Press Release

VIDEO CONFERENCE OF SAARC LEADERS ON COMBATTING COVID-19

(15 MARCH 2020)

At the initiative of the Prime Minister of India, H.E. Mr. Narendra Modi, all SAARC Member States came together on a common platform to discuss and exchange ideas on the strategies to be adopted to fight COVID 19 in a video conference. Leaders of all 8 countries of the SAARC region ( Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka) shared their views and concerns constructively during the Conference. While the SAARC area has around 150 cases as on date, with two fatalities, the region has reasons for concern as it accounts for nearly 1/5^th of humanity; it has densely populated countries with vast variations of means and significant healthcare challenges.

The event showcased:

• Presence of all eight SAARC member States, the new (Sri Lankan) SAARC Secretary General; and the SAARC Disaster Management Centre (based in India)
• Underscored priority attached to cooperation against this pandemic by all States. Particularly noteworthy: the presence of PM of Nepal a few days after his recent major surgery.

Main points of Discussion: Leaders listed actions taken in each country, and shared thoughts on the way forward. Several had warm words for this initiative, and for assistance delivered by India bilaterally. The Prime Minister of India listed in detail the actions taken by India to contain the spread of COVID-19, to raise public awareness, and to diagnose, quarantine and treat those infected.

What India Offered SAARC partners:

• Creation of a COVID-19 Emergency Fund, based on voluntary contributions. India pledged US$10 million as a start. Aim: to help any of our nations meet the cost of emergent actions to combat this pandemic. Foreign Secretaries to finalize concept and operational rules.
• Indian Rapid Response Teams, of doctors, specialists and testing equipment, who are already on standby.
• Online training capsules for emergency response staff, for all SAARC countries, using the model India used to raise capacity of emergency staff across India.
• A review video conference of doctors and medical professionals, in one week to ten days, to consider specific measures and best practices in SAARC States.
• A review video conference of trade officials to consider the impact of travel restrictions on intra-regional trade within SAARC, recognizing the high level of inter-dependence of several of our economies.
• Help prepare a website with informational material in all SAARC languages.

Sharing software in our own Integrated Health Information Platform for Disease Surveillance, and training to use this MIS system, for all SAARC partners.

• Use of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, to identify and popularize best practices in fighting Covid-19.
• For the future: proposed creating a Research Platform for all SAARC States to share ideas and proposals for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions for diseases and epidemics. Indian Council of Medical Research will help coordinate this.
• Bilaterally (ONLY): India has also offered and delivered assistance to some of our SAARC neighbours at their request, within less than 24 hours (Maldives).

What is special about India's initiative:

• Key initiative of PM to encourage the region to rise beyond bilateral differences to combat a pandemic;
• India's willingness to use any and all mechanisms to promote mutually beneficial cooperation.
• Underline the fundamental connectedness of the South Asian region: all need to work together.
• India is not imposing leadership, but is offering partnership to the region as a means of securing collective good.
• Reaffirm the importance of transparency, information sharing, and partnership to avoid extremes of reaction—either panic or inaction.
• India is willing to reflect and protect the interests of our partners in South Asia in multilateral fora on such transboundary issues, as reflected in today's discussions.
• Within limits imposed by India's needs and the uncertainty of the future direction of this crisis, India is ready to help its neighbours. This is in recognition of the fact that India cannot combat this pandemic challenge if it does not help arrest it in its neighbourhood.
• During the Conference, the leaders agreed for a video conference between Health Ministers of SAARC nations to discuss specific issues related to COVID-19, and also need for continued dialogue between experts and officials on follow-up actions regarding Covid-19.

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Encl : Opening remarks by the Prime Minister of India, H.E. Narendra Modi

Prime Minister’s Opening Remarks at Video Conference of SAARC Leaders on combating COVID-19

[Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India·Sunday, March 15, 2020, March 15, 2020]

Excellencies,

I would like to thank you all for joining this special interaction at short notice.

I specially thank our friend Prime Minister Oli who has joined us almost immediately after his recent surgery. I wish him a speedy recovery. I would also like to congratulate President Ashraf Ghani for his recent re-election.I welcome the new Secretary-General of SAARC, who is also with us today. I also acknowledge the presence of the Director of the SAARC Disaster Management Centre, from Gandhinagar.

Excellencies,

As we all know, COVID-19 has recently been classified by W.H.O. as a pandemic.

So far, our region has listed fewer than 150 cases. But we need to remain vigilant.Our SAARC region is home to nearly one-fifth of all humanity. It is densely populated.As developing countries, all of us have significant challenges in terms of access to healthcare facilities. Our people-to-people ties are ancient, and our societies are deeply inter-connected.Therefore, we must all prepare together, we must all act together, and we must all succeed together.

Excellencies,

As we prepare to face this challenge, let me briefly share India’s experience of combating the spread of this virus so far."Prepare, but don’t panic” has been our guiding mantra.We were careful to not underestimate the problem, but also to avoid knee-jerk reactions. We have tried to take proactive steps, including a graded response mechanism. We started screening entry into India from mid-January itself, while also gradually increasing restrictions on travel. The step-by-step approach has helped avoid panic.We have increased our public awareness campaigns on TV, print and social media.

We have made special efforts to reach out to vulnerable groups.We have worked to quickly ramp up capacity in our system including through training our medical staff across the country.We have also increased diagnostic capabilities. Within two months, we moved from one major facility for pan-India testing, to more than 60 such labs.

And, we have developed protocols for each stage of managing this pandemic : for screening at entry points; contact tracing of suspected cases; quarantine and management of isolation facilities; and for discharge of cleared cases.

We also responded to the call of our people abroad. We evacuated nearly 1400 Indians from different countries. We also similarly helped some of your citizens, in accordance with our ‘neighbourhood first policy’.

We have now built up a protocol for such evacuations, including carrying out testing by our mobile teams deployed abroad.

We recognised that other countries would be also concerned about their citizens in India. So we briefed foreign Ambassadors about the steps we were taking.

Excellencies,

We fully recognize that we are still in an unknown situation. We can not predict with certainty how the situation will unfold despite our best efforts. You must also be facing similar concerns. This is why it would be most valuable for all of us to share our perspectives.

I look forward to hearing your views.

Thank you.

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