ISLAMABAD, Oct 18: The governing board of Saarc Human Resource Development Centre (SHRDC) has approved 14 programmes for implementation in the year 2004.

The SHRDC governing board took the decision at the concluding session of its fourth meeting held here on Saturday.

The two-day meeting also elected Gen C.S. Weerasooriya, the Sri Lankan High Commissioner, as the new chairperson of the board.

Planning and Development Division Secretary Javed Sadiq Malik, being the out-going chairperson of the board, opened the meeting.

The secretary appreciated the initiatives taken by the SHRDC and extended full cooperation and support on behalf of Pakistan government to the centre for its activities aimed at mutual benefits in the region.

The meeting was attended by Achyuta Pada Goswami (Bangladesh), Dawa Gyaltsnen (Bhutan), Dr A.V.S. Ramesh Chandra (India), Rasheeda Ali (Maldives), Ram Krishna Tiwari and Madhuban Prasad Poudel (Nepal); Gen C.S. Weerasooriya (Sri Lanka); Javed Sadiq Mali, Dr Pervez Tahir and Syed Mohammad Fawad Sher (Pakistan).

Meanwhile, a function was held to mark the conclusion of the 14-day training course on ‘Gender and Development’ organized by the SHRDC in Islamabad.

The newly-elected SHRDC chairperson, General C.S. Weerasooriya, was the chief guest at the function. He also gave away certificates to the participants of the course.

As many as 23 participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan participated in the course, which was inaugurated by Bangladeshi High Commissioner Shamim Ahmed on October 6.

Speaking on the occasion, Gen Weerasooriya said gender and development was one of the prioritized development agenda of the South Asian region.

“I have a conviction that this training programme was timely as well as relevant.

Besides, the relevance of the training programme can also be judged from the fact that women in South Asia work from dawn to dusk but their economic contribution is scarcely acknowledged at the national level,” he added.

Access of women to health, education and other facilities lags far behind that of men, hence the overall picture of gender- related development is poor in South Asia and it necessitates acting candidly to improve the lives of women in this corner of the globe, Gen Weerasooriya said.

The two-week training course was designed for mid-career trainers and professional from the member countries’ government, semi-government bodies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in the field of HRD-related training, planning and development, policy analysis and advocacy, poverty alleviation, and gender and development.

The objectives of the training programme were to strengthen the ability of participants in carrying out critical analyses in the broad area of gender issues; evaluate gender policies; understand the process of mainstreaming gender analysis; and assist in replicating the knowledge gained for empowerment of women in the development process in each member country.