Inaugural Programme

1630 – 1700 Registration and Tea/Coffee

1700 – 1900 Inaugural Session

Chair
Prof Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director, South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Kathmandu

Welcome and Introductory Address
Dr Posh Raj Pandey, Executive Chairman, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE), Kathmandu

Special Remarks
Dr Sekhar Bonu, Director, Country Coordination & Regional Cooperation Division, South Asia Department, Asian Development Bank, Manila

Mr Robert Piper, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Kathmandu

H.E. Dr Sheel Kant Sharma, Secretary General, SAARC Secretariat, Kathmandu

Dr Gowher Rizvi, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Dhaka

Hon'ble Neomal Perera, Deputy Minister of External Affairs, Government of Sri Lanka

Inauguration and Inaugural Address
Rt. Hon’ble Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal

1900 – 2100 Welcome Dinner

0830 – 0900 Registration and Tea/Coffee

0900 – 1100 Plenary Session

THEME: EMERGING ECONOMIC OUTLOOK AND POLICY CHALLENGES FOR SOUTH ASIAN ECONOMIES

Chair
Prof Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka

Presentation I
Emerging economic outlook and policy challenges for Asia-Pacific: A South Asian perspective  – Dr Nagesh Kumar, Chief Economist and Director, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), Bangkok

Presentation II
Regional integration in South Asia: Problems, challenges and outlook – Dr Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), Colombo

Panelists
Dr Atiur Rahman, Governor, Bangladesh Bank, Dhaka
Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada, Governor, Nepal Rastra Bank, Kathmandu
Mr Annisul Huq, President, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Islamabad
Dr Akmal Hussain, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore
Prof I.N. Mukherji, Senior Consultant, Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi

Floor Discussion

1115 – 1300 First Session

THEME: ENHANCING MERCHANDISE TRADE IN SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Mr Pradeep Mehta, General Secretary, CUTS International, Jaipur

Presentation I
Pruning the sensitive lists in SAFTA – Dr Nisha Taneja, Professor, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER), New Delhi

Presentation II
Addressing non-tariff barriers – Dr Mustafiz Rahman, Executive Director, CPD, Dhaka

Discussants
Dr Dilli Raj Khanal, Chairman, Institute for Policy Research and Development (IPRAD), Kathmandu

Mr Jagadish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman, Nimbus International Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu

Dr Akmal Hussain, Distinguished Professor of Economics, Beaconhouse National University, Lahore

Floor Discussion

THEME: REGIONAL COOPERATION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Chair
Hon'ble Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, Member of Parliament and Constituent Assembly, Nepal, and IUCN Regional Councillor for South and South-east Asia, Kathmandu

Presentation
Climate change, agriculture and biodiversity – Dr S. Bala Ravi, Advisor, MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai

Discussants
Mr Charitha Herath, Chairman, Central Environment Authority (CEA), Government of Sri Lanka, Colombo

Mr Chandan Sapkota, Research Officer, SAWTEE, Kathmandu

Mr Shafqat Munir, South Asia Centre for Economic Journalists, Islamabad

Floor Discussion

1300 – 1400 Lunch

1400 – 1545 Second Session

THEME: SERVICES TRADE IN SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Dr Saman Kelegama, Executive Director, IPS, Colombo

Presentation
Contours and modalities of services trade liberalization – Prof Rajan S Ratna, Professor, Center for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi

Discussants
Dr Posh Raj Pandey, Executive Chairman, SAWTEE, Kathmandu

Mr Sumith Nakandala, Director General of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Sri Lanka, Colombo

Floor Discussion

THEME: TRADE AND CLIMATE CHANGE ISSUES FOR SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Ms Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed, SAARC Secretary General Designate, Male

Presentation I
WTO and UNFCCC Negotiations: South Asian Agenda – Mr Nitya Nanda, Fellow, The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), New Delhi

Presentation II
Trade in environmental goods and services – Dr Fahmida Khatun, Additional Director, Research, CPD, Dhaka

Discussants
Dr Biplove Choudhary, Programme Specialist, Poverty Reduction Team, UNDP Asia-Pacific Regional Centre, Bangkok 

Mr Bharath Jairaj, Senior Associate, World Resources Institute, Washington, DC. 

Mr Paras Kharel, Senior Programme Officer, SAWTEE, Kathmandu 

Mr Aloke Mookherjea, Past Chairman,  Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) Eastern Region, and  Chairman, Flakt India Ltd., Kolkata

Floor Discussion

1545 – 1600 Tea/Coffee

1600 – 1745 Third Session

THEME: TRANSPORT AND CONNECTIVITY ISSUES IN SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Prof Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director, SACEPS, Kathmandu

Presentation I
Air services liberalization in South Asia – Mr Anushka Wijesinha, Research Officer, IPS, Colombo

Presentation II
Improving transport connectivity in South Asia –  Dr M Rahmatullah, Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka and Former Director (Transport), UNESCAP, Bangkok

Discussants
Mr Ghulam Samad, Senior Research Economist, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Islamabad 

Mr S K Agarwal, Member, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) SAARC Forum and Director, Vimal Organics Ltd., Ghaziabad

Floor Discussion

THEME: FOOD SECURITY AGENDA FOR SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Mr Purushottam Ojha, Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu

Presentation I
Climate Change and food security, operationalization of the SAARC Food Bank, and the conceptualization of the SAARC Seed Bank – Mr Kamalesh Adhikari, Research Director, SAWTEE, Kathmandu

