Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the SAARC Effectiveness Conference here on Thursday.

The parliamentarians, politicians, diplomats and journalists from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan and Pakistan besides Nepal will deliberate on how the effectiveness of South Asian Association for Regional Conference (SAARC) could be enhanced at international level. 

Organized by the International Relations and Labour Committee under the Legislature-Parliament for the first time, some seven working papers on different five themes would be presented during the two-day event. 

Nepal had chaired the regional body from the 18th SAARC Summit which was organized in Kathmandu in 2014. The 19th SAARC Summit is to be held in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad. 

Five former deputy prime ministers of Nepal — Sujata Koirala, Bhim Rawal, Narayan Kaji Shrestha, Kamal Thapa and Bijaya Kumar Gachchhadar would chair the five different presentation sessions during the conference. 

The conclusions drawn by the conference on how the three-decade-old regional body would move ahead to play further effective role in eradicating poverty, countering terrorism and advancing economic prosperity in the region will be presented at the forthcoming SAARC Summit. RSS