South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Short description: Regional intergovernmental and geopolitical organisation

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

In other languages:

* | Bengali:| দক্ষিণ এশীয় আঞ্চলিক সহযোগিতা সংস্থা

|

Dari:|

اتحادیه همکاری‌های منطقه‌ای جنوب آسیا

Dzongkha:| ༄ ལྷོ ཨེསིཨ་ རེ་གིཨོནལ་ ཅོཨོཔེརཏིཨོན་ ཀོ་མི་ཏི།
Hindi:| दक्षिण् एशियायि क्षेत्रिय सहयोग् सङ्गठन्
Maldivian:|

ދެކުނު އޭޝިޔާގެ ސަރަޙައްދީ އެއްބާރުލުމުގެ ޖަމިއްޔާ

Nepali:| दक्षिण् एशियालि क्षेत्रीय सहयोग् सङ्गठन्
Pashto:|

د سویلي اسیا لپاره د سیمه ایزې همکارۍ ټولنه

Sinhala:| දකුණු ආසියාතික කලාපීය සහයෝගිතා සංවිධානය
Tamil:| தெற்காசிய நாடுகளின் பிராந்தியக் கூட்டமைப்பு
Urdu:|

جنوبی ایشیائی علاقائی تعاون کی تنظیم

Logo

SAARC Region

Member states

Observer states

Headquarters| Kathmandu, Nepal
Official languages| English
Demonym(s)| South Asian
Member states|

8 members:

* Afghanistan[lower-alpha 1]
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* India
* Maldives
* Nepal
* Pakistan
* Sri Lanka

9 observers:

* Australia
* China
* European Union
* Iran
* Japan
* Mauritius
* Myanmar
* South Korea
* United States

Leaders

• Secretary-General

| Golam Sarwar[1]
Establishment| 8 December 1985 (39 years ago) (8 December 1985)
Area

• Total

| 5,099,611 km2 (1,968,971 sq mi) (7th)

• Water (%)

| 6.8
Population

• 2015 estimate

| 1,713,870,000[2] ({{{population estimate rank}}})

• Density

| 336.1/km2 (870.5/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)| 2022 estimate

• Total

| US$14.756 trillion[3][citation needed] (3rd)
GDP (nominal)| 2022 estimate

• Total

| $4.359 trillion[3][citation needed] ({{{GDP nominal rank}}})
Currency|

8 currencies

* * *

* Afghanistan Afghani (AFs) (AFN)

* * *

* Bangladesh Taka (৳) (BDT)

* * *

* Bhutan Ngultrum (Nu.) (BTN)

* * *

* India Rupee (₹) (INR)

* * *

* Maldives Rufiyaa (.ރ) (MVR)

* * *

* Nepal Rupee (रु) (NPR)

* * *

* Pakistan Rupee (₨) (PKR)

* * *

* Sri Lanka Rupee (රු) (LKR)

* * *

Time zone| UTC+4:30 to +6 (AFT, PST, MVT, IST, SLST, NPT, BST, BTT)
Calling code|

8 codes

* Bangladesh  +880
* India  +91
* Pakistan  +92
* Afghanistan  +93
* Sri Lanka  +94
* Maldives  +960
* Bhutan  +975
* Nepal  +977

Internet TLD|

8 ccTLDs

* .af
* .bd
* .bt
* .in
* .lk
* .mv
* .np
* .pk

Website
{{{1}}}

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India , Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan , and Sri Lanka. SAARC comprises 3% of the world's land area, 21% of the world's population and 5.21% (US$4.47 trillion)[3] of the global economy, as of 2021.