Presentation II
Intra-regional trade of agriculture and food products – Dr Upali Wickramasinghe, Regional Adviser on Poverty Reduction and Food Security, UNESCAP-CAPSA, Bogor

Discussants
Dr Krishna P. Pant, Senior Agricultural Economist, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Government of Nepal, Kathmandu

Mr Sherab Wangchuk, Policy and Planning Division, Ministry of Agriculture and Forest, Thimpu

Mr Arif Naveed, Research Associate, Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), Islamabad

Floor Discussion

THEME: ACTION PLAN ON ENERGY COOPERATION IN SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Prof Upali Wickramasinghe, Regional Adviser on Poverty Reduction and Food Security, UNESCAP-CAPSA, Bogor

Presentation I
Political economy of energy cooperation in South Asia – Prof Mahendra Lama, Vice Chancellor, Sikkim University, Gangtok (presentation made by Dr Shanker Krishna Malla,  Former Member Secretary, National Planning Commission, Kathmandu)

Presentation II
Political economy of energy cooperation in South Asia – Ms Olivia Gippner, Energy Policy Analyst, Kathmandu

Discussants
Mr Chhewang Rinzin, Managing Director, Druk Green Power Corporation Limited, Thimpu

Mr Siddhartha SJB Rana, Chairman, Bhote Koshi Power Company Pvt. Ltd., Kathmandu

Mr Dipak Gyawali, Research Director, Nepal Water Conservation Foundation, Kathmandu

Floor Discussion

THEME: LABOUR MIGRATION AND POLICY CHOICES FOR SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Amb. Farooq Sobhan, President, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), Dhaka

Presentation
Impact on South Asian migrant workers in gulf countries Political economy of energy cooperation in South Asia – Dr Irudaya Rajan, Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Kerala

Discussants
Prof Sridhar Khatri, Executive Director, SACEPS, Kathmandu

Mr Yurendra Basnett, Ph.D Candidate, University of Cambridge, Cambridge

Floor Discussion

1100 – 1115 Tea/Coffee

1115 – 1300 Fifth Session

THEME: TRADE FACILITATION AND INTEGRATION IN SOUTH ASIA

Chair
Dr Mustafiz Rahman, Executive Director, CPD, Dhaka

Presentation I
Role of infrastructure in trade facilitation – Dr Selim Raihan, Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM), Dhaka

Presentation II
Role of government regulations in trade facilitation – Dr Pushpa Raj Rajkarnikar, Chairman, Nepal Bank Limited, and Former Member, National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal

Discussants
Mr Manish Mohan, Additional Director and Head–South Asia, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI), New Delhi

Prof Abdul Wassay Haqiqi, CEO, Haqiqi Auditing and Consulting Company, and Lecturer, American University in Afghanistan, Kabul 

Ms Suwendrani Jayaratne, Research Officer, IPS, Colombo

Floor Discussion

THEME: INTEGRATION ISSUES FOR SOUTH ASIAN LDCs

Chair
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, CPD, Dhaka

Presentation I
LDC issues for UNLDC IV – Dr Mohammad Razzaque, Advisor, Economic Affairs, Commonwealth Secretariat, London

Presentation II
LDC Integration Fund – Mr Ratnakar Adhikari, General Secretary, SAWTEE, Kathmandu

Discussants
Prof I.N. Mukherji, Senior Consultant, RIS, New Delhi

Prof Biswambher Pyakuryal, Central Department of Economics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 

Hon'ble Choida Jamtsho, Member of Parliament, National Assembly of Bhutan, Thimpu

Dr Muhammad Hussain Malik, Economic Affairs Officer, Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division, UNESCAP, Bangkok

Floor Discussion

1300 – 1400 Lunch

 1400 – 1600 Special Plenary

THEME: ROLES OF PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATIVES AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR IN STRENGTHENING REGIONAL COOPERATION

Chair
Mr Chakra Prasad Banstola, Former Foreign Minister, Government of Nepal, and Former Nepalese Ambassador to India 

Presentation I
Role of people's representatives in strengthening the regional cooperation process in South Asia – Amb. Nihal Rodrigo, Former SAARC Secretary General, and Former Foreign Secretary, Government of Sri Lanka

Presentation II
Role of the private sector in strengthening the regional cooperation process in South Asia – Dr Anura Ekanayake, Chairman, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Colombo

Panelists
Hon'ble Anisul Islam Mahmud, Member of Parliament and Former Foreign Minister, Bangladesh, and Managing Director, Shasha Denims Ltd., Dhaka

Hon'ble Rajendra Kumar Khetan, Member of Parliament and Constituent Assembly, Nepal, and President, Khetan Group, Kathmandu 

Hon’ble Arifa Khalid Parvez, Member of Punjab Assembly, Lahore

Floor Discussion

1600 – 1615     Tea/Coffee

1615 – 1800 Way Forward and Closing

Chairperson
Dr Posh Raj Pandey, Executive Chairman, SAWTEE, Kathmandu

Speakers
Prof Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, CPD, Dhaka

Hon'ble Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Member of Parliament and Constituent Assembly, and Former Finance Minister, Government of Nepal

Mr Ibrahim Hussain Zaki, Special Envoy to the President of the Maldives, and Former SAARC Secretary General, Male

Mr Prem Shankar Jha, Managing Editor, Financial World, New Delhi

Mr Pradeep Shrestha, Vice President, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Islamabad

Closing Remarks
Chairperson