CIRDAP ministerial meeting begins in Delhi on June 24

DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 23 (BSS)- A three-day ministerial meeting of 14 CIDRAP countries of the Asia Pacific region will begin on June 24 in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

Jointly organised by the government of India and CIRDAP, the
ministerial meeting will be followed by a ministerial retreat of
Rural Development Ministers.

The ministerial meeting, a special meeting of the CIRDAP
Governing Council (GC), will be held on June 24 and the retreat
on June 25-26 at the Vigyan Bhavan, a press release said here
today.

Indian Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari will inaugurate
the three-day programme on June 24 at the Vigyan Bhavan.

Dr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Minister of Rural Development of
India, will preside over the ministerial retreat.

Ministers or their representatives from all of the fourteen
CIRDAP member countries will participate in the programmes.

The CIRDAP groups Afghanistan, Bangladesh India, Indonesia,
Iran, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Advisor for Local Government, Rural Development and
Cooperatives M Anwarul Iqbal will represent Bangladesh at the
meeting.

The special GC meeting will finalize CIRDAPs actions and
preparations for the high profile ministerial meeting on Rural
Development to be held in Bangladesh in 2009.

The ministerial retreat will focus on sustainable
livelihood, information and communication technology (ICT) and
empowerment of women.

The retreat will be capped by adoption of a declaration on
rural development.