Ref: Your august presence as Guest ,

Greetings From PVCHR / FRM.

We take great pleasure in extending to you our
invitation to be the Guest at the “People’s SAARC”
scheduled on 15-17 of January 2005 in Varanasi of North India.

This is a historical convention bringing together all
Secular and democrative forces interested in the preservation of the secular,
Pluralistic and democratic fabric of the Indian society. Several renowned
National and International social activist and intellectuals are
participating.

Your august presence as the Guest will help make this
Convention a great success and we request you to find the time to
participate and give your views at the Convention and lend your
voice to the “People’s SAARC Declaration”.

We will much appreciate if you can contribute to the
cost of your travel and we will take care of your accommodation,
food and conveyance.
Thanking you in anticipitation, we remain,

Yours truly

(DR.LENIN , Subodh,Dr. sandeep pandey,Dr. Darin & Shruti)
Please Visit:
http://saarcwb.1accesshost.com/
1. This site is under construction
2. If you have any item you would like to add send it
by reply to me .
3. Please recommend this site to search
engines.Please recommend this site to your friends.
COLOMBO Declaration
Let’s begin “Globalisation of Sensitivities” in
South Asia.
South Asia has the world’s most populous youthful
growing set of communities. These people are poor and
rural by global standards.
Globalisation has been “hollowing out” the more
advanced areas in this region. Wages in the
region’s globalised workplaces are declining. (Sri
Lanka’s export garments workers’ monthly wages
have fallen from USD50 to USD30 between 1983 and 2003,
a high growth period for this industry.)

Isn’t it time we organise for decent Social living
for our people. A SAARC for what? Global capital or
global people?
Our stand is for our regional countries
1. To develop certain common standards and fronts in
dealings with Capital Movements and ownership of large
Companies
2. To develop common standards and fronts in dealings
with the agents of the global system as donors and
World Bank/ IMF

3. To develop common standards of decency of workplace
and treatment of workers
4. To develop common standards of minimum wages
5. To develop common standards of decent housing and
social infrastructure for all.
Our Campaign is to create and promote, within our
regional countries, a grass roots level activism of
direct action including:
1. Creating awareness of the World Bank/ Donors/ State
Ministries/ Elite Corporates & Professionals nexus
which is the Complex that is causing our problems and
economic distortions
2. Creating actions that challenge and overcome this
Capital Using Complex in simple activities as housing
or agricultural development in a way that is
developmental and creates the participation of the
people in the exact operations of Capital and Prices
in the economy.
3. Creating public demands for a People driven SAARC.

……………………….
…………………………
Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi Dr Darin C Gunesekera
PVCHR
Wiros Lokh Institute
Varanasi, India Colombo, SriLanka.

