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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organisation of South Asian nations, which was established on 8 December 1985 when the government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka formally adopted its charter providing for the promotion of economic and social progress, cultural development within the South Asia region and also for friendship and cooperation with other developing countries. It is dedicated to economic, technological, social, and cultural development emphasising collective self-reliance. Its seven founding members are Sri Lanka, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007. Meetings of heads of state are usually scheduled annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice annually. It is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal.

South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)

1 History 2 SAARC Charter 2.1 Objectives Of SAARC 3 Principles 4 Secretariat 4.1 Council Of Ministers 4.2 Regional Centres 5 Political issues 6 South Asian Free Trade Area 7 SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme 8 SAARC Award 9 SAARC Youth Award 10 Members of SAARC 10.1 Current members 10.2 Observers 10.3 Potential future members 10.4 Others 11 Secretaries-General of SAARC 12 SAARC summits 13 See also 14 References 15 External links

Member states Observer states

Headquarters Official languages Demonym Membership Leaders - Chairman - Secretary General Establishment Area - Total Population - 2009 estimate

Kathmandu, Nepal English South Asian 8 members 9 observers

Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik Ahmed Saleem December 8, 1985 5,130,746 km2 (7tha) 1,980,992 sq mi 1,600,000,000 (1sta) 304.9/km2 789.7/sq mi 2009 estimate US$ 4,382,700 million (3rda)

The first concrete proposal for establishing a framework for regional cooperation in South Asia was made by the late president of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman, on May 2, 1980. Prior to this, the idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was discussed in at least three conferences: the Asian Relations Conference in New Delhi in April 1947, the Baguio Conference in the Philippines in May 1950, and the

- Density

GDP (PPP) - Total

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Colombo Powers Conference in April 1954. In the late 1970s, SAARC nations agreed upon the creation of a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was again mooted in May 1980. The foreign secretaries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. The Committee of the Whole, which met in Colombo in August 1985, identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. New areas of cooperation were added in the following years.[1]

- Per capita Currency Time zone

US$ 2,779 8 currenciesb (UTC+4 to +6)

Website www.saarc-sec.org (http://www.saarc-sec.org/)

a. If considered as a single entity. b. A unified currency (http://www.ibnlive.com/news/sl-proposes-one-saarc-

currency/37642-3.html) has been proposed.

Desirous of promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in the region through strict adherence to the principles of the UNITED NATIONS CHARTER and NON-ALIGNMENT, particularly respect for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, national independence, non-use of force and non-interference in the internal affairs of other States and peaceful settlement of all disputes. Conscious that in an increasingly interdependent world, the objectives of peace, freedom, social justice and economic prosperity are best achieved in the SOUTH ASIAN region by fostering mutual understanding, good neighbourly relations and meaningful cooperation among the Member States which are bound by ties of history and culture. Aware of the common problems, interests and aspirations of the peoples of SOUTH ASIA and the need for joint action and enhanced cooperation within their respective political and economic systems and cultural traditions. Convinced that regional cooperation among the countries of SOUTH ASIA is mutually beneficial, desirable and necessary for promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the peoples of the region. Convinced further that economic, social and technical cooperation among the countries of SOUTH ASIA would contribute significantly to national and collective self-reliance. Recognising that increased cooperation, contacts and exchanges among the countries of the region will contribute to the promotion of friendship and understanding among their peoples. Recalling the DECLARATION signed by their Foreign Ministers in NEW DELHI on August 2, 1983 and noting the progress achieved in regional cooperation. Reaffirming their determination to promote such cooperation within an institutional framework.[2]

Objectives Of SAARC
The objectives and the aims of the Association as defined in the Charter are:[3] to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential; to promote and strengthen selective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields; to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interest; and to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes. to maintain peace in the region

The principles are as follows Respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, political equality and independence of all members states Non-interference in the internal matters is one of its objectives

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Cooperation for mutual benefit All decisions to be taken unanimously and need a quorum of all eight members All bilateral issues to be kept aside and only multilateral(involving many countries) issues to be discussed without being prejudiced by bilateral issues Afghanistan was added to the regional grouping on April 2007,[4] With the addition of Afghanistan, the total number of member states were raised to eight (8). In April 2006, the United States of America and South Korea made formal requests to be granted observer status. The European Union has also indicated interest in being given observer status, and made a formal request for the same to the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting in July 2006.[5][6] On 2 August 2006 the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and the European Union.[6] On 4 March 2008, Iran requested observer status.[7] Followed shortly by the entrance of Mauritius. Myanmar has expressed interest in upgrading it's status from an observer to a full member of SAARC,[8] while Russia is interested in becoming an observer.[9][10]

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 and was inaugurated by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal. It is headed by the Secretary General appointed by the Council of Ministers from Member Countries in an alphabetical order for a three-year term. He is assisted by the Professional and the General Service Staff, and also an appropriate number of functional units called Divisions assigned to Directors on deputation from Member States.[11] The Secretariat coordinates and monitors implementation of activities, prepares for and services meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its Member States as well as other regional organizations.[11]

The Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Secretariat[11] which was signed by Foreign Ministers of member countries on 17 November 1986 at Bangalore, India contains various clauses concerning the role, structure and administration of the SAARC Secretariat as well as the powers of the Secretary-General.

Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Kathmandu Nepal

In several recent meetings the heads of state or government of member states of SAARC have taken some important decisions and bold initiatives to strengthen the organisation and to widen and deepen regional co-operation. The SAARC Secretariat and Member States observe 8 December as the SAARC Charter Day1.

Council Of Ministers
Council of Ministers consisting of the Foreign Ministers of the Member States established with the following functions: Formulation of the policies of the ASSOCIATION Review of the progress of cooperation under the ASSOCIATION Decision on new areas of cooperation Establishment of additional mechanism under the ASSOCIATION as deemed necessary Decision on other matters of general interest to the ASSOCIATION. The Council of Ministers meets twice a year. Extraordinary session of the Council may be held by agreement among the Member States.

Regional Centres

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The SAARC Secretariat is supported by following Regional Centres established in Member States to promote regional cooperation. These Centres are managed by Governing Boards comprising representatives from all the Member States, SAARC Secretary-General and the Ministry of Foreign/External Affairs of the Host Government. The Director of the Centre acts as Member Secretary to the Governing Board which reports to the Programming Committee. SAARC Agricultural Centre (SAC), Dhaka SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC), Dhaka SAARC Tuberculosis Centre (STC), Kathmandu SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC), New Delhi SAARC Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC), Islamabad SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC), Maldives SAARC Information Centre (SIC), Nepal SAARC Energy Centre (SEC), Pakistan SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC), India SAARC Development Fund (SDF), Bhutan SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC), Bhutan SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC), Sri Lanka[12]

The dispute over Kashmirs accession to India has been standing in the way of the lasting peace and prosperity of the Indian subcontinent.[13] While awarding the European Union with the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee stated that "...today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners."[14] Southern Asia can become unified just as Europe has become unified as the European Union. Political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meetings which have refrained from interfering in the internal matters of its member states. During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits, extreme emphasis was laid upon greater cooperation between the SAARC members to fight terrorism.

SAPTA was envisaged primarily as the first step towards the transition to a South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) leading subsequently towards a Customs Union, Common Market and Economic Union. In 1995, the Sixteenth session of the Council of Ministers (New Delhi, 1819 December 1995) agreed on the need to strive for the realization of SAFTA and to this end an Inter-Governmental Expert Group (IGEG) was set up in 1996 to identify the necessary steps for progressing to a free trade area. The Tenth SAARC Summit (Colombo, 2931 July 1998) decided to set up a Committee of Experts (COE) to draft a comprehensive treaty framework for creating a free trade area within the region, taking into consideration the asymmetries in development within the region and bearing in mind the need to fix realistic and achievable targets. The SAFTA Agreement was signed on 6 January 2004 during Twelfth SAARC Summit held in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006, and the Trade Liberalization Programme commenced from 1 July 2006. Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 per cent by 2009. Following the Agreement coming into force the SAFTA Ministerial Council (SMC) has been established comprising the Commerce Ministers of the Member States.[15]

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme was launched in 1992. The leaders at the Fourth Summit (Islamabad, 2931 December 1988), while realizing the importance of having people to people contacts, among the peoples of SAARC countries, decided that certain categories of dignitaries should be entitled to a Special Travel document, which would exempt them from visas within the region. As directed by the Summit, the Council of Ministers regularly kept under review the list of entitled categories. Currently the list included 24 categories of entitled persons, which include Dignitaries, Judges of higher courts, Parliamentarians, Senior Officials, Businessmen, Journalists, Sportsmen etc. The Visa

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Stickers are issued by the respective Member States to the entitled categories of that particular country. The validity of the Visa Sticker is generally for one year. The implementation is reviewed regularly by the Immigration Authorities of SAAR Member States.[16]

