SAARC development report meeting held in Maldives

Kathmandu, April 24: The Second Meeting of the SAARC Inter-Governmental Expert Group on Poverty Alleviation to finalise the first SAARC Development Report, themed “SDR 2025: Shaping the Future Together for a Resilient SAARC,” was held in Malé, Maldives on Thursday, according to the SAARC Secretariat.

The meeting was hosted by the Government of the Maldives with financial and technical support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

Delegations from SAARC member states, including senior officials from development and foreign ministries, participated in the meeting.

The session was opened by Prathma Uprety, Director (Information and Poverty Alleviation) at the SAARC Secretariat, representing the Secretary General of SAARC. She thanked the Maldives government for hosting the meeting and ADB for its continued support in regional cooperation.

Maldives Minister of State for Finance and Public Enterprises Hussain Imran Abdul Muhaimin, the chief guest, stressed the importance of the report and highlighted the country’s vulnerabilities as a small island developing state, calling for resilient and inclusive development strategies.

ADB Lead Regional Cooperation Specialist Dongxiang Li reaffirmed the bank’s continued support to SAARC.

Member states shared national perspectives and priorities for finalising the report, focusing on regional cooperation, resilience, and inclusive growth.

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Minister Ali Rasheed of the Maldives Ministry of Finance and Public Enterprises and concluded with the adoption of a report.