SAARC was founded in Dhaka on 8 December 1985.[4] Its secretariat is based in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization promotes economic development and regional integration.[5] It launched the South Asian Free Trade Area in 2006.[6] SAARC maintains permanent diplomatic relations at the United Nations as an observer and has developed links with multilateral entities, including the European Union. However, due to the geopolitical conflict between India and Pakistan and the situation in Afghanistan, the organization has been suspended for a long time, and India currently cooperates with its eastern neighbors through BIMSTEC.[7][8]

## Contents

* 1 Historical background
* 2 Members and observers
* 2.1 Members
* 2.2 Observer countries
* 2.3 Potential future members
* 3 Secretariat
* 3.1 Specialized bodies
* 3.2 Regional Centres
* 3.3 Anthem
* 4 Apex and Recognized Bodies
* 5 SAARC Disaster Management Centre
* 6 Political issues
* 7 South Asian Free Trade Area
* 8 SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme
* 9 Awards
* 9.1 SAARC Award
* 9.2 SAARC Literary Award
* 9.3 SAARC Youth Award
* 10 Secretaries-General of SAARC
* 11 SAARC summits
* 12 Current leaders of SAARC
* 12.1 Current leaders
* 13 See also
* 14 Notes
* 15 References
* 16 External links

## Historical background

The idea of co-operation among South Asian Countries was discussed in three conferences: the Asian Relations Conference held in New Delhi in April 1947; the Baguio Conference in the Philippines in May 1950; and the Colombo Powers Conference held in Sri Lanka in April 1954.[9]

In the ending years of the 1970s, the seven inner South Asian nations that included Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, agreed upon the creation of a trade bloc and to provide a platform for the people of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust, and understanding. President Ziaur Rahman later addressed official letters to the leaders of the countries of South Asia, presenting his vision for the future of the region and compelling arguments for co-operation.[10] During his visit to India in December 1977, Rahman discussed the issue of regional cooperation with the Indian Prime Minister, Morarji Desai. In the inaugural speech to the Colombo Plan Consultative Committee which met in Kathmandu also in 1977, King Birendra of Nepal gave a call for close regional cooperation among South Asian countries in sharing river waters.[11]

After the USSR's intervention in Afghanistan, efforts to establish the union were accelerated in 1979 amid the resulting rapid deterioration of the South Asian security situation.[11] Responding to Rahman and Birendra's convention, officials of the foreign ministries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981.[11] The Bangladeshi proposal was promptly endorsed by Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, and Maldives, however India and Pakistan were sceptical initially.[11] The Indian concern was the proposal's reference to the security matters in South Asia and feared that Rahman's proposal for a regional organisation might provide an opportunity for new smaller neighbours to re-internationalize all bilateral issues and to join with each other to form an opposition against India. Pakistan assumed that it might be an Indian strategy to organize the other South Asian countries against Pakistan and ensure a regional market for Indian products, thereby consolidating and further strengthening India's economic dominance in the region.[11]

However, after a series of diplomatic consultations headed by Bangladesh between South Asian UN representatives at the UN headquarters in New York, from September 1979 to 1980, it was agreed that Bangladesh would prepare the draft of a working paper for discussion among the foreign secretaries of South Asian countries.[11] The foreign secretaries of the inner seven countries again delegated a Committee of the Whole in Colombo in September 1981, which identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. New areas of co-operation were added in the following years.[12]

In 1983, at the international conference held in Dhaka by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the foreign ministers of the inner seven countries adopted the Declaration on South Asian Association Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and formally launched the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) initially in five agreed areas of cooperation, namely, Agriculture; Rural Development; Telecommunications; Meteorology; and Health and Population Activities.[13][14]

Officially, the union was established in Dhaka with Kathmandu being the union's secretariat-general.[15] The first SAARC summit was held in Dhaka on 7–8 December 1985 and hosted by the President of Bangladesh Hussain Ershad.[16] The declaration was signed by, namely, King of Bhutan Jigme Singye Wangchuk; President of Pakistan Zia-ul-Haq; Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi; King of Nepal Birendra Shah; President of Sri Lanka JR Jayewardene; and President of Maldives Maumoon Gayoom.[16]

## Members and observers

Economic data is sourced from the International Monetary Fund, current as of December 2019, and is given in United States dollar .[17]

