The Summit

Regrettably, we have passed twenty years through arranging twelve majestic summits without nothing for the betterment of the people who are living in this region. The monster of poverty still haunts the people of this region. In a nutshell, the aims and objectives of this body were not fulfilled at all. The Secretary General of BEA (Bangladesh Economic Association) Prof. Abul Barkat views that eradication of poverty through this forum is not possible, which he said in a recent interview with a Bengali daily.

It is learnt that one fifth of the population of the globe live in this region and 40% of the total poor also live here. Across the world, the number of people who earn below one dollar per day is 110 crore, of whom 40% live in this region. The poverty rate of the Saarc member countries is not the same.

The statistics of the people who live below poverty line is depressing. In case of Sri Lanka it is 25%, 30% in India, 50% in Bangladesh and 42% in Pakistan.

The statistics of regional trade is rather bleak. Among the member countries, the volume of trade is only 2%, whereas it is 66% in case of EU, 21% in ASEAN countries and 50% in case of NAFTA. But it is possible to mount the volume of trade among the Saarc countries.

The twice postponed meeting has finally ended in a peaceful environment sans unwanted happenings, thanks to the beefed up security net in the capital. But the summit could be more fruitful if participation of the civil society and general people were possible.