The eighth conference of the Association of SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians will begin today and continue till October 6 at the Hotel Hilton in Colombo.

This 8th Conference, organized by the Parliament of Sri Lanka, will bring together Speakers and Parliamentarians from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC).

President Maithripala Sirisena will inaugurate the conference, and Prime Minister and Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Ranil Wickremesinghe will deliver the keynote address at the Opening Ceremony today.

 Speaker MP Karu Jayasuriya, will also grace the occasion, delivering the welcome speech.

This year’s Conference is expected to place particular emphasis on Sustainable Development Goals, as the main theme will be ‘Association of the SAARC Speakers and Parliamentarians’: a platform for the Parliamentarians of South Asia to work together to reach the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.

The General Assembly also expects to hold discussions on “Promoting Parliamentary Diplomacy and Open Parliament in the age of digitalization” and “SAARC Parliamentarians’ role in preserving Cultural and Archaeological Heritage in South Asia Region”.

The meeting of the Women Parliamentarians’ Committee will be centered on the topic “Supporting Women to upheave themselves from poverty and build better futures for their communities.”

This year’s conference will also have the first ever meeting of the Young Parliamentarians’ Committee which will discuss on “Countering violent extremism among youth to prevent terrorism and empowering youth to combat human trafficking, modern slavery and illegal trafficking in drugs.”

The conference will be followed by an excursion to Kandy (Dalada Maligawa and Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage) on 06th October, arranged for the participants by the Parliament of Sri Lanka.