### Members

Country  | Population[18][19] (2018)  | GDP (nominal) [US$ million, 2023][20] | GDP (PPP) [US$ million, 2022]  | GDP per capita
(Nominal)  | GDP per capita
(PPP)  | GDP growth rate
(2022)  | Exports
(US$ million, 2022)  | Foreign direct investment
(US$ million, 2022 or earlier) | Foreign exchange reserves (US$ million, 2022 or earlier)  | Defence budget (US$ million, 2022)[21] | Literacy rate (above age 15)  | Life expectancy  | Population below poverty line  | Primary school enrolment [22] | Secondary school enrollment [23] | Population undernourished (%, 2022)[24] | Human Development Index  | Democracy Index  | Global Terrorism Index  | G20  | BRICS | BIMSTEC  | IORA | APTA | BBIN  | SASEC  | AIIB  | ACU | ACD  | ADB  | World Bank  | Nuclear weapons

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Afghanistan | 37,171,921 | $18,734 | $76,486 | $499 | $2,070 | 2.3% | $784 | N/A | $7,800 | $12,000 | 38.2% | 63.67 | 42% | N/A | 54% | 26.8%  | 0.498

(168)

| 2.97

(143)

| 9.233

(1)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖
Bangladesh | 161,376,708 | $420,516 | $1,360,000 | $2,621 | $8,679 | 8.2% | $52,000 | $54,620 | $45,054 | $4,530 | 80.2% | 73.10 | 24.3% | 98% | 79% | 11.4%  | 0.703

(111)

| 5.57

(88)

| 0

(124)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖
Bhutan | 754,388 | $2,683 | $8,195 | $3,423 | $9,876 | 6.4% | $580 | $186 | $987 | $25.1 | 59.5% | 70.20 | 12% | 91% | 78% | N/A  | 0.612

(134)

| 5.30

(94)

| 0.305

(107)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖
India | 1,352,642,280 | $3,736,882 | $10,510,290 | $2,601 | $9,048 | 6.4% | $303,400 | $367,500 | $487,237 | $60,580 | 77.7% | 70.1 | 21.9% | 92% | 75% | 15.2%  | 0.645

(130)

| 7.23

(41)

| 4.222

(11)

| ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔
Maldives | 515,696 | $7,004 | $8,667 | $15,563 | $23,312 | 6.9% | $256 | $324 | $722 | $86.4 | 98.6% | 77.34 | 16% | N/A | N/A | 5.2%  | 0.717

(101)

| N/A  | N/A  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖
Nepal | 28,095,714 | $42,097 | $94,414 | $1,115 | $3,585 | 6.2% | $819 | $103 | $9,440 | $213 | 64.7% | 70.25 | 13.4% | 98% | 67% | 7.8%  | 0.574

(149)

| 5.18

(97)

| 4.791

(32)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖
Pakistan | 212,228,286 | $376,493 | $1,076,258 | $1,357 | $5,230 | 3.3% | $21,940 | $41,560 | $12,784 | $11,400 | 58% | 66.48 | 24.3% | 72% | 34% | 22%  | 0.562

(150)

| 4.17

(112)

| 10

(10)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔
Sri Lanka | 21,228,763 | $75,296 | $304,826 | $3,698 | $13,114 | 3.0% | $10,930 | N/A | $7,635 | $2,500 | 93.2% | 75.28 | 6.7% | 94% | 77% | 22%  | 0.770

(76)

| 6.19

(71)

| 4.077

(42)

| ✖  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✔  | ✖

The member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India , the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan , and Sri Lanka.[25]

SAARC was founded by seven states in 1985. In 2005, Afghanistan began negotiating their accession to SAARC and formally applied for membership in the same year.[26][27] The issue of Afghanistan joining SAARC generated a great deal of debate in each member state, including concerns about the definition of South Asian identity[28] because Afghanistan is considered a Central Asian country, while it is neither accepted as a Middle Eastern country, nor as a Central Asian country, or as part of the Indian subcontinent, other than being only in part of South Asia.[29]

SAARC member states imposed a stipulation for Afghanistan to hold a general election; the non-partisan elections were held in late 2005.[28] Despite initial reluctance and internal debates, Afghanistan joined SAARC as its eighth member state in April 2007.[28][30]

