The 2nd South Asian People’s Summit was held from 4 to 6 January 2001 in Kathmandu and took place simultaneously with the XI SAARC Summit. Focusing on trafficking and small arms, the main agenda of the three-day Summit comprised of the two primary topics of the concurrent SAARC Summit: the SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution, and the SAARC Convention against Illegal Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons. The third topic was how the South Asian countries as a cohesive body could regionally cooperate in combating the growing adverse effects of globalization.

The Summit started with an Inaugural Public Meeting on 3 January. On the first day of the Summit, proceeding was divided into three sessions and incorporated general discussions on the three major themes to be discussed during the Summit: Trafficking in Women and Children; Small Arms and Light Weapons; and Globalization and Regional Cooperation.

During the next two days of the Summit, various joint and group discussions were held on the themes of the Summit. All these sessions were facilitated by leading names of the South Asian civil society and the panelists comprised leading experts on these themes. Additionally, very elaborate and comprehensive thematic papers were presented during the course of discussions.

Finally, as an outcome of the discussion that carried on for three days, statements were drafted on the issues of Trafficking in Women and Children and Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons for consideration during the XI SAARC Summit by the Heads of State or Government.

For the full report please download the PDF attachment.