South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.
SAARC comprises of eight Member States:
Afghanistan,
Bangladesh
, Bhutan,
India,
Maldives,
Nepal,
Pakistan
and
Sri Lanka.
The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987.
The objectives of the Association as outlined in the SAARC Charter are:
1:to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth
2: social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials
3; to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia;
4: to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems;
5: to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields;
6: to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interests;
and
7: to cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
Decisions at all levels are to be taken on the basis of unanimity; and bilateral and contentious issues are excluded from the deliberations of the Association.
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
Others
In contemporary era, the interest of external powers is increasing in SAARC. Since 2005 European Union, China, Australia, Iran, South Korea, Japan, USA, Myanmar and Mauritius have been allowed as observer states in the organization. This permit these countries to provide suggestions for the expansion and improvement of SAARC and to illustrate their own interests for potential cooperation in future. The observer states often send high-ranking officials to the organization’s Summit conferences and even Beijing is showing a keen interest in full membership of SAARC
The Cancellation of SAARC Summit and its Impact on Pakistan’s Foreign Policy Pakistan’s isolation on the regional as well as on the international front is deepening with the passage of time. The latest is the cancellation of SAARC Summit that was planned to be arranged in Pakistan in November 2016. With India’s withdrawal from SAARC Summit, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan have also officiated their withdrawal. The mechanism of SAARC prescribe that non-participation of one member state will lead to its cancellation
South Asian Free Trade Area
SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme
SAARC Award
The Twelfth Summit approved the SAARC Award to support individuals and organisations within the region. The main aims of the SAARC Award are:
To encourage individuals and organisations based in South Asia to undertake programmes and activities that complement the efforts of SAARC
To encourage individuals and organisations in South Asia contributing to bettering the conditions of women and children
To honour outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals and organisations within the region in the fields of peace, development, poverty alleviation, environmental protection, and regional cooperation
To honour any other contributions and achievement not covered above of individuals and organisations in the region.
The SAARC Award consists of a gold medal, a letter of citation, and cash prize of US$25,000 (₹15 lakhs). Since the institution of the SAARC Award in 2004, it has been awarded only once and the Award was posthumously conferred upon the late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh.
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