Asia and India Region’s CPA ends: Interaction must for poverty reduction in S Asia: Soomro

from The Pakistan Daily Times

Jamali for strengthening MPs’ budget committees

ISLAMABAD: The goals of poverty reduction and good governance can be achieved through greater interaction among parliamentarians of the South Asian region, said Senate Chairman Muhammadmian Soomro and Deputy Chairman Jan Jamali while addressing participants of the third Asia and India Region’s Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference (CPA).

They said the CPA had provided an effective platform for parliamentarians of the member states to share their experiences, discuss collective problems and work out joint strategies for implementing socio-economic reforms aimed at ending poverty and promoting good governance in their respective countries. Soomro addressed visiting parliamentarians at a dinner he hosted for them at his residence Monday night, while Jamali endorsed Soomro’s views at the concluding session of the CPA on Tuesday. “Poverty reduction is a daunting challenge that must be met by sharing mutual experiences and best practices among the member states,” said Soomro.

He said the role of parliamentarians was vital to achieving poverty reduction and millennium development goals (MDGs). “The parliamentarians can ensure better budgetary allocations for MDGs in addition to ensuring that their respective countries remain on track in pursuit of the goals by holding the governments accountable for failing to fulfil their commitments,” he maintained.

He said that the government had been striving hard to reduce poverty and was taking a holistic view of the whole problem in Pakistan.

Jamali, in his speech at the concluding session of the CPA, also called for the sharing of knowledge, experiences and best practices among the member states of CPA to achieve the desired results.

He said that the parliamentary budget committees of the member countries should be strengthened to ensure that national allocations matched the MDGs plans and commitments. Jamali said the same capacity could be reinforced in women’s causes. He said the parliamentary health and education committees could ensure that the progress towards achieving the MDGs was on course. “Such interventions on part of parliamentarians could also strengthen the national democratic process,” said Jamali. CPA Secretary General William Shija said that the Commonwealth was a very important organisation, which could counter the menace of poverty by mobilising the people and promoting sharing of experiences among the member states. He commended Pakistan’s role in organising the third CPA, which he said would go a long way in streamlining parliamentarians’ contributions towards achieving the goals of poverty reduction and good governance. staff report