Despite the Takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in 2021, Afghanistan is still a member of SAARC, despite calls for their suspension and none of the other SAARC members recognizing the Taliban government.[31] The issue was further exasperated as it was Afghanistan's turn to select a Secretary General for SAARC in 2023. All other members decided to skip Afghanistan and award the selection to Bangladesh, with Nepali foreign secretary, Bharat Raj Paudyal, stating that "When the term of the Bangladeshi secretary general ends, if the problems in Afghanistan are resolved, the new secretary general will be from Afghanistan, not from Bhutan."[32][33]

### Observer countries

States with observer status include[34] Australia,[35] China, the European Union, Iran, Japan,[36] Mauritius,[37] Myanmar, South Korea, and the United States.[38][39]

China's 2007 application for observer status received strong support from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan.[40] Other South Asian members of SAARC agreed to support China's observer status, but were not as strongly in favor.[40]

On 2 August 2006, the foreign ministers of SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to three applicants;[41] the US and South Korea (both made requests in April 2006),[41] as well as the European Union (requested in July 2006).[42] On 4 March 2007, Iran requested observer status,[43] followed shortly by Mauritius.

### Potential future members

Myanmar has expressed interest in upgrading its status from an observer to a full member of SAARC.[44] China has requested joining SAARC.[45] Russia has applied for observer status membership of SAARC.[46][47][48] Turkey applied for observer status membership of SAARC in 2012.[46][47][48] South Africa has participated in meetings.[49] Indonesia, Jordan, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Yemen have expressed interest.[citation needed]

## Secretariat

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

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 and was inaugurated by the late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal.[50]

### Specialized bodies

SAARC member states have created the following specialized bodies of SAARC in the member states which have special mandates and structures different from the regional centers. These bodies are managed by their respective governing boards composed of representatives from all the member states, the representative of H.E. secretary-general of SAARC and the ministry of foreign/external affairs of the host government. The heads of these bodies act as member secretary to the governing board which reports to the programming committee of SAARC.

Specialized Body  | Location  | Country  | Website

|
|
|

SAARC Arbitration Council (SARCO)  | Islamabad  | Pakistan  | www.sarco-sec.org
SAARC Development Fund (SDF)  | Thimphu  | Bhutan  | www.sdfsec.org
South Asian University (SAU)  | New Delhi  | India  | www.sau.int
South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO)  | Dhaka  | Bangladesh  | www.sarso.org.bd

### Regional Centres

The SAARC Secretariat is supported by following Regional Centres established in the Member States to promote regional co-operation. 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. After 31 December 2015, there 6 regional centers were stopped by unanimous decision. These are SMRC, SFC, SDC, SCZMC, SIC, SHRDC.[51]

Regional Centre | Location | Country | Website

|
|
|

SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC) | Dhaka | Bangladesh | Official website
SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC) | Dhaka | Bangladesh |
SAARC Forestry Centre (SFC) | Thimphu | Bhutan |
SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) | New Delhi | India |
SAARC Disaster Management Centre (SDMC) | Gandhinagar | India | Official website
SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre (SCZMC) | Malé | Maldives |
SAARC Information Centre (SIC) | Kathmandu | Nepal |
SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Centre (STAC) | Kathmandu | Nepal | Official website
SAARC Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC) | Islamabad | Pakistan |
SAARC Energy Centre (SEC) | Islamabad | Pakistan | Official website
SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC) | Colombo | Sri Lanka | Official website

### Anthem

SAARC does not have an official anthem like some other regional organizations (e.g. ASEAN).[52]

## Apex and Recognized Bodies

SAARC has six Apex Bodies,[53] they are:

* SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI),
* South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law (SAARCLAW),[54]
* 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 18 recognized bodies.[55]

## SAARC Disaster Management Centre

The South Asian Association of Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Disaster Management Centre (SDMC-IU) has been set up at 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 expected to be served by the SDMC (IU). It is entrusted with the responsibility of serving Member States by providing policy advice, technical support on system development, capacity building services and training for holistic management of disaster risk in the SAARC region. The centre also facilitates exchange of information and expertise for effective and efficient management of disaster risk.

