The participants of the first “SAF-UNESCO REGIONAL CONFERENCE FOR THE SAARC COUNTRIES” gathered in New Delhi from the 22nd to the 24th of November 2002 to discuss “Youth in the Contemporary Information Society - Needs, Role and Policies.”

a) The participants urge the active agents of civil society in the region to appeal to their respective governments to accelerate the process of regional cooperation and integration. As aptly pronounced by the former Prime Minister of India Mr. Inder Kumar Gujral, it is important that we eliminate the costs of non-cooperation that people of the region have been paying for so long.

b) The participants also express their appreciation to “UNESCO”, for their contribution to the promotion of the INFOYOUTH program as a precious tool to bring together the youth of the region, and to the “South Asian Foundation” for acting as a non-governmental facilitator in building bonds of friendship and understanding among different sections of people in the region.

c) The participants in their collective wisdom consider that people to people to contact, unhindered by diplomatic and consular restrictions is of utmost importance for building a basis for mutual understanding, regional solidarity, cooperation and development in the region.

d) The participants feel that common destiny and common heritage are as important as concern for the future to bring forth and to consolidate the links that bind people living in this region.

e) The participants also considered the example of the European community as a model for South Asia, noting that the EC has successfully overcome its traditional rivalries and moved towards a step-by-step cooperation to enhance the quality of life of its citizens and to preserve their common values.

f) The participants appreciate the lead taken by Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Nepal in intensifying bilateral cooperation. It is hoped that this will facilitate further cooperation.

g) The participants, having come together as a network of youth and related organizations, emphasize the importance of the youth in the process of regional cooperation.

h) The participants consider the Youth Movement as a vital tool for solving many of the politico-economic ills that the region is facing today.