Sri Lankan action plan for SAARC social charter launched

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

Sri Lankan Action Plan for the implementation of the SAARC Social Charter was released on December 27 at the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Affairs and Strategic Studies presided over by the Premier Rathnasiri Wickramanayake.

"I can say that goals and targets in our National Action Plan under the SAARC Social Charter, although they look like impossible dreams, are within our reach and we have the will and political commitment to meet the challenging task of realizing these goals.

We are duty bound to reach these goals for the future of our country and for the sake of our future generation," Prime Minister Rathnasiri Wickramanayake addressing the distinguished gathering said.

Premier Wickramanayake added that Sri Lanka has very ambitious targets such as reduction of poverty by 25% or providing 80% of the population with access to safe water by 2010.

At the 12th SAARC Summit held in Islamabad in January 2004, Heads of States signed the SAARC Social Charter.

The Charter committed the state parties to maintain a social policy and a strategy designed to ensure balanced social development in their respective countries. The state parties are responsible for the protection and fulfilment of the obligations to enforce the Charter at the national level.

Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mahinda Bandusena explained that the approval of the Cabinet of Ministers was received in January 2005 for the setting up of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) at the Prime Minister Office as the National Focal Point and to implement the provisions of the Charter.

Lalith Weerathunga, the then Secretary to the PM, was the chairman of the NCC. The Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education, Sports and Youth Affairs, Samurdhi, Healthcare and Nutrition, Child Development and Women's Empowerment and Social Welfare and Social Service and their affiliated Departments and Civil Society Organizations such as Marga Institute, Sarvodaya, Centre for Women's Research, South Asia Women Fund, Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies were represented at the first meeting of NCC and these members continually functioned as members, Bandusena added.

Accordingly, the Sri Lanka Action Plan was finalized after a long deliberation and careful scrutiny by the members of NCC.

The final document was submitted for approval of the Cabinet of Ministers.

The approval was received in August 2007 for the Action Plan to be implemented by the relevant agencies of the Government.

"There will be evaluation committees that will be set up in each of the relevant Ministries headed by the Ministry Secretary to assess the progress of implementation of the programmes undertaken by each Ministry and the agencies under the Ministry," Bandusena stated.

The Social Charter focuses on poverty alleviation, Health, Education, Human Resource Development and youth mobilization, Promotion of the status of women, promotion of the right well-being of the child, population stabilization, drug de-addiction, rehabilitation and reintegration.

The SAARC Social Charter focuses on promoting welfare of the people of the region, improving their quality of life, accelerating economic growth, social progress and cultural development - providing all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity realizing their full potential.