## Political issues

Lasting peace and prosperity in South Asia has been elusive because of the various ongoing conflicts in the region. Political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meetings which have refrained from interfering in the internal matters of its member states.[56] During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits, extreme emphasis was laid upon greater cooperation between SAARC members to fight terrorism.[57][58]

The 19th SAARC summit scheduled to be held in Pakistan was called off as India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan decided to boycott it due to a terrorist attack on an army camp in Uri.[59][60] It was the first time that four countries boycotted a SAARC summit, leading to its cancellation.[61][62]

SAARC has generally been ineffective at achieving enhanced regionalism.[63]

## South Asian Free Trade Area

Countries under the South Asian Free Trade Area

See also: South Asian Free Trade Area

The SAFTA 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 the Economic Union. In 1995, Sixteenth session of the Council of Ministers (New Delhi, 18–19 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, 29–31 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.[64] The Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006, and the Trade Liberalization Programme commenced from 1 July 2006.[65] Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 percent by 2009. Following the Agreement coming into force the SAFTA Ministerial Council (SMC) has been established comprising the Commerce Ministers of the Member States.[66] In 2012 SAARC exports increased substantially to $354.6 billion from $206.7 billion in 2009.[67] Imports too increased from $330 billion to $602 billion over the same period. But the intra-SAARC trade amounts to just a little over 1% of SAARC's GDP. In contrast to SAARC, in ASEAN (which is actually smaller than SAARC in terms of the size of the economy) the intra-bloc trade stands at 10% of its GDP.

The SAFTA was envisaged to gradually move towards the South Asian Economic Union, but the current intra-regional trade and investment relation are not encouraging and it may be difficult to achieve this target. SAARC intra-regional trade stands at just five percent on the share of intra-regional trade in overall trade in South Asia. Similarly, foreign direct investment is also dismal. The intra-regional FDI flow stands at around four percent of the total foreign investment.[68]

The Asian Development Bank has estimated that inter-regional trade in SAARC region possessed the potential of shooting up agricultural exports by $14 billion per year from existing level of $8 billion to $22 billion. The study by Asian Development Bank states that against the potential average SAARC intra-regional trade of $22 billion per year, the actual trade in South Asia has been only around $8 billion. The uncaptured potential for intra-regional trade is therefore $14 billion per year, i.e., 68%.[69][70]

## SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme

The SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme was launched in 1992. The leaders at the Fourth Summit (Islamabad, 29–31 December 1988), realizing the importance of people-to-people contact among SAARC countries, decided that certain categories of dignitaries should be entitled to a Special Travel document. The document 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, entrepreneurs, journalists, and athletes.

The Visa 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 SAARC Member States.[71]

## Awards

### SAARC Award

The Twelfth (12th) Summit approved the SAARC Award to support individuals and organizations within the region. The main aims of the SAARC Award are:

* To encourage individuals and organizations 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, environmental protection, and regional cooperation.
* To honour any other contributions and achievement not covered above of individuals and organizations in the region.

The SAARC Award consists of a gold medal, a letter of citation, and cash prize of $25,000. 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.[72]

### SAARC Literary Award

Recipients of SAARC Literary Award 2013

The SAARC Literary Award is an annual award conferred by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL) since 2001[73][74] which is an apex SAARC body.[75] Some of the prominent recipients of this award include Shamshur Rahman, Mahasweta Devi, Jayanta Mahapatra, Abhi Subedi, Mark Tully, Sitakant Mahapatra, Uday Prakash, Suman Pokhrel, and Abhay K.[76]

Nepali poet, lyricist, and translator Suman Pokhrel is the only poet/writer to be awarded twice.[77]

### SAARC Youth Award

The SAARC Youth Award is awarded to outstanding individuals from the SAARC region. The award is notable because of 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 recognizes 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.[78]

Previous Winners:

