SOUTH ASIA CENTRE FOR POLICY STUDIES:
AN INTRODUCTION

The South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) is a network of research organisations involved in studying regional issues in South Asia. SACEPS is located at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and is registered as a project of CPD. The partner organisations of SACEPS are the following:

1. Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh.
2. Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi, India.
3. Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-India).
4. Institute of Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), Kathmandu, Nepal.
5. Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan.
6. Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Colombo, Sri Lanka.
7. Marga Institure, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The overall objective of SACEPS is to promote regional cooperation amongst member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in the field of development research, policy studies and policy advocacy. It strives to be focal point for carrying out the ambitious agenda for building a South Asian Community. It aims to establish an institutional base, which will be used to reach out to and network with some of the well-established national institutions within the region. SACEPS will not only build business and professional networks within South Asia, but also bring together the initiatives of socially motivated NGOs of the region. SACEPS was formed at the initiative of a group of eminent persons of the region. The first meeting of the Executive Committee of SACEPS was held in April 1999 at the Centre for Policy Research in New Delhi. It was formally launched in Dhaka in January 2001, when the first meeting of its Board was held. Professor  Arjun Sengupta of CPR is the Chairman of SACEPS and Professor Rehman Sobhan of CPD is its Executive Director. The SACEPS Board, consisting of 25 eminent persons of the region, provides the organisation overall guidance and direction. A 7-member Executive Committee oversees its activities. The Secretariat at CPD manages its day-to-day activities under the supervision of the Executive Director. In order to undertake research on regional issues, six Task Forces have been formed. These Task Forces, composed of eminent researchers from the region, are conducting the following studies:

1. Common Investment Strategy for South Asia. (Lead organisation: Lahore University of Management Sciences, Pakistan).
2. Energy Cooperation in South Asia. (Lead organisation: Institute of Integrated Development Studies, Nepal).
3. Issues Related to South Asia's Strategy for Next Round of WTO Negotiations. (Lead organisation: Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh).
4. South Asia Free Trade: Costs and Benefits. (Lead organisation: Institute for Policy Studies, Sri Lanka).
5. Macroeconomic Policy. (Lead organisation: Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-India).
6. A Social Charter for South Asia. (Lead organisation: Marga Institute,
   Sri Lanka. The decision to set up this Task Force was taken at the SACEPS Board meeting on 13th January, 2001 and Professor Godfrey Gunatillike was invited to be its convenor, whilst the Marga Institute, Colombo was identified as the lead organisation. )
   
   

Each Task Force is headed by a Chairperson and is made up of group of eminent persons and distinguished researchers, drawn from all the countries of the region. The modality of work involves both research and dialogue across the region with a view to drawing in a wider constituency, supportive of cooperation in South Asia as well as of SACEPS and to generate greater recognition of SACEPS's institutional presence in this region.

New Task Forces

Another Task Force for setting up a South Asian Economic Forum, on the lines of the World Development Forum at Davos, is also under review. This initiative has been entrusted to the leadership of Mr Ibrahim H. Zaki, Hon'ble Minister for Planning and National Development of the Maldives, in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), New Delhi, India.

The Second Board Meeting of SACEPS, held in March 29, 2002 took the decision to go ahead to setting up a Task Force on Media Cooperation in South Asia, to be convened by the Board Member, Ms Shobhana Bhartia, Executive Director, Hindustan Times. Ms Bhartia, accordingly, convened a brainstorming session on the work of the Task Force in New Delhi on October 8, 2002. The meeting was attended by Mr Mahfuz Anam, Editor, The Daily Star; Mr Hameed Haroon, Managing Editor, The Dawn and Senior Columnist Mr Kuldip Nayar.