30 May 2004
Establishment of People’s SAARC
With the formal declaration of the “Free Trade” in
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
(SAARC) through the twelth SAARC Summit. Having been
learnt the meaning of the Free Trade through the
documents of the summit, is that the trade would be at
the center and the Human Being would be at its
periphery. It has completely wiped out the importance
of humans. Thus the civil society of South Asia has
the responsibility to push up the human cause in the
trade scenario. It is a well-known fact the South
Asian region is most poverty stricken in comparison to
the entire world.
The summit has also reconstituted the Independent
South Asian Commission for Poverty Alleviation
(ISACPA), which is commendable step. But this
commission,that has the objective to play an advocacy
role and set SAARC Development Goals for the next five
years does not constitutes of a broader civil society
including the weaker section to represent their
specific cause, the reconstitution may not have a
fallback with the cause of suppressed class. The
areas of poverty alleviation, health, environment,
education giving due regard
to the suggestions of the ISACPA report definitely
require the people from the field the questions come
from without which, the answer can not be true in
their sense.
The summit has also appreciated by signing the SAARC
Social Charter that puts up the cause of poverty
alleviation, population stabilization, women
empowerment,health and nutrition, youth mobilization,
human resource development and also protection of
children. We too appreciate the above cause taken up
by through
the charter but would like to indicate that the
charter despite speaking on several issues misses out
a few vital ones. It does not talks about Human Right
for marginalised, development and democracy through
empowerment in regard to the women and even after
talking about child protection the abuse on children
has been left out that makes a key issue in South
Asia. Trafficking of children is a major issue to be
touched very specifically keeping the various laws of
SAARC nations by the Charter without which the
document purpose would not be complete.
The document does talks of the child and women
protection against trafficking of against
prostitution. It does not specifies the other hazards
which are or could be of trafficking for bonded labour
or for Camel Jockey that specially includes India and
Bangladesh as route for the trafficking. The document
also lacks the measures against the threats of organ
transplantation, forming a major business boom for
traffickers. Also the document ignored the cause of
men and their right
under the association.
As the summit declaration deal with the varied culture
of the SAARC nation it speaks of the cultural mosaic.
However the underline does not specify the formation
of a composite culture with the varied forms of
culture and does not even deals with the communal
facism rigging in these very SAARC nations. We demand
a clear vision on the issue to culture for it is the
identity of any nation and mixture of same shall there
be crystal clear and not opaque by any means.
It has been observed that conscience has at various
stages hindered relations and development of nations
and despite attempts an unclear military stand gives
an unwanted threat. The topic is same with the SAARC
nations who do talk of protection but the military
threat and the cold war going between the nations has
been ignored from the nations. Any expense on bomb is
a worry on many faces and the same investment on
creative thing if dwelling smile on millions. The
document as it talks of development and protection
shall be incomplete if it does not specifies the
association�fs stand on military operations between
the
nations as this would continuously bring upon a fear
psychosis on human under the big umbrella, pulling
down the efforts.
Taking examples of Cuba where the military expense if
five per cent against fifty five per cent expense on
health and education, of it GDP, can not the
association put pressure on the SAARC nations to adopt
a similar pattern and give boost to people’s health
rather then bringing military threat.
The fourteenth summit of the association is going to
be held in January 2005. There is time for a
People’s SAARC to be formed that may take up the
burning topics before the next summit begins and
pressurize to include the people’s cause in their
existing agenda or may modify the present one. It is
the responsibility of the people of South Asia to get
united on this bigger issue and form a unified force
before the January of 2005.
Comment of people about Initiative:
Thank you for your great initiative. it is very sad thing for us that our regional platform SA ARC is only in paper. In contrary the other regional organizations like ASEAN, EU are playing very effective role. Yes definitely in terms of trade and business, In in some extent there are also so many initiatives to make them people centered. In that respect, the Colombo declaration and your initiative to mobilize grass roots level activism is very important. I do strongly appreciate this initiative and I want to be with this.
Yes, I am very much interested to participate the conference.
"sayeed ahmad" Thank you for the mail that I recting rather late, any way I am forwarding
this mail to som eof my acquiantaces in Bangladesh and other places!
I wish the initiative a success!
"Mr.Bratin Chatterjee" Go ahead. I am with you.
Ashok, nacdor@vsnl.net
Thank you for the invitation. I have made a note of it and will
Definitely try to make it. I will know my Dec. schedule only by October. If
Possible please send me a reminder and some more details of it, closer to the
date of the conference.
Nandita Das
Thanks. Went through the doc and agree.
Mani mani9000@hotmail.com
I have seen your note. There is nomention democratic nd human rights
abd civil liberties in it. In SAARC countries, there are emocracies like in
Pakistan and Nepal, the grip of communal thinking is strong, and an
arms race continues. The udiciary, the Media and the organisations of
theworking people are not really free and independent. Together with the economic rights of the people and their need for refom from economic
exploitation,issues of social equality and democratic freedoms need to
be addressed. Also, concentration of power.
Suendra Mohan surendrasurendra@hotmail.com
count me as joining this conference.
indu
official eamil ID: indu@actionaidindia.org
Thank you Dr. Lenin,
I forwarded your letter to one of our executive member Mr. Hamid Ansari. I am forwarding his comment. Now it is self explanatory that INSEC strongly supports and backs your idea.
Please convey us for our further role. I am now going to cerculate this document within our likeminded friends in Nepal.
Regards.
------------------------------------------
INSEC, Nepal.
Subodh R. Pyakurel
Chair Person
www.insec.org.np
www.inseconline.org
From: Hamid Ansari
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 12:16 PM
To: Subodh R. Pyakurel
Subject: Comment on People's SAARC
Subodh Ji,
Dr.Lenin"s idea to organise a conference in North India for creating a comprehencive position and action plan where
partiticipants may use the Colombo declaration as a base.The proposed conference is based on sound reasons which will help form People"s SAARC.The fourteenth Summit of SAARC nations is going to be held in January 2005.The proposed conference of Dr.Lenin is timely and can generate information which can be used for pressurising the participating SAARC nations for including burning issues of poor people in their existing agenda or may modify the present one.It is the responsibility of the people of South Asia to get united on the bigger issues and form a unified people"s force before January 2005.I strongly support Dr.Lenin"s idea for the conference..and highly recommend that INSEC should participate.
Hamid Ansari

