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Sobhan
in the chair. Country Director of Asian Development
Bank (ADB) Bangladesh, Toru Shibuchi, Vice Governor
of China's Yunan province Shao Qiwei, Minister of State
for Home of the Indian State of Assam Pradyut Brodoloi,
Director General of Department of Border Trade of Mayanmer
Nay Winn, President of Centre for Policy Research (CRR)
of India Prof. Charan D. Wadhva and CPD Executive Director
Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya spoke at the inaugural session
of the conference.
Commerce
Minster Mr. Amir Khasru Mahmud Chwdhury, Communication
Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda and State Minister for
Foreign Affairs Mr. Reaz Rahman were present as Chief
Guests in the technical sessions on Trade and Investment
Opportunities, Strengthening Transport Connectivity
and Institutional and Political Dimensions of Cooperation
respectively.
The various sessions of the Conference addressed such
issues as investment, trade, transport and communication
and exploitation of common resources. In the concluding
session, delegations of the four countries discussed
areas of concrete cooperation and follow up actions.
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Dr
Rahmatullah, Programme Director, CPD presenting a
crest of CPD to Prof. Na Qi, President of the Yunan
Academy of Social Sciences, China at a presentation
ceremony after the BCIM conference. CPD Executive
DIrector Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya is also seen in
the picture
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At
the end of the Conference, the forum adopted an eleven-point
statement to foster cooperation within the BCIM region.
The Dhaka Statement suggested that the vast natural
resources of the region should be utilized for collective
benefits of all countries of the region and underscored
the importance of transport connectivity for smooth
movement of goods and service within the region. The
statement suggested that the cooperating institutions
and organisations should endeavour to generate broad-based
support for the recommendations put forward at the BCIM
Conference.
The Conference participants called for establishing
a focal point to facilitate identification of constraints
and opportunities for stimulating trade and investment
in the region and called for the formulation of action
programmes before the end of 2002. It was also decided
that the 4th BCIM Conference would be held in Yangoon,
Myanmar, in 2003.
SACEPS Policy Dialogue Held in Dhaka
Accent on common regional investment
South
Asian countries should formulate a common investment
strategy and collectively face the challenges of globalisation.
At the same time non-tariff barriers should be removed
to enhance intra-regional trade within the region.
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Such
were the observations of the participants in the two-day
long dialogue on South Asian Cooperation organised by
the South Asian Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) in
association with the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
The dialogue was held on March 30 and 31, 2002, at BRAC
Centre, Dhaka.
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Concluding Sessions of the SACEPS Policy Dialogue
on "WTO and South Asia."
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Finance
Minister Mr. M. Saifur Rahman formally inaugurated the
conference as the Chief Guest with Professor Arjun K.
Sengupta, Chairman, SACEPS in the Chair. CPD Chairman
and Executive Director of SACEPS, Prof. Rehman Sobhan
delivered the introductory speech. Mr. Ibrahim Hussain
Zaki, Hon'ble Minister for Planning and National Development,
Maldives , Dr. Mohan Man Sainju President, Institute for
Integrated Development Studies (IIDS),Kathmandu, Nepal
Mr. Godfrey Gunatilleke, Chairman, Marga Institute, Colombo,
Sri Lanka, Dr. Syed Babar Ali,Pro-Chancellor, Lahore University
of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan also addressed
the inaugural session.
The
two-day programme was divided into five technical sessions
which included sessions on Energy Cooperation in South
Asia, The SAARC Social Charter, Macro-Economic Policy,
Common Investment Strategy for South Asia and WTO and
Trade Related Issues.
State
Minister for Energy and Mineral Resources Mr. A .K .M.
Mosharraf Hossain, former Education Minister Mr. A. S.
H. K. Sadique, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr. Fakhruddin
Ahmed, Industries Minister Mr. M. K. Anwar and Commerce
Minister Mr. Amir Khasru Mahmood Choudhury acted as Chief
Guests in those sessions.
In the various sessions participants from Bangladesh included
Mr. Nuruddin M. Kamal, Ms Salma Khan, Dr Mirza Azizul
Islam, Maj. Gen. Amjad Khan Chowdhury (Retd.), Dr. Hafiz
G. A. Siddiqui, C. K. Hyder, Dr. Moinul Islam, Mr. Farooq
Sobhan, high level government officials, business and
chamber leaders, academics and experts.
Among the foreign delegates Mr. Tapan Kumar Bhaumik, Senior
Advisor-Policy, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII),
Dr. Faisal Bari of Lahore University of Management Sciences
(LUMS), Professor Muchkund Dubey, President, Council For
Social Development, New Delhi, Dr. Saman Kelegama, Executive
Director, Institute of Policy Studies, Sri Lanka, Dr.
Godfrey Gunatilleke, President, Marga Institute, Sri Lanka
were present. |
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