The Twelfth Summit (Islamabad, January 2004) approved the institution of the SAARC Award to honour and encourage outstanding individuals and organizations within the region. The main objectives of the SAARC Award are: To encourage individuals and organizations based in South Asia to undertake programmes and activities complementing the efforts of SAARC To encourage individuals and organizations in South Asia contributing to the improvement of the conditions of women and children To honour outstanding contributions and achievements of individuals and organizations within the region in the fields of peace, development, poverty alleviation, environment protection and regional cooperation making the SAARC Award the most prestigious Award in the region; and To honour any other outstanding contributions and achievements, not covered above, of individuals and organizations in the region. The SAARC Award comprises a gold medal, a letter of citation and cash prize of US $ 25,000. Since institution of SAARC Award in 2004, it has been awarded only once and the Award was posthumoulsy conferred upon Late President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh.[17]

The SAARC Youth Award is awarded to outstanding individuals from the SAARC region. The award is notable due to the recognition it gives to the Award winner in the SAARC region. The award is based on specific themes which apply to each year. The award recognises and promotes the commitment and talent of the youth who give back to the world at large through various initiatives such as Inventions, Protection of the Environment and Disaster relief. The recipients who receive this award are ones who have dedicated their lives to their individual causes to improve situations in their own countries as well as paving a path for the SAARC region to follow. The Committee for the SAARC Youth Award selects the best candidate based on his/her merits and their decision is final. Previous Winners: 1997: Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare - Mr. Md. Sukur Salek (Bangladesh) 1998: New Inventions and Discoveries - Dr. Najmul Hasnain Shah (Pakistan) 2001: Creative Photography: South Asian Diversity - Mr. Mushfiqul Alam (Bangladesh) 2002: Outstanding contribution to protect the Environment - Dr. Masil Khan (Pakistan) 2003: Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine - Mr. Hassan Sher (Pakistan) 2004: Outstanding contribution to raising awareness for TB and/or HIV/AIDS - Mr. Ajij Prasad Poudyal (Nepal) 2006: Promotion of Tourism in South Asia - Mr. Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi (Pakistan) 2008: Protecting the Environment in South Asia - Ms. Uswatta Liyanage Deepani Jayantha (Sri Lanka) 2009: Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of Natural Disasters - Dr. Ravikant Singh (India) 2010: Outstanding contribution for the Protection of Environment and mitigation of Climate Change - Ms. Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne (Sri Lanka)

Current members
Afghanistan

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Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka

Observers
Australia[18] China European Union[19] Japan[19] Iran Mauritius[20] Myanmar South Korea United States[21]

Potential future members

China has expressed interest in upgrading v d e (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Template:Supranational_Asian_Bodies&action=edit) it's status from an observer to a full member of SAARC. Supported by Pakistan. Myanmar has expressed interest in upgrading it's status from an observer to a full member of SAARC.Supported by both Bangladesh and Pakistan.[8] Russia has expressed interest in becoming an observer of SAARC. Supported By India.[9][10]
A clickable Euler diagram showing the relationships between various multinational Asian organisations.

Others
South Africa has participated in meetings.[22]

Abul Ahsan Kishore Kant Bhargava Ibrahim Hussain Zaki Yadav Kant Silwal Naeem U. Hasan Nihal Rodrigo Q.A.M.A. Rahim Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji Sheel Kant Sharma Ahmed Saleem

January 16, 1985 to 15 October 1989 October 17, 1989 to December 31, 1991 January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993 January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995 January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998 January 1, 1999 to January 10, 2002 January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005 March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008 March 1, 2008 to February 28, 2011 March 12, 2012 to present[23]

Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed March 1, 2011 to March 11, 2012

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No 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th 13th 14th 15th 16th (http://www.sixteenthsaarcsummit.bt/) 17th (http://www.seventeenthsaarcsummit.mv/) 18th

Date 78 December 1985 1617 November 1986 24 November 1987 2931 December 1988 2123 November 1990 21 December 1991 1011 April 1993 24 May 1995 1214 May 1997 2931 July 1998 46 January 2002 26 January 2004 1213 November 2005 34 April 2007 13 August 2008 2829 April 2010 1011 November 2011[24] 2013 [25]

Country Bangladesh India Nepal

Host Dhaka Bangalore Kathmandu

Host leader Ataur Rahman Khan Rajiv Gandhi Marich Man Singh Shrestha Benazir Bhutto Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Dingiri Banda Wijetunge Khaleda Zia

Pakistan Islamabad Maldives Mal Sri Lanka Colombo Bangladesh India Dhaka

New Delhi P. V. Narasimha Rao Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike Zafarullah Khan Jamali Khaleda Zia

Maldives Mal Sri Lanka Colombo Nepal

Kathmandu Sher Bahadur Deuba

Pakistan Islamabad Bangladesh India Bhutan Dhaka

New Delhi Manmohan Singh Mahinda Rajapaksa Jigme Thinley Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik Thimphu

