March 28, 2007	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 8, 1428

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ISLAMABAD, March 27: The third Asia and India regions Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) conference concluded here on Tuesday with the member states reaffirming their commitment to step up inter-parliamentary cooperation for poverty alleviation and good governance in the region.

The two-day conference was attended by over 100 delegates representing all shades of political opinion in the respective parliaments of member countries.

Pakistan was represented by a group of 12 parliamentarians, 6 each from both houses of the parliament. It comprised five women parliamentarians: Minister of State for Education Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli, Rukhsana Zuberi, Pari Gul Agha, Kashmala Tariq and Aasia Azeem Chaudhry.

Deputy Chairman Senate Jan Mohammad Khan Jamali, while addressing the concluding session, expressed the confidence that greater interaction among the parliaments of the South Asian region will help to reduce poverty and promote good governance.

He said the CPA had provided parliamentarians of the member states an effective platform to share their experiences, discuss collective problems and work out joint strategies that may help implement the socio-economic reforms besides promoting good governance in their respective regions.

The deputy chairman Senate said that poverty reduction was a daunting challenge which must be met with a concerted response. He called for sharing of experiences and best practices among the member states to achieve the desired results.

Mr Jamali expressed the view that parliamentary budget committees can be strengthened to ensure that national allocations match the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The same capacity can be reinforced in women’s causes. He added that health and education committees can also ensure the achievement of MDGs. The parliamentary intervention can strengthen the national democratic process and accountability for the goals.

He said the role of parliamentarians in poverty reduction and achieving MDGs was vital and definitive. “By holding their respective governments accountable for fulfilment of their commitment towards MDGs and ensuring better budgetary allocation for poverty eradication, they can make sure that the country remains on track in pursuit of its goals,” he remarked.

“We must share our experience, ensure technological and policy interventions along with pooling our resources to achieve the desirable level of human development,” he said, adding that curbing poverty was the major challenge for achieving equitable and sustainable development.

He termed the conference a major step towards a more peaceful and prosperous South Asia and said that Pakistan was striving hard to reduce poverty in the country. The government was taking a holistic view of the whole problem. Poverty reduction strategy was being pursued as an ongoing process of dialogue with the civil society. The strategy places considerable emphasis on taking advantages of the opportunities offered by globalization, he added.