New Delhi [India], February 19 (ANI): Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan will inaugurate the 77th Session of the Executive Committee (EC-77) of the African-Asian Rural Development Organization in New Delhi on Wednesday.

The 77th Session of the Executive Committee is being organised by its headquarters in New Delhi from 19-20 February 2025 with the support of the Government of India. It will be attended by the Secretary/Permanent Secretary/senior officers of AARDO member countries from Asia and Africa nominated by their governments. From India, the Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development is the member of the Executive Committee, according to the Ministry of Rural Development.

The EC-77 will be a pre-AARDO Conference meeting at the same venue, where 21st General Session of AARDO Conference will be held in New Delhi, India. Immediately after conclusion of the AARDO Conference, 78th Session of Executive Committee will be held on February 25 2025.

The Executive Committee, consisting of President and two Vice Presidents, one each from Asia and Africa and ten members, five each from Asia and Africa, meets once a year and deals with all matters entrusted to it by the AARDO Conference.

African-Asian Rural Development Organisation (AARDO), one of the earliest examples of South-South and Triangular cooperation in the fields of agriculture and rural development in the African-Asian region, established in 1962, is an autonomous inter-governmental/multilateral organisation, comprising 32 country governments of Africa and Asia as full members and 3 associate members. The organization has been given the status of international organisation by the Government of India, at par with other UN organisations in India, the Ministry of Rural Development said.

AARDO implements its activities at organisational and technical level. Under the organizational level, AARDO secretariat organises governing body meetings, conducts Member Relations and supervises its six Regional Offices located, 3 each in Africa and Asia. The technical activities encompass human resource development (HRD) programmes, development pilot project, technology-based transformation, collaboration with international and regional organisations and information dissemination.

The annual financial contribution by the members is the main source to run the activities of the Organization. Besides, the member countries contribute in organising technical activities in their own countries. Important among these countries are Bangladesh, Republic of China (Taiwan), Egypt, India, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Morocco, Zambia etc.

So far, seventy-six (76) Sessions of Executive Committee have been hosted by the member countries/AARDO Secretariat. The last Session was hosted by the Government of Republic of Zambia in June 2023.

The Government of India has been supporting AARDO from the very beginning with numerous initiatives from time to time. India is host to the AARDO Secretariat by way of providing a permanent building in New Delhi for which recently, substantial financial assistance has been extended for major renovation of the building. (ANI)