Strengthening SAARC

PRIME Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said that South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the manifestation and voice of the peoples of all countries in the South Asian region for promoting and enhancing mutual cooperation, understanding and goodwill for the common good of the region. In a message, on the occasion of 17th anniversary of the SAARC, Prime Minister Chand called upon all to make the SAARC a genuine and effective forum of all people of the South Asia to work together for their common good. South Asia is the home to one-fifth population of the world. It is also the region that has the largest number of poor people. The problems in all seven south Asia nations are common and identical. Poverty, conflicts, terrorism, poor development infrastructures, dwindling natural resources, heavy population pressure, poor economic growth and deteriorating environment are some of the burning problems facing the entire region. At the same time, there are tremendous possibilities and potentials to tackle these problems. The only thing we need is mutual cooperation, coordination and commitment of all the nations of the South Asia. The creation of the SAARC as a regional forum was the realisation of this need.

Now, SAARC has completed 16th years. Despite resource constraints and other hardship, SAARC has been able to make some significant achievements. The first and foremost requirement for promoting bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation in the present complex international order is to build confidence and the conducive atmosphere among the nations. The SAARC has been successful enough toward this end. SAARC has made it known among all peoples of South Asia as a common voice and common forum for the acceleration of economic growth, social progress and cultural development. As the problems in the region are common, their solution is also similar. In the 16 year long journey, SAARC has already passed its difficult and struggling phase and has taken a concrete shape in the process of regional cooperation. The need now is to implement these experiences in the real terms for the progress and prosperity of the people in the region. Poverty is the root cause of all evils in the region. SAARC has, thus, focused its agenda and activities to attack the growing poverty in South Asia followed by common strategy to fight the menace of terrorism and environmental problems. Although the challenges are daunting, SAARC, if it works in a coordinated way, can succeed in achieving these lofty goals for the welfare and prosperity of South Asian people as a whole.

Save The Dolphins

GANGETIC Dolphins (Platanista gangetica), found only in a few rivers of Nepal, as per a news item carried by this daily the day, are dying away as they are being killed their meat to make traditional medicines from their various parts. That these unique fresh-water dolphins inhabiting the major rivers of the country are coming under relentless threat from humans hardly needs any reiteration here. Nor the fact that due to this threat, their numbers are dwindling fast. And, if these fresh-water dolphins' populations were to be decimated further, then it would not be that surprising to hear one fine day that these rare mammals have gone the way of the Dodo. And all because of the humans' rapacious appetite for these docile mammals' meat that, to their superstitious minds, is infused with medicinal properties that can cure maladies like rheumatism and back-pains. Hence, if these endangered fresh-water dolphins are to be saved from going extinct from the rivers in the southern part of the country, then it behooves upon the wildlife protection authorities to come up with immediate schemes to not only save these amicable mammals but also protect their habitats-herein, the surrounding environments of the nation's three biggest rivers, the Saptakoshi, Gandaki and the Karnali.
However, all this, considering the government's lack of adequate resources, could be quite a daunting challenge. The more so when the government is perennially saddled with an unpalatable task of juggling its meagre resources at hand to cater to the yearly rising demands of the people for varied amenities and services. But then, any inability on the part of the concerned authorities to speedily chalk out and implement schemes specifically tailored to save these fast vanishing fresh-water dolphins and their habitats could, sooner or later, leave the nation much the poorer in terms of its rich yet varied bio-diversity and eco-systems. Even in such an excruciating situation, the concerned authorities, given the will and efforts, could still chalk out and implement short and long-term schemes to save these rare dolphins and their surroundings. Towards this end, they not only need to mobilise all available resources but also come up with measures to judiciously utilise them. While they are at it, they should launch sustained campaigns to raise the local people's awareness concerning the need to not only protect, preserve these harmless Gangetic dolphins and their environments but dispel their superstitious outlooks.