SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in
Dhaka on 8 December 1985.

 The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was

first raised in November 1980. After consultations,
the foreign secretaries of the seven founding
countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives,
Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—met for the first
time in Colombo in April 1981.

 Afghanistan became the newest

member of SAARC at the 13th annual
summit in 2005.
 The Headquarters and Secretariat of the
Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.
Principles
 Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC shall
be based on:

o Respect for the principles of sovereign

equality, territorial integrity, political
independence, non-interference in the
internal affairs of other States and mutual
benefit.
o Such cooperation shall not be a substitute
for bilateral and multilateral cooperation but
shall complement them.
o Such cooperation shall not be inconsistent
with bilateral and multilateral obligations.
Members of SAARC
 SAARC comprises of eight member States:

o Afghanistan
o Bangladesh
o Bhutan
o India
o Maldives
o Nepal
o Pakistan
o Sri Lanka
 There are currently nine Observers to SAARC,
namely:
o Australia,
o China,
o The European Union,
o Iran,
o Japan,
o The Republic of Korea,
o Mauritius,
o Myanmar,
o The United States of America.

What are the Areas of Cooperation

 Human Resource Development and Tourism
 Agriculture and Rural Development
 Environment, Natural Disasters and Biotechnology
 Economic, Trade and Finance
 Social Affairs
 Information and Poverty Alleviation
 Energy, Transport, Science and Technology
 Education, Security and Culture and Others
Principal Organs of the Cooperation
 Meeting of Heads of State or Government

o Meetings are held at the Summit level,

usually on an annual basis.
 Standing Committee of Foreign Secretaries

o The Committee provides overall monitoring

and coordination, determines priorities,
mobilizes resources, and approves projects
and financing.
 Secretariat

o The SAARC Secretariat was established in

Kathmandu on 16 January 1987. Its role
is to coordinate and monitor the
implementation of SAARC activities,
service the meetings of the association and
serve as a channel of communication
between SAARC and other international
organizations.
o The Secretariat comprises the secretary-
general, seven directors, and the
general services staff.
 The secretary-general is appointed
by the Council of Ministers on
the principle of rotation, for a non-
renewable tenure of three years.
SAARC’s Specialised Bodies
 SAARC Development Fund (SDF):
o Its primary objective is funding of project-
based collaboration in social sectors such as
poverty alleviation, development, etc.

SDF is governed by a Board


consisting of representatives from
the Ministry of Finance of the
Member States. The Governing
Council of SDF (Finance Ministers of
MSs) oversees the functioning of
the Board.
 South Asian University

o South Asian University (SAU) is an

international university, located in India.
Degrees and Certificates awarded by the
SAU are at par with the respective Degrees
and Certificates awarded by the National
Universities/ Institutions.
 South Asian Regional Standards Organization

oSouth Asian Regional Standards

Organization (SARSO) has its Secretariat
at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
o It was established to achieve and
enhance coordination and cooperation
among SAARC member states in the
fields of standardization and conformity
assessment and is aimed to develop
harmonized Standards for the region to
facilitate intra-regional trade and to have
access in the global market.
 SAARC Arbitration Council

o It is an inter-governmental body having

its office in Pakistan is mandated to
provide a legal framework/forum within the
region for fair and efficient settlement of
commercial, industrial, trade, banking,
investment and such other disputes, as may
be referred to it by the member states and
their people.
Significance of SAARC for India
 Neighbourhood first: Primacy to the country’s
immediate neighbours.
 Geostrategic significance: Can counter China
(OBOR initiative) through engaging Nepal, Bhutan,
the Maldives and Sri Lanka in development process
and economic cooperation.
 Regional stability: SAARC can help in creation of
mutual trust and peace within the region.
 Global leadership role: It offers India a platform to
showcase its leadership in the region by taking up
extra responsibilities.
 Game changer for India’s Act East Policy: by
linking South Asian economies with South East asian
will bring further economic integration and
prosperity to India mainly in the Services Sector.
 Associated Challenges
 Low frequency of meetings: More engagement is
required by the member states and instead of
meeting biennial meetings should be held annually.
 Broad area of cooperation leads to diversion of
energy and resources.
 Limitation in SAFTA: The implementation of SAFTA
has not been satisfactory a Free Trade Agreement
confined to goods, excluding all services like
information technology.
 Indo-Pak Relations: Escalated tension and conflict
between India and Pakistan have severely hampered
the prospects of SAARC.