* 1992: World Population Issue and Welfare - Painting; - Devang Soparkar (India)
* 1997: Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare – Sukur Salek (Bangladesh)
* 1998: New Inventions and Shanu — Najmul Hasnain Shah (Pakistan)
* 2001: Creative Photography: South Asian Diversity – Mushfiqul Alam (Bangladesh)
* 2002: Outstanding contribution to protect the Environment – Masil Khan (Pakistan)
* 2003: Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine – Hassan Sher (Pakistan)
* 2004: Outstanding contribution to raising awareness of TB and/or HIV/AIDS – Ajij Prasad Poudyal (Nepal)
* 2006: Promotion of Tourism in South Asia – Syed Zafar Abbas Naqvi (Pakistan)
* 2008: Protecting the Environment in South Asia – Deepani Jayantha (Sri Lanka)
* 2009: Outstanding contribution to humanitarian works in the aftermath of Natural Disasters – Ravikant Singh (India)
* 2010: Outstanding contribution for the Protection of Environment and mitigation of Climate Change – Anoka Primrose Abeyrathne (Sri Lanka)
* 2011: Youth leadership in the fight against social ills - Mr. Mohamed Faseen Rafiu (The Maldives)[79]

## Secretaries-General of SAARC

# | Name | Country | Took office | Left office

|
|
|
|

1 | Abul Ahsan | Bangladesh | 16 January 1985 | 15 October 1989
2 | Kant Kishore Bhargava | India | 17 October 1989 | 31 December 1991
3 | Ibrahim Hussein Zaki | Maldives | 1 January 1992 | 31 December 1993
4 | Yadav Kant Silwal | Nepal | 1 January 1994 | 31 December 1995
5 | Naeem U. Hasan | Pakistan | 1 January 1996 | 31 December 1998
6 | Nihal Rodrigo | Sri Lanka | 1 January 1999 | 10 January 2002
7 | Q. A. M. A. Rahim | Bangladesh | 11 January 2002 | 28 February 2005
8 | Chenkyab Dorji | Bhutan | 1 March 2005 | 29 February 2008
9 | Sheel Kant Sharma | India | 1 March 2008 | 28 February 2011
10 | Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed | Maldives | 1 March 2011 | 11 March 2012
11 | Ahmed Saleem | Maldives | 12 March 2012 | 28 February 2014
12 | Arjun Bahadur Thapa | Nepal | 1 March 2014 | 28 February 2017
13 | Amjad Hussain B. Sial | Pakistan | 1 March 2017 | 29 February 2020
14 | Esala Ruwan Weerakoon | Sri Lanka | 1 March 2020 | 3 March 2023
15 | Golam Sarwar | Bangladesh | 4 March 2023 | Incumbent

## SAARC summits

No | Date | Country | Host | Host leader

|
|
|
|

1st | 7–8 December 1985 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | Ataur Rahman Khan
2nd | 16–17 November 1986 | India | Bengaluru | Rajiv Gandhi
3rd | 2–4 November 1987 | Nepal | Kathmandu | King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah
4th | 29–31 December 1988 | Pakistan | Islamabad | Benazir Bhutto
5th | 21–23 November 1990 | Maldives | Malé | Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
6th | 21 December 1991 | Sri Lanka | Colombo | Ranasinghe Premadasa
7th | 10–11 April 1993 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | Khaleda Zia
8th | 2–4 May 1995 | India | New Delhi | P V Narasimha Rao
9th | 12–14 May 1997 | Maldives | Malé | Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
10th | 29–31 July 1998 | Sri Lanka | Colombo | Chandrika Kumaratunga
11th | 4–6 January 2002 | Nepal | Kathmandu | Sher Bahadur Deuba
12th | 2–6 January 2004 | Pakistan | Islamabad | Zafarullah Khan Jamali
13th | 12–13 November 2005 | Bangladesh | Dhaka | Khaleda Zia
14th | 3–4 April 2007 | India | New Delhi | Manmohan Singh
15th | 1–3 August 2008 | Sri Lanka | Colombo | Mahinda Rajapaksa
16th | 28–29 April 2010 | Bhutan | Thimphu | Jigme Thinley
17th | 10–11 November 2011 | Maldives | Addu | Mohammed Nasheed
18th | 26–27 November 2014[80] | Nepal | Kathmandu | Sushil Koirala
19th | 15–16 November 2016 | Pakistan | Islamabad | Cancelled
20th | Planned for 2023 or 2024 | Pakistan | Islamabad | N/A

## Current leaders of SAARC

Leaders are either heads of state or heads of government, depending on which is constitutionally the chief executive of the nation's government.

