral approach.