Several prominent personalities, citizens & group like FIAN international,Mr. D. Prempati, Mani mala,Mr. Sandeep Pandey (Ramon Magsaysay laureate),Sant Vivek das,film actress Nandita Das,INSEC (Nepal),Wiros Academy (Srilanka),Socialist thinker Surendra Mohan,house right activist Indu prakash,NACDOR, sayeed ahmad (Bangladesh),Forum Asia (Thailand) and several others have extended their wholehearted support to the programme.
The steering committee is requesting Hivos to give an amount of Rs. 5,79,000 as the part contribution for the “People’s SAARC”. The steering committee is also committed to submit a detail report and statement of account to Hivos by Jan Mitra Nyas.

The objective of conference:-
1) To review the policies and strategies in regard to various issues related to rights of marginalized in south Asia.
2) To workout a plan of action for the next two years for People’s SAARC.
3) To initiate cultural fronts there by strengthening the cultural movement in the South Asia.
Major output:
1) Establishment of People’s SAARC.
2) Memorandum for SAARC (about policies for marginalized).
3) Plan of action for two years.
4) Organizational set up.
Program Schedule:
1st Day:
Inauguration – 11 AM to 2 PM
Consultation meeting: 4PM to 8PM
2nd Day :
Meeting of Core group of People’s SAARC
Future program, organizational structure
3rd Day:
9 AM to 12 AM: Ongoing session

Dear friend,
Greetings from PVCHR (India),Wiros academy (Srilanka) & INSEC (Nepal).
We are holding a Convention to create a People's SAARC (Movement) on 15-17 January in Varanasi, UP, India.
We are bringing together persons who feel that the inter-Governmental body created by the heads of State of the South Asia region (SAARC) is going on a wrong path being led directly or indirectly by World Bank/ IMF thinking on what constitutes economic cooperation or even union between nations. Our stance is that the PEOPLE are being left out. Instead the people are being treated as objects to be manipulated by the forces driving Globalisation and elite domination within our societies.
We are inviting you as guest to contribute to our discussions that will lead to a Declaration at the end of the Conference and a Report to be set forth to our Peoples and also the SAARC Secretariat.

(Subodh Pyakurel-chair, Dr.Lenin,Dr. sandeep Pandey, Dr. Darin & Shruti)
Please take a look at our basic material that follows:
http://saarcwb.1accesshost.com/
COLOMBO Declaration
Let’s begin “Globalisation of Sensitivities” in South Asia.
South Asia has the world’s most populous youthful growing set of communities. These people are poor and rural by global standards.
Globalisation has been “hollowing out” the more advanced areas in this region. Wages in the region’s globalised workplaces are declining. (SriLanka’s export garments workers’ monthly wages have fallen from USD50 to USD30 between 1983 and 2003,a high growth period for this industry.)
Isn’t it time we organise for decent Social living for our people. A SAARC for what? Global capital or global people?
Our stand is for our regional countries
1. To develop certain common standards and fronts in dealings with Capital Movements and ownership of large Companies
2. To develop common standards and fronts in dealings with the agents of the global system as donors and World Bank/ IMF

3. To develop common standards of decency of workplace
and treatment of workers
4. To develop common standards of minimum wages
5. To develop common standards of decent housing and social infrastructure for all.
Our Campaign is to create and promote, within our regional countries, a grass roots level activism of direct action including:
1. Creating awareness of the World Bank/ Donors/ State Ministries/ Elite Corporate & Professionals nexus which is the Complex that is causing our problems and economic distortions
2. Creating actions that challenge and overcome this Capital Using Complex in simple activities as housing or agricultural development in a way that is developmental and creates the participation of the people in the exact operations of Capital and Prices in the economy.
3. Creating public demands for a People driven SAARC.

