India takes over as chair of AARDO

New Delhi, Jan 9 (PTI) India Friday took over as the chair of the Afro-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO) and also became its largest contributor with an amount of Rs 3 crore over and above its annual subscription as a member.

Speaking at the conclusion of the 57th and 58th sessions
of the six-day General Session of AARDO conference, Union
Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said
Malawi and Gambia had been added as two new members to the
organisation.

"The impact of climate change on rural development was
the new topic which was added in the agenda of AARDO. In
various sessions over the week, we discussed ways and means to
tackle problems emerging out of poverty and exchanged
technologies on issues like sanitation and drinking water
supply," Singh said.

The minister said that as AARDO is not a ministerial body
therefore no resolution was adopted, instead it was more an
exchange of ideas on tackling poverty between the 30 member
nations.

"Rural development has the potential of wiping off
terrorism around the world," said Singh when asked to comment
on the impact of rural development on terrorism.

Secretary in the ministry of rural development, Rita
Sharma said a new executive body of AARDO was also formed with
India as its chair.

"The 13-nation body consists of five nations each from
Asia and Africa, apart from India which is the Chair. Nigeria
and Syria are the two nations who have become the new Vice
Presidents of this body," she said.

The conference was attended by ministers from Burkina
Faso, Egypt, Jordan, Gambia, Libya, Mauritius, Malaysia, Oman,
Sudan, Syria, Malawi, Chinese Taipei and Sri Lanka.

A total of 79 delegates from 30 member nations
participated in the conference.

Pakistan was represented by its High Commission staff as
the country's rural development minister could not attend the
conference, Singh said.

The venue of the next AARDO conference in 2011 will be
Egypt. PTI ASI
RKM
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