Your Majesty, Your Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have come to the conclusion of a very successful summit characterized by a unique spirit of cooperation and goodwill. We have had two days of extensive discussions, and our decisions on measures to strengthen SAARC and its activities have given us renewed hopes of making SAARC a more effective framework for improving the quality of the life of our peoples. As in the past, the Summit also gave us the opportunity to have an informal exchange of views on a wide range of issues of interest to our nations.

The Male’ Declaration, which has been adopted today, embodies in its content and spirit our steadfast belief in the absolute necessity of regional cooperation for the promotion of peace, stability and mutual prosperity in the region. I do not wish to recount all that we have agreed upon during the meeting. I would like, however, to mention a few very important conclusions we have arrived at.

We reviewed the situation of children in South Asia and have agreed to prepare guidelines for a regional Plan of Action which will incorporate the recommendations of the World Plan of Action on Children adopted at the World Summit for Children. To intensify our efforts in further protecting the rights of the girl child, we have declared 1991-2000 AD as the “SAARC Decade for the Girl Child”.

The “SAARC girl child’s appeal” touched our hearts, and we have renewed our resolve to give the highest priority to the welfare of the child, in general, and the girl child, in particular.

The signing of the Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances today is a clear indication of our commitment to safeguard our peoples from the scourge of drug trafficking and drug abuse.

To further promote regional cooperation among us we have decided to set up a Regional Fund for financing the many and varied projects and programmes of SAARC. We will also be embarking on strategies to mobilize regional resources with a view to strengthening individual and collective self reliance in the region.

To give proper recognition and adequate attention to some vital matters affecting the people in the region, we have designated 1991, 1992 and 1993, as the SAARC Years of Shelter, Environment and the Disabled, respectively.

SAARC is a demonstration of our collective will to work hand in hand. Notwithstanding the above, we have decided to adopt a more functional approach in conducting SAARC Summits to derive the maximum benefit from our meetings.

Your Majesty and Your Excellencies:

I would like to assure you that I will do my best to sustain the momentum which our renewed efforts have gained. I shall do my utmost to discharge the heavy responsibilities which you have entrusted to me.

Before I close my remarks, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you, Your Majesty and Your Excellencies, for the excellent support and cooperation you so kindly extended to me during these three days.

I wish also to commend the good work done by the Secretary-General and his hard working staff in the Secretariat who contributed much to the success of our meeting. Let me also extend my deep appreciation to our Foreign Ministers and the Foreign Secretaries for their dedicated efforts to make this Summit the success it has undoubtedly been.

Finally, I would like to extend my sincere and abiding gratitude to the Government officials of all ranks and the beloved citizens of the Maldives for their total commitment and the hard labour in the preparations for this Summit without which the realization of the Fifth SAARC Summit would not have been possible at all.

Thank you.