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(South Asian Association for Regional

Cooperation)
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About SAARC

• The South Asian Association for

Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an
economic and political organization of
eight countries in Southern Asia. In
terms of population, its sphere of
influence is the largest of any regional
organization: almost 1.5 billion people. 
SAARC provides a platform for the
peoples of South Asia to work together
in the spirit understanding. It aims to
accelerate the process of economic and
social development in Member States.
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History

• Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman

first mooted the idea in the 1970's for
creation of a trade bloc, consisting of
South Asian countries. The Foreign
Secretaries of the seven countries met
for the first time in Colombo in April
1981. 
The Declaration on South Asian
Regional Cooperation was adopted by
the Foreign Ministers in 1983 in New
Delhi. The South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation was established,
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Member States
• India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka,
Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan form the
principle Member States of the
association.

Afghanistan was added to the regional

grouping at the behest of India on
November 13, 2005, and became a
member on April 3, 2007. With the
addition of Afghanistan, the total
number of member states were raised
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 Flags of member
countries

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Observers Members
•Australia
•China
•European Union
•Iran
•Japan
•Mauritius
•Myanmar (Burma)
•South Korea
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 Future
membership
• China (supported by Pakistan and
Bangladesh)

Russia (supported by India)

• Iran
• Mayanmar (supported by India)

South Africa

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 SAARC
Secretariat

• The SAARC Secretariat was

established in Kathmandu on 16
January 1987.
• The Secretariat comprises the
Secretary General, seven Directors
and the General Services Staff.
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 Role of
Secretariat
• Its role is to coordinate and monitor
the implementation of SAARC
activities.
• Service the meetings of the
Association and serve as the channel
of communication between SAARC
and other international organisations.
• The Secretariat has also been
increasingly utilised as the venue for
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 Objectives of SAARC
• To promote the welfare of the peoples 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 collective self-reliance
among the countries of South Asia.
• To contribute to mutual trust, understand and
appreciation of one another's problem;
• 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
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Area of
Cooperation
• At the inception of the Association, the
Integrated Programme of Action (IPA)
consisting of a number of Technical
Committees (TCs) was identified as the core
areas of cooperation. 
The current areas of cooperation under the
reconstituted Regional Integrated
Programme of Action covers the following
areas:
Agriculture and Rural Development
Women, Youth and Children
Environment and Forestry
Science and Technology and Meteorology
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Human Resources Development
Provisions

• Decisions at all levels in SAARC are

to be taken on the basis of
unanimity; and
• Bilateral and contentious issues are
to be excluded from the deliberations
of the Association.

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Principals
• Cooperation within the framework of the
Association shall be based on respect for
the principles of sovereign equality,
territorial integrity, political independence,
non-interference in the internal affairs of
other States and mutual benefit.
 
• 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.
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 Political
issue
• SAARC has intentionally laid more stress on
"core issues" mentioned above rather than
more decisive political issues like the
Kashmir dispute and the Sri Lankan civil
war. However, political dialogue is often
conducted on the margins of SAARC
meetings.
• SAARC has also refrained itself from
interfering in the internal matters of its
member states.
• During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits,
extreme emphasis was laid upon greater
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Ineffectivenes
s
• SAARC's inability to play a crucial role in
integrating South Asia is often credited
to the political and military rivalry
between India and Pakistan. It is due to
these economic, political, and territorial
disputes that South Asian nations have
not been able to harness the benefits of
a unified economy.
• Over the years, SAARC's role in South
Asia has been greatly diminished and is
now used as a mere platform for annual
talks and meetings between its
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 By :-
NAYAN
Sec- “A”
04/20/09 PGDM