The Council of Ministers meeting will be preceded by Meetings of the SAARC Programming Committee represented by Senior Officials and the SAARC Standing Committee represented by the Foreign Secretaries of respective SAARC Member States on February 23-24 and February 25-26 respectively.

The Foreign Ministers, Foreign Secretaries and Senior Officials will deliberate on a series of issues relating to the implementation of the 15th SAARC Summit Declaration as well as decisions taken in agreed areas such as economic and financial cooperation; agriculture including the operationalisation of the SAARC Food Bank; matters related to social development, health and population; narcotic drugs, terrorism and legal matters including the implementation of the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and its Additional Protocol as well as the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. The Meetings will also consider the Reports of Ministerial Meetings held since the 15th Colombo Summit including the First Meeting of the SAARC Ministers of Science and Technology, the Extraordinary Meeting of SAARC Agriculture Ministers, Third SAARC Energy Ministers Meeting and the Conference of SAARC Ministers of Parliamentary Affairs.

Apart from exploring ways and means of expediting progress in agreed areas of cooperation, the meetings will discuss current issues of concern for the region with a view to taking regional action to address challenges.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa will address the 31st Session of the Council of Ministers on February 27 at its inauguration in his capacity as current Chair of SAARC.