2-day South Asian Speakers' Summit to start tomorrow in Indore

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan will inaugurate a two-day South Asian Speakers' Summit on 'Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)' here tomorrow.
Besides Mahajan, Dr M Thambidurai, Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha; Saber Chowdhury, President of Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU); Abdul Raouf Ibrahimi, Speaker of Afghanistan's National Assembly; Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Speaker of Bangladesh Parliament; Jigme Zangpo, Speaker of National Assembly of Bhutan and Tshering Dorji, Deputy Chairperson of National Council of Bhutan, will take part in it, a Lok Sabha release said.
Karu Jayasuriya, Speaker of Sri Lanka Parliament; Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, Speaker of Maldives Parliament; Onasari Gharti, Speaker of Nepal Parliament, and members of Parliaments from the participating countries, will remain present, it added.

However, Pakistan and Myanmar will not take part in the summit, Mahajan had told reporters here yesterday.
Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly Speaker Sitasaran Sharma and other dignitaries will also attend the inaugural function, it said.
The Summit will have a Plenary Session on Identifying Resources for SDGs Implementation in South Asia: Opportunities for Parliamentary Cooperation, the release said.

The Session will inform the delegates about the implementation of SDGs in South Asian region and will discuss ways in which Parliaments can ensure that adequate financial and other resources accompany implementation of national and regional SDGs strategies, it added.
The Working Session on Gender Equality as a critical factor for Sustainable Development will discuss opportunities that the SDGs present to strike a better gender balance, and to determine the gender impact of sustainable development policies, it said.

The other Working Session on Dealing Effectively with the Challenge of Climate Change and Natural Disasters: Opportunities for Regional Parliamentary Cooperation will discuss how Parliaments of the region can cooperate and share resources to address the challenges of climate change and natural disasters, it added.
The Summit proposes to adopt 'Indore Declaration' at the closing ceremony on February 19, the release said.
During the Summit, cultural programmes, highlighting the heritage of India, will be showcased for the delegates. The delegates and other representatives will leave for Mandu on a Post Conference Tour on February 20.
The foreign delegates have already started arriving here for the Summit.