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Kathmandu, December 5: The SAARC Member States met in Colombo, Sri Lanka for the fifth SAARC Inter-Governmental Expert Group meeting on climate change (IGEG.CC) on December 3 and 4 to assess the implementation of the Thimphu statement on climate change.

The member states discussed the background study on the implementation of the Thimphu statement supported by the Asian Development Bank and presented national-level initiatives in pursuit of the Thimphu Statement. The meeting also discussed a set of climate action best practices by the SAARC member states.

At the end of the two-day meeting, the SAARC member states adopted a set of recommendations for the way forward to facilitate the full implementation of the Thimphu Statement. The 16th SAARC Summit held in Thimphu in 2010 adopted the Thimphu statement on climate change towards a green and happy South Asia.

Dr. R. D. S. Jayathunga, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Government of Sri Lanka, graced the inaugural session of the meeting. The fifth meeting of IGEG.CC was a follow-up to the SAARC-ADB Consultation Workshop held in Thimphu, Bhutan on July 10 and 11.

The SAARC Secretariat organized the meeting in collaboration with the Government of Sri Lanka and the Asian Development Bank. ADB provided financial and technical support for the meeting.