Om Birla to attend 4th South Asian Speakers' Summit in Maldives

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has left for Male in the Maldives to attend the 4th South Asian Speakers' Summit on 'Achieving the Sustainable Goals (SDGs) being held on September 1 and 2, a press note said on Saturday.

The press note said that the Lok Sabha Speaker will be accompanied by Harivansh, Deputy Chairman Rajya Sabha, Snehlata Shrivastava, Secretary-General Lok Sabha, and Desh Deepak Verma, Secretary General Rajya Sabha.

Apart from India, Speakers/Presiding officers of Parliaments from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka constitute the South Asian Speakers' Forum, the release said.

The release further said, "The above Forum was conceptualized during the first South Asian Speakers' Summit held in 2016 in Dhaka (Bangladesh) with India as a major proponent. The second and third editions of the Summit were respectively held in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) in 2017 and 2018. The extant Conference is the fourth Summit of the Forum."

"The delegates, during the event, will discuss what their parliaments have done to advance the work on the SDGs and the issues identified in the Colombo Declaration adopted by the South Asian Speakers in 2018," the release said.

"During the three sessions, the delegates will hold discussions on the themes 'Promoting equality at work including equal remuneration and creating jobs for young people', 'Achieving SDGs 2 and 3 - Nutrition and food security as drivers of maternal, child and adolescent health in the Asia-Pacific region', and 'Catalyzing the global agenda on climate change-overcoming challenges and utilizing opportunities to strengthen the regional agenda for delivering on the Paris Agreement'," it added.