The 3rd annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the partners in Population and Development. an inter-governmental alliance of 10 developing countries, will be held here from November 17 to 19, reports BSS.

The partners initiative was launched at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo by Bangladesh, Colombia. Egypt. Indonesia. Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Thailand, Tunisia and Zimbabwe. The 10 partners countries are internationally recognised as having developed effective population policies, programmes and services. and as being strongly committed to the implementation of the ICPD programme of action.

The government of Bangladesh will host the Board meeting.

President of Bangladesh, Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed is expected to open the conference on November 17 at a local hotel.

The conference, to be preceded by a meeting of the partners executive committee, will bring together ministers, top population policy and health specialists from the 10 countries.

The partners executive committee has also invited ’ other developing countries, international agencies and NGOs interested in the implementation of improved reproductive health and family planning programmes through expanded South-South cooperation, a press release said.