* Afghanistan
Hibatullah Akhundzada
Supreme Leader of Afghanistan
(de facto)

* People's Republic of Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina
Prime Minister of Bangladesh

* Kingdom of Bhutan
Tshering Tobgay
Prime Minister of Bhutan

* Template:Country data Republic of India
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India

* Republic of Maldives
Mohamed Muizzu
President of the Maldives

* Template:Country data Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal
Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Prime Minister of Nepal

* Template:Country data Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Anwar ul Haq Kakar
Caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan

* Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Ranil Wickremesinghe
President of Sri Lanka

### Current leaders

Country  | Chief executive  | Incumbent

|
|

Afghanistan  | Supreme Leader (de facto)  | Hibatullah Akhundzada
Bangladesh  | Prime Minister  | Sheikh Hasina
Bhutan  | Prime Minister  | Tshering Tobgay
India | Prime Minister  | Narendra Modi
Maldives | President  | Mohamed Muizzu
Nepal  | Prime Minister  | Pushpa Kamal Dahal
Pakistan | Caretaker Prime Minister | Anwar ul Haq Kakar
Sri Lanka  | President  | Ranil Wickremesinghe

## See also

* ASEAN and India's Look-East connectivity projects
* Asia Cooperation Dialogue
* SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry
* Bangladesh Bhutan India Nepal Initiative
* BIMSTEC
* Indian-Ocean Rim Association
* ICAN
* List of SAARC summits
* Mekong–Ganga Cooperation
* SAARC satellite
* South Asian University
* South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation
* Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
* Economic Cooperation Organization

## Notes

1. ↑ The flag of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is still used by SAARC, and the Taliban are not recognized as the rightful government of Afghanistan by SAARC; please see the SAARC website.