……………………….
…………………………
Dr Lenin Raghuvanshi Dr Darin C Gunesekera
PVCHR
Wiros Lokh Institute
Varanasi, India Colombo, SriLanka.

30 May 2004
Establishment of People driven SAARC
With the formal declaration of the “Free Trade” in South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) through the twelfth SAARC Summit. Having been
learnt the meaning of the Free Trade through the documents of the summit, is that the trade would be at the center and the Human Being would be at its periphery. It has completely wiped out the importance of humans. Thus the civil society of South Asia has the responsibility to push up the human cause in the trade scenario. It is a well-known fact the South Asian region is most poverty stricken in comparison to the entire world.
The summit has also reconstituted the Independent South Asian Commission for Poverty Alleviation (ISACPA), which is commendable step. But this commission, that has the objective to play an advocacy role and set SAARC Development Goals for the next five years does not constitutes of a broader civil society including the weaker section to represent their specific cause, the reconstitution may not have a fallback with the cause of suppressed class. The areas of poverty alleviation, health, environment, education giving due regard to the suggestions of the ISACPA report definitely require the people from the field the questions come from without which, the answer can not be true in their sense.
The summit has also appreciated by signing the SAARC Social Charter that puts up the cause of poverty alleviation, population stabilization, women empowerment, health and nutrition, youth mobilization, human resource development and also protection of children. We too appreciate the above cause taken up by through the charter but would like to indicate that the charter despite speaking on several issues misses out a few vital ones. It does not talks about Human Right for marginalized, development and democracy through empowerment in regard to the women and even after talking about child protection the abuse on children has been left out that makes a key issue in South Asia. Trafficking of children is a major issue to be touched very specifically keeping the various laws of SAARC nations by the Charter without which the document purpose would not be complete.
The document does talks of the child and women protection against trafficking of against prostitution. It does not specifies the other hazards which are or could be of trafficking for bonded labour or for Camel Jockey that specially includes India and Bangladesh as route for the trafficking. The document also lacks the measures against the threats of organ transplantation, forming a major business boom for traffickers. Also the document ignored the cause of men and their right under the association.
As the summit declaration deal with the varied culture of the SAARC nation it speaks of the cultural mosaic. However the underline does not specify the formation of a composite culture with the varied forms of culture and does not even deals with the communal fascism rigging in these very SAARC nations. We demand a clear vision on the issue to culture for it is the identity of any nation and mixture of same shall there be crystal clear and not opaque by any means.
It has been observed that conscience has at various stages hindered relations and development of nations and despite attempts an unclear military stand gives an unwanted threat. The topic is same with the SAARC nations who do talk of protection but the military threat and the cold war going between the nations has been ignored from the nations. Any expense on bomb is a worry on many faces and the same investment on creative thing if dwelling smile on millions. The document as it talks of development and protection shall be incomplete if it does not specifies the association’s stand on military operations between the nations as this would continuously bring upon a fear psychosis on human under the big umbrella, pulling down the efforts.
Taking examples of Cuba where the military expense if five per cent against fifty five per cent expense on health and education, of it GDP, can not the association put pressure on the SAARC nations to adopt a similar pattern and give boost to people’s health rather then bringing military threat.
The fourteenth summit of the association is going to be held in January 2005. There is time for a South Asian People’s Forum to be formed that may take up the burning topics before the next summit begins and pressurize to include the people’s cause in their existing agenda or may modify the present one. It is the responsibility of the people of South Asia to get united on this bigger issue and form a unified force before the January of 2005.
Comment of people about Initiative:
Thank you for your great initiative. it is very sad thing for us that our regional platform SA ARC is only in paper. In contrary the other regional organizations like ASEAN, EU are playing very effective role. Yes definitely in terms of trade and business, In in some extent there are also so many initiatives to make them people centered. In that respect, the Colombo declaration and your initiative to mobilize grass roots level activism is very important. I do strongly appreciate this initiative and I want to be with this.
Yes, I am very much interested to participate the conference.
"sayeed ahmad" Thank you for the mail that I recting rather late, any way I am forwarding
this mail to some of my acquiantaces in Bangladesh and other places!
I wish the initiative a success!
"Mr.Bratin Chatterjee" Go ahead. I am with you.
Ashok, nacdor@vsnl.net
Thank you for the invitation. I have made a note of it and will
Definitely try to make it. I will know my Dec. schedule only by October. If
Possible please send me a reminder and some more details of it, closer to the
date of the conference.
Nandita Das
Thanks. Went through the doc and agree.
Mani mani9000@hotmail.com
I have seen your note. There is nomention democratic nd human rights
and civil liberties in it. In SAARC countries, there are democracies like in
Pakistan and Nepal, the grip of communal thinking is strong, and an
arms race continues. The judiciary, the Media and the organisations of
the working people are not really free and independent. Together with the economic rights of the people and their need for reform from economic
exploitation,issues of social equality and democratic freedoms need to
be addressed. Also, concentration of power.
Suendra Mohan surendrasurendra@hotmail.com
count me as joining this conference.
indu
official eamil ID: indu@actionaidindia.org
Thank you Dr. Lenin,
I forwarded your letter to one of our executive member Mr. Hamid Ansari. I am forwarding his comment. Now it is self explanatory that INSEC strongly supports and backs your idea.
Please convey us for our further role. I am now going to cerculate this document within our likeminded friends in Nepal.
Regards.
------------------------------------------
INSEC, Nepal.
Subodh R. Pyakurel
Chair Person
www.insec.org.np
www.inseconline.org
From: Hamid Ansari
Sent: Thursday, August 19, 2004 12:16 PM
To: Subodh R. Pyakurel
Subject: Comment on People's SAARC
Subodh Ji,
Dr.Lenin"s idea to organise a conference in North India for creating a comprehencive position and action plan where
partiticipants may use the Colombo declaration as a base.The proposed conference is based on sound reasons which will help form People"s SAARC.The fourteenth Summit of SAARC nations is going to be held in January 2005.The proposed conference of Dr.Lenin is timely and can generate information which can be used for pressurising the participating SAARC nations for including burning issues of poor people in their existing agenda or may modify the present one.It is the responsibility of the people of South Asia to get united on the bigger issues and form a unified people"s force before January 2005.I strongly support Dr.Lenin"s idea for the conference..and highly recommend that INSEC should participate.
Hamid Ansari
Dear Dr Lenin Raghvanshi:
This is to express my solidarity with and good wishes for the success
of Peoples' SAARC in Jan.05 at Varanasi. The issues you are engaged with are of immediate concern and long-term consequences.
The sub-continent badly needs peace to bring a better life for its
peoples, as it does need to escape from the depredations following upon the privatization-liberalisation-globalisation regime, which is another name for brutal neo-colonisation and militaristic imperialism.
I.K.Shukla, Los Angeles, USA

