July 27, Colombo: Inaugurating the 15th SAARC summit in Sri Lanka senior foreign ministry officials and Foreign Ministers of member countries met today at the BMICH to start the 28th programming committee meeting.

With the theme of "Partnership of Our People", the eight-nation regional conference will take up the crucial issues pertaining to a common programme focusing on the elimination of terrorism, poverty, energy crisis and climate change in the backdrop of regional cooperation.

The Standing Committee for the summit is entrusted with the overall monitoring and co-ordination of programmes and the modalities of financing, determining inter-sectional priorities, mobilizing regional and external resources and identifying new areas of cooperation based on appropriate studies. It may meet as deemed necessary but in practice meets twice a year and submits its reports to the Council of Ministers.

It is reported that Standing Committee has also discussed the contents which needs to be included in each speech of their leaders of member countries while agreeing to continue discussions till tomorrow on food crisis, energy crisis, water availability, and terrorism.