About SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is regional intergovernmental
organization and geopolitical union in South Asia. Its member states
include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAARC
was founded in Dhaka in 1985. Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu. The organization promotes
development of economical and regional integration. It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in
2006. SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nation as an observer and has
developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union
Observers
States with observer status include Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius
Myanmar, South Korea and the United States.

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the ASSOCIATION shall be:

1. To promote the welfare of the peoples of SOUTH ASIA and to improve their quality of life.
2. To accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region
3. To provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realise their full
potentials.
4. To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of SOUTH ASIA
5. To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems.
6. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural,
technical and scientific fields.
7. To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.
8. To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of
common interests.
9. To cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes.

SAARC Awards
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 organizations in South Asia contributing to bettering 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
 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.

SAARC Literary Award

SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature
(FOSWAL) since 2001 which is an apex SAARC body. Shamshur Rahman,Mahasweta Devi, Jayanta
Mahapatra, Abhi Subedi, Mark Tully, Sitakant Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Suman Pokhrel and Abhay K are
some of the prominent recipients of this award.

Nepali poet, lyricist and translator Suman Pokhrel is the only poet/writer to get this award twice.

SAARC Youth Award

The SAARC Youth Award is awarded to outstanding individuals from 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.

SAARC Summits

No Date Country Host

1st December 1985 Bangladesh Dhaka
2nd November 1986 India Bengaluru
3rd November 1987 Nepal Kathmandu
4th December 1988 Pakistan Islamabad
5th November 1990 Maldives Male
6th December 1991 Sri Lanka Colombo
7th April 1993 Bangladesh Dhaka
8th May 1995 India New Delhi
9th May 1997 Maldives Male
10th July 1998 Sri Lanka Colombo
11th January 2002 Nepal Kathmandu
12th January 2004 Pakistan Islamabad
13th November 2005 Bangladesh Dhaka
14th April 2007 India New Delhi
15th August 2008 Sri Lanka Colombo
16th April 2010 Bhutan Thimphu
17th November 2011 Maldives Addu
18th November 2014 Nepal Kathmandu
Islamabad and
19th November 2016 Pakistan
Murree