Full Form of SAARC

The Full form of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The SAARC is an economic and geopolitical intergovernmental organization of eight countries which are located in South Asia. Its member states are India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, the Maldives, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The secretariat of the SAARC is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

What is SAARC?

It is an economic and geopolitical intergovernmental organization of eight South Asian nations. It was formed in 1985 to bring together the countries of South Asia to provide an economic counterbalance to the influence of China in the region. Today, South Asia accounts for over a third of the world’s population and one-third of the world’s poorest people. Each country is distinct in its cultural, religious, and linguistic practices. The SAARC countries are widely viewed as the backyard of India. The leadership of India claims that it provides an alternative to the Indo-American alliance. However, critics say it has become irrelevant as India’s economic and military power is greater than the entire region.

The History of the SAARC

The SAARC has been formed after four decades of its establishment; the initiative to establish the Association of South Asian Nations was taken by Sri Lanka and was led by India. The SAARC was formally launched in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on May 26, 1987. The original founding members of SAARC are India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Bhutan. The Maldives joined the grouping in June 1987. All ten members are still working under the umbrella of the SAARC, which has become the primary multilateral forum for cooperation among the South Asian states. The SAARC was initially also a cooperative security organization. But after the Taliban takeover of Kabul in 1996 and the resultant decline in Afghan stability, the geographical scope of SAARC was changed.

When was it established?

• In the late 1970s, the seven south Asian countries comprised India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, and Afghanistan, settled and decided upon the establishment of a trade bloc to offer a platform for the people of South Asia to work simultaneously in the spirit of friendship, trust, and understanding.
• On May 2, 1980, Zia Ur Rahaman first lifted this initiative of establishing a trade bloc.
• On December 8, 1985, the first summit was conducted in Dhaka.

Why did the SAARC was created?

The SAARC was created in 1985 when all the countries of South Asia agreed to form a regional organization. The idea was to solve the regional problems, particularly terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and drug smuggling. However, the organization didn’t go anywhere as expected due to several reasons. Firstly, India decided to leave it and unilaterally establish a similar organization called BIMSTEC, which primarily focuses on economic cooperation. Secondly, Pakistan also decided to become an observer instead of becoming a member. Later in 2015, the neighbours decided to come together again and re-established the SAARC by signing a communique in Kathmandu, Nepal. How does SAARC work? Each country has an ambassador and a permanent representative to the organization.

How many countries are members of the SAARC?

The SAARC is an economic and geopolitical organization of eight countries which are located in South Asia. These countries are:

• India
• Pakistan
• Bangladesh
• Sri Lanka
• Nepal
• Bhutan
• Maldives
• Afghanistan

What is the capital city of the SAARC?

The capital city of the SAARC is currently Kathmandu, Nepal. However, it was earlier called Delhi and was founded by the first President of India, Dr Rajendra Prasad. A Controversy has raged for some time now over the capital cities of the SAARC nations. India and Pakistan have been bickering over the capital city of the SAARC. Pakistan wants the official capital city to be Islamabad. However, India has been pushing Kathmandu as the headquarters of the SAARC. The secretariat of the SAARC is based in Kathmandu, Nepal.

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What are the objectives of the SAARC?

These are the five primary areas of cooperation assigned by SAARC:

• Human Resources Development.
• Population and health-related activities.
• Rural and agriculture development.
• Science, Technology, and Telecommunication.
• Transport.

Areas of Cooperation of SAARC

These are the five fundamental areas of cooperation allocated by SAARC:

• Human Resources Development.
• Population and health-related activities.
• Rural and agriculture development.
• Science, Technology, and Telecommunication.
• Transport.

Apex and Recognized organizations

SAARC has six Apex organizations, which are given in the following:

• SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI),
• South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law(SAARCLAW),
• South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA),
• South Asia Foundation (SAF),
• South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC),
• Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL)

SAARC also has about 17 recognized organizations.

SAARC Disaster Management Centers

• South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (SDMC-IU) has been established at the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management (GIDM) Campus, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.
• Eight Member States, i.e., Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, are likely to be served by the SDMC (IU).
• Disaster Management Centre is assigned to serve Member States by offering policy recommendations, technical support on system expansion, competence building facilities, and preparation and guidance for holistic management of disaster risk in the SAARC area.
• The center also makes the possible exchange of information and proficiency for effectual and well-organized disaster risk management.

Conclusion

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is another non-political regional organization of South Asia. The history of this organization could be traced back to 1947. However, since 1971, this organization has been made non-political as the political status of Bangladesh, India and Pakistan were withdrawn from the organization.

A Quick FAQ to SAARC