SAARC

BY- ANUSHKA SAHU

ABOUT SAARC-
• Idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first raised in November
1980
• After consultations, the foreign secretaries of the seven founding
countries—
1) Bangladesh
2) Bhutan
3) India
4) Maldives
5) Nepal
6) Pakistan and
7) Sri Lanka
• met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981.
• Established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8
December 1985.
• "Promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region" -the
first line of the SAARC charter.
• The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are
at Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual
summit in 2005
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
OBJECTIVES OF SAARC-
• To promote the welfare
• To accelerate economic growth
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance 
• To contribute to mutual trust
• To promote active collaboration
• To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.
• To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums.
PRINCIPLES-
Cooperation within the framework of the SAARC shall be based on:
• Respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity,
political independence, non-interference .
• Such cooperation shall not be a substitute for bilateral and
multilateral cooperation but shall complement them.
• Such cooperation shall not be inconsistent with bilateral and
multilateral obligations.
MEMBERS
OF SAARC-
SAARC comprises of
eight member States
1) Afghanistan
2) Bangladesh
3) Bhutan
4) India
5) Maldives
6) Nepal
7) Pakistan
8) Sri Lanka
OBSERVERS TO SAARC-
• Australia
• China
• The European Union
• Iran
• Japan
• The Republic of Korea
• Mauritius
• Myanmar
• The United States of America
ITS IMPORTANCE-
• Comprises of-
3% of the world's area,
21% of the world's population 
3.8% of the global economy.
• Creating synergies
• Common solutions
19 th
SAARC SUMMIT-
• Pakistan scheduled to host the 19th summit of South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Islamabad on 15 to
16 November 2016.
• India including Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and
Maldives did not attend SAARC Summit due to 2016 Uri attack.
• Pakistan postponed the SAARC summit and announced that new
dates would be released soon, but it did not happen.
• Poor conducive atmosphere.
• Nepal, urged that "a conducive environment be created soon to
ensure the participation of all member states in the 19th SAARC
summit in line with the spirit of the SAARC charter.
INDIA AND SAARC-
• SAARC is the first major step towards the regional integration on the
pattern of the European Union.
• Increasing regional cooperation among SAARC countries proved to be
of immense socio-economic and political importance, which is the
ultimate goal of the SAARC.
• Yet much mistrust lies between India and Pakistan as none of them
trusts the other.
• The ethnic and cultural minorities inhibiting in the two states have
provided a prepared stage for sparking off the outburst and turmoil
• India and Pakistan have long time victims of their skeptical mindsets
CONTD-
• The charter prevents to bring contentious issues in the SAARC.
• Addressing the core disputed areas between India and Pakistan-
SAARC is not as successful as ASEAN or European Union.
• Political dialogue is often conducted on the sideline of SAARC
meetings and the SAARC is a useful channel for the protracted
initiatives and remedial measures.
CONCLUSION-
• The (SAARC) Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a conference on
“Regional Economic Integration: A Catalyst for Socioeconomic
Prosperity in South Asia.”
• Afghanistan, member-state of SAARC, has long been advocating for an
acceleration of regionwide efforts to jumpstart the process of regional
economic integration.
• Doing so can indeed be a catalyst for the sustainable development of
all South Asian nations.
THANK
YOU