Please refer to your mail dated 13 October 2004 inviting the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to the Convention on the People’s SAARC that you intend to host in Varanasi, India on 15-17 January 2005.
While we thank you for your kind invitation to the SAARC Secretariat, we have to express our inability to attend the Convention.
We wish the Convention every success.
Q.A.M.A. Rahim
SAARC Secretary-General
Thank you for your invitation to us and your initiative taken in lieu of forming 'PEOPLE'S SAARC' to address the issues of vital concern to the poor and hunted people of south east Asia and are being ignored regardless of their cries and complaints for justice. It is convenient on our part to attend the said programme scheduled for Jan. 15-17, 2005 at Varanasi, UP, India from people's level. We strongly support this idea of organizing the conference to form a united voice. It is indeed a genuine need and responsibility of the peoples of our region to do this when the SAARC SUMMIT formed and led by the Heads of the states fails to work to the need and expectation of the people's in the member states.
Bhutan being in the same region and a member state of SAARC and given the prevalent of human rights and political crisis with long drawn refugee issue, it is important for the Bhutanese people to actively participate in the conference of this level. This idea of forming SAARC at people's level has been almost late. This united forum could study and research the problems of our region or respective states and find ways to resolve the emerged and emerging unresolved problems jointly and justly.
Bala Ram Poudyal, Acting President ,BHUTAN PWEOPLES' PARTY
Greetings from Johannesburg,
I am writing to thank you for your kind invitation to be a Guest at the “People’s SAARC” scheduled on 15-17 of January 2005 in Varanasi of North India. Unfortunately, at that time a conflict in my schedule does not permit Me to attend the Peoples SAARC, much as I would like to attend.
I wish you well in this historical convention and know that the international and national participants will assist in the preparation of the “People’s SAARC Declaration”. Kumi Naidoo,Secretary General & CEO,
CIVICUS. World Alliance for Citizen Participation
Letter from Ms. Shirin Ebadi ,Iran(Nobel Laureate):
To whom this may concern,
Following your kind invitation for Ms. Ebadi to be the cheif guest at the peoples SAARC,Ms. Ebadi regretfully cannot accept as she has prior obligations to fufill.
Ms. Ebadi send her best wishes for Poeples SAARC, and hopes to be able to attend futire conventions.
Yours sincerely,
Sara Akbari