Sri Lanka Colombo

Maldives Addu Nepal

Kathmandu Khil Raj Regmi

Asia Cooperation Dialogue Asia-Pacific Research and Training Network on Trade Asia-Pacific Trade Agreements Database Asian Clearing Union List of SAARC summits SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning BIMSTEC Mekong-Ganga Cooperation South Asian Economic Union South Asia Free Trade Agreement South Asian Football Federation Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation

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South Asian Federation of Accountants

1. ^ "A Brief on SAARC." South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. (http://saarc-sec.org /main.php?id=76) No date. 2. ^ http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Charter/5/ 3. ^ Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Article 1. (http://saarc-sec.org /main.php?id=10&t=3.2) 4. ^ "South Asia: Afghanistan Joins World's Largest Regional Grouping." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty], 3 April 2007. 5. ^ Waliur Rahman. "US and S Korea to observe SAARC." BBC News (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia /4900498.stm), 11 April 2008. 6. ^ a b "SAARC to grant observer status to US, S Korea, EU." Hindustan Times. (http://www.hindustantimes.com /StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=68654965-9d60-4718ae85-82acf647aa45) 2 August 2006. 7. ^ "Iran requests for observer status in SAARC." People's Daily (http://209.85.215.104 /search?q=cache:2yvTZFfSXXEJ:english.peopledaily.com .cn/200703 /05/eng20070305_354236.html+%22Iran+requests+for+ob server+status+in+SAARC+%22&hl=en&ct=clnk& cd=1&gl=us), 5 March 2009. 8. ^ a b SAARC and Myanmar: Observer Research Foundation (http://www.orfonline.org/cms/sites/orfonline /modules/analysis/AnalysisDetail.html?cmaid=14854& mmacmaid=14855) 9. ^ a b SAARC The Changing Dimensions: UNU-CRIS Working Papers United Nations University - Comparative Regional Integration Studies (http://www.cris.unu.edu /fileadmin/workingpapers/W-2008-8_01.pdf) 10. ^ a b Russia keen to join SAARC as observer: Oneindia News (http://news.oneindia.in/2006/11/22/russia-keen-tojoin-saarc-as-observer-1164200695.html)

11. ^ a b c "Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of the Secretariat." South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (http://saarc-sec.org /main.php?id=150&t=3.2), 17 November 1986. 12. ^ http://www.saarc-sec.org/Regional-Centers/12/ 13. ^ Jhawar, Shiv. Building a Noble World. p. 44. Text "year 2004" ignored (help) 14. ^ "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012" (http://nobelprize.org). Retrieved 12 October 2012. 15. ^ http://www.saarc-sec.org/areaofcooperation /detail.php?activity_id=5 16. ^ http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Visa-ExemptionScheme/100/ 17. ^ http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Award/70/ 18. ^ colombopage.com (http://www.colombopage.com /archive_08/July3042729CH.html) 19. ^ a b thehimalayantimes.com (http://www.thehimalayantimes.com /fullstory.asp?filename=6a6Za3za.9amal& folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20060802) 20. ^ island.lk (http://www.island.lk/2008/07/23/news2.html) 21. ^ "Cooperation with Observers" (http://www.saarc-sec.org /Cooperation-with-Observers/13/). South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. Retrieved 2012-11-16. 22. ^ SAARC hi nations call for transparency in social sector - Thaindian News (http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal /uncategorized/saarc-nations-call-for-transparencyin-social-sector_10024810.html) 23. ^ SAARC website (http://www.saarc-sec.org) 24. ^ http://www.maldivestraveller.mv/news/local/presidentof-maldives-invites-indian-pm-to-the-17th-saarcsummit/665/ 25. ^ http://www.thehimalayantimes.com /fullNews.php?headline=Nepal+to+host+18th+SAARC+me NewsID=308667

Official SAARC website (http://www.saarc-sec.org/) Internet Mapping for SAARC (http://maps.oopslite.com/saarc) Digital Atlas of SAARC by oopslite technologies (http://www.oopslite.com/project/digitalsaarc.html) SAARC Youth (http://www.saarc-sec.org/areaofcooperation/detail.php?activity_id=9) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=South_Asian_Association_for_Regional_Cooperation& oldid=549699806" Categories: International organizations of Asia International economic organizations Foreign relations of Bhutan Foreign relations of Bangladesh Foreign relations of Nepal Foreign relations of Pakistan Foreign relations of Sri Lanka Foreign relations of the Maldives Organizations established in 1985 South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Intergovernmental organizations Foreign relations of Afghanistan United Nations General Assembly observers

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