The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said that the people of South Asia are bound together by a shared destiny. He said the future belongs to the "shared management of our inevitable interdependence". The Prime Minister reaffirmed India's commitment to multi-sectoral and multi-faceted regional cooperation. "South Asia needs a new vision for the future backed by credible strategies that have the backing of the common people and can reverse the adverse tide of strife and suspicion", said Dr. Singh, while speaking to a delegation of senior South Asian policy analysts from seven institutions in the region here today.

Dr. Singh asked scholars in the region to come forward with ideas that will help the region develop together, conquering the scourge of poverty and disease. He said "a new climate of opinion has to be created that cooperation has immense possibilities. The leadership in the region has an obligation to create a congenial atmosphere for cooperation in our common struggle for development." He extended his support to any forward looking initiative for greater regional cooperation.

The delegation was led by Dr. Arjun Sengupta, former Member, Planning Commission and included Dr. Rehman Sobhan, Ms. Laila Rahman Kabir, Mr. Farooq Sobhan (Bangladesh); Dr. Mohan Man Sainju (Nepal); Mr. Syed Babar Ali, Dr. Akmal Hussain and Dr. Humayun Khan (Pakistan); Mr. Godfrey Gunatilleke and Saman Kalegama (Sri Lanka).

The South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS) is a network of research organisations involved in studying regional issues in South Asia. SACEPS is located at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka. The partner organisations of SACEPS are Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, Bangladesh; Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi, India; Confederation of Indian Industry (CII-India); Institute of Integrated Development Studies (IIDS), Kathmandu, Nepal; Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Lahore, Pakistan; Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), Colombo, Sri Lanka; Marga Institute, Colombo, Sri Lanka. The overall objectives of SACEPS is to promote regional cooperation amongst member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in the field of development research, policy studies and policy advocacy. It strives to be the focal point for carrying out the ambitious agenda for building a South Asian Community.