A Cooperation Agreement between SAARC
and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) was signed on 10 December
1993. It envisages cooperation in implementing SAARC decisions relating
to children through an agreed agenda that includes joint studies, exchange
of documentation
and monitoring of implementation.
In pursuance of the Cooperation Agreement, the Secretariat and UNICEF
Regional Office for South Asia (ROSA) have been holding regular consultations
which have helped advance progress in the implementation of SAARC directives
on children including implementation of the decisions taken at the Ministerial
Conferences on Children of South Asia held at New Delhi (1986), Colombo
(1992) and Rawalpindi (1996).
The Secretariat was associated with UNICEF in the Twenty-fourth Annual
Session of the high level Administrative Committee on Coordination/Sub-Committee
on Nutrition (Kathmandu, 17-21 March 1997); the Regional Meeting on
Ending Violence Against Women and Girls in South Asia (Kathmandu, 21-24
October 1997); "SAARC Meena Day" as part of the regional launch
of Meena; the celebration of Girl Child Week on 22-26 September 1998;
an inter-country Meeting on Polio Eradication (Kathmandu, 1-2 March
2000); and the Ministerial level South Asian Preparatory Meeting for
the UN Special Session on Children (Kathmandu, May 2001).