3rd day
of the Regional Planning Council continues in Islamabad. More than 120
delegates from Member of the Economic Cooperation Organization are brain
storming to finalize road map for execution of the ECO Vision 2025. Delegates
from the member countries are set to deliberate to finalize the work plan for
the year 2018 with the special focus on Trade and Investment, Transport and
Communication, Energy Minerals and Environment, Agriculture Industry and
Tourism, Project Economic Research and Statistics, Human Resources and
sustainable development, drugs and organized crime coordination and ECO
specialized agencies/ Regional Institutions/ Affiliated bodies and external
relations. Eight working groups were formed on the above specialized
areas. Each of these working group comprised of ministers, senior officials and
experts from the member states.
On 3rd day
all the working groups finalized their recommendations for onward presentment
to the ministerial meeting to be held on the final day i.e. 14 December 2017.
In this regard, a meeting of the senior officials was held under the joint
chairmanship of the secretary ECO Mr. Hilal Ibrahim and Secretary Planning
Division Pakistan Mr. Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui. The senior officials meeting
undertook recommendations propounded by each of the working groups and reviewed
those in detail. The finalized recommendations would be tabled in the
ministerial meeting on Thursday 14 December. Talking to the senior official
meeting secretary general expressed his immense satisfaction over the outcomes
of the 28th Regional Planning Council meeting. He maintained that the meeting
was highly successful and productive not only because of its significant agenda
points but it would serve as a milestone because of the personal interest of
each of the member states and hard work of their representatives. He stated
that with the passage of time ECO was turning into one of the most important
global forums since there was a consensus to put into efforts and join hands
for the well being of a common man and uplift living standard. Meanwhile the
representatives of the member states appreciated the hospitality of
Pakistan.
Mr. Shoaib
Ahmed Siddiqui, Secretary Ministry of Planning, Development and Reform (Head of
Delegation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan being the current COM Chairman)
was selected as chairman of the senior official segment of the 28th RPC
meeting. The secretary while thanking the participants upon his election as
Chairman of the meeting underlined the importance of the Regional Planning
Council (RPC) Meeting and called for adopting appropriate decisions during the
meeting to help Member States in strengthening regional economic cooperation in
a synergic and coherent manner.
*****