Several prominent personalities, citizens & group like FIAN International,HIVOS,NAFRE,Mr. D. Prempati, Daya R. Varma President of CERAS (South Asia Research and Resource Center), Mani mala,Mr. Sandeep Pandey (Ramon Magsaysay laureate),Sant Vivek das,film actress Nandita Das,INSEC (Nepal),Wiros Academy (Srilanka),Socialist thinker Surendra Mohan, Ram Narayan Kumar,Director, Human Rights and Peace Studies Programme,South Asia Forum for Human Rights,Mike Dottridge (UK),N Paul Divakar ,Brian Heidel -Programme Director, Save the Children, Civil Society Watch, Lakshman Gunasekara(editor of Sunday Observer), Gautam Navlakha(editorial consultant of EPW), Santosh-Dalit Foundation,Asma Jahangir(Pakistan),Prakash Louis-Executive Director,Indian Social Institute, I.K.Shukla, Los Angeles, USA, RAWA (Afganistan),Nayyar(Pakistan),Iqbal Ansari,Henri Tiphagne, Shahid Fiaz(Karachi), DR. LEO REBELLO,World Peace Envoy,Bombay D.P.Kafley,General Secretary (Internal), PFHRB,D.R.Kaarthikeyan (ex-Director, CBI & NHRC), house right activist Indu prakash,NACDOR, sayeed ahmad (Bangladesh),Forum Asia (Thailand), Jebra Ram Muchahary(Chief President,Indian Confederation of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples), Fr. Xavier Manjooran, SJ, Ilina sen, Rikke Nöhrlind,Coordinator-International Dalit Solidarity, Aloysius sj-Program Director,Dept. of Advocacy Research & Human Rights Education,( www.eurac.edu) Günther Rautz, manu alphonse,Director, Social Watch – Tamilnadu, D. Buutveld Buth,secretary,Alliance 2015, arup rahee,LOKOJ Bangladesh, Kumar Bhattarai,CWIN- Nepal, Kumi Naidoo,Secretary General & CEO,CIVICUS, Bala Ram Poudyal, Acting President ,BHUTAN PWEOPLES' PARTY, Muhammad Hilaluddin-Chief Director, Angikar Bangladesh , N Paul Divakar and several others have extended their wholehearted support to the programme.
The objective of conference:-
1) To review the policies and strategies in regard to various issues related to rights of marginalized in south Asia.
2) To workout a plan of action for the next two years for South Asian People’s Forum.
3) To initiate cultural fronts there by strengthening the cultural movement in the South Asia.
Major output:
1) Establishment of South Asian People’s Forum.
2) Memorandum for SAARC (about policies for marginalized).
3) Plan of action for two years.
4) Organizational set up.
Program Schedule:
1st Day:
Inauguration – 11 AM to 2 PM
Consultation meeting: 4PM to 8PM
2nd Day :
Meeting of Core group of South Asian People’s Forum.
Future program, organizational structure
3rd Day:
9 AM to 12 AM: Ongoing session