## References

1. ↑ "Sarwar to be new Saarc secretary general". 7 March 2023. https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/03/07/sarwar-to-be-new-saarc-secretary-general.
2. ↑ "World Urbanization Prospects — Population Division". United Nations. http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/CD-ROM/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=88&pr.y=15&sy=2015&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,556,513,514,558,564,524,534&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP&grp=0&a=.
4. ↑ Ahmad, Naveed (6 August 2016). "Rest in peace SAARC: The tug of war between India and Pakistan". The Express Tribune. http://tribune.com.pk/story/1156839/rest-peace-saarc-tug-war-india-pakistan/.
5. ↑ "Charter of SAARC". http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Charter/5/.
6. ↑ Center, Asia Regional Integration. "South Asian Free Trade Area Free Trade Agreement". https://aric.adb.org/fta/south-asian-free-trade-area.
7. ↑ Longtail-e-media. "From SAARC to BIMSTEC: Neighborhood Perspective" (in en-us). https://www.aidiaasia.org/research-article/from-saarc-to-bimstec-neighborhood-perspective.
8. ↑ "BIMSTEC Gets a New Lease of Life" (in en-US). The Diplomat. https://thediplomat.com/2022/04/bimstec-gets-a-new-lease-of-life/. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
9. ↑ "12th SAARC Summit Islamabad: History and Evolution of SAARC". http://jang.com.pk/important_events/saarc_2004/history.html.
10. ↑ "History and mission of SAARC". Daily News (Colombo). 1 August 2008. http://archives.dailynews.lk/2008/08/01/saarc02.asp.
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 Muhammad, Jamshed Iqbal. "SAARC: Origin, Growth, Potential and Achievements". National Institute of Historical and Cultural Research in Islamabad. http://www.nihcr.edu.pk/Latest_English_Journal/SAARC_Jamshed_Iqbal.pdf.
12. ↑ "A Brief on SAARC." South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. No date. See for a complete historical account of SAARC e.g. Michael, Arndt (2013). India's Foreign Policy and Regional Multilateralism (Palgrave Macmillan), pp. 57–112.
13. ↑ "History and Evolution of SAARC". Jang Media Research Unit. http://jang.com.pk/important_events/saarc_2004/history.html.
14. ↑ "South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) | Treaties & Regimes | NTI". https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/south-asian-association-regional-cooperation-saarc/.
15. ↑ "About SAARC". http://www.mohe.gov.af/saarc.afg/about us.html.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "1st Summit Declaration". SAARC Secretariat. http://www.saarc-sec.org/userfiles/01-Dhaka-1stSummit1985.pdf.
17. ↑ "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". imf.org. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2015/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?pr.x=54&pr.y=16&sy=2013&ey=2015&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=512,556,513,514,558,564,524,534&s=NGDPD,NGDPDPC,PPPGDP,PPPPC,LUR,LP,GGX&grp=0&a=.
18. ↑ ""World Population prospects – Population division"". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://population.un.org/wpp/.
19. ↑ ""Overall total population" – World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision" (xslx). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators (Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_Population/WPP2019_POP_F01_1_TOTAL_POPULATION_BOTH_SEXES.xlsx.
20. ↑ "IMF GDP data Outlook 2022". https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2019/02/weodata/index.aspx.
21. ↑ "Firepower Index, Defence Budget". https://www.globalfirepower.com/defense-spending-budget.asp.
22. ↑ "Net enrolment rate, primary, both sexes (%) - Data". World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.NENR.
23. ↑ "Gross enrollment ratio, secondary, both sexes (%) - Data". World Bank. http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.SEC.ENRR/countries.
24. ↑ "Regional Overview of Food Insecurity: Asia and the Pacific". Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2022. http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4624e.pdf.
25. ↑ "South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation". http://www.saarc-sec.org/.
26. ↑ "Afghanistan keen to join SAARC". rediff web services. 28 August 2005. http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/aug/28afghan3.htm.
27. ↑ "Afghanistan inducted as 8th member: 14th Saarc summit begins". Dawn. 4 April 2004. http://dawn.com/news/240651/afghanistan-inducted-as-8th-member-14th-saarc-summit-begins.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 Sáez, Lawrence (2012). The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC): An emerging collaboration architecture. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. pp. 58–. ISBN 978-1-136-67108-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=yTzKWI42uR4C&pg=PT58.
29. ↑ Ewan W. Anderson; Liam D. Anderson (4 December 2013). An Atlas of Middle Eastern Affairs. Routledge. p. 5. ISBN 978-1-136-64862-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=n-VJAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA5. , Quote: "To the east, Iran, as a Gulf state, offers a generally accepted limit to the Middle East. However, Afghanistan, also a Muslim state, is then left in isolation. It is not accepted as a part of Central Asia and it is clearly not part of the Indian subcontinent".
30. ↑ O'Rourke, Breffni. "South Asia: Afghanistan Joins World's Largest Regional Grouping ." Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 3 April 2007.
31. ↑ "Making a case for suspending Afghanistan from SAARC to prevent the crippling of the organisation". https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/suspending-afghanistan-from-saarc-and-international-law/.
32. ↑ "SAARC Secretary General Position not awarded to Afghanistan". 12 March 2023. https://theprint.in/world/saarc-secretary-general-position-not-awarded-to-afghanistan/1437279/.
33. ↑ "Bangladesh will get to pick new Saarc secretary general" (in English). https://kathmandupost.com/national/2023/02/19/bangladesh-will-get-to-pick-new-saarc-secretary-general.
34. ↑ "Cooperation with Observers". http://saarc-sec.org/Cooperation-with-Observers/13/.
35. ↑ "Sri Lanka, 7 - 30 - 2008: Australia and Myanmar to admit as SAARC observers - Sri Lanka official". ColomboPage. http://www.colombopage.com/archive_08/July3042729CH.html.
36. ↑ "SAARC To Grant Observer Status To US, S Korea, EU". The Himalayan Times. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullstory.asp?filename=6a6Za3za.9amal&folder=aHaoamW&Name=Home&dtSiteDate=20060802.
37. ↑ "Australia, Myanmar seek SAARC observer status". The Island. http://www.island.lk/2008/07/23/news2.html.
38. ↑ "Cooperation with Observers". http://www.saarc-sec.org/Cooperation-with-Observers/13/.
39. ↑ "SAARC SECRETARIAT". http://saarc-sec.org/external_relations/details/relations-with-observers.
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 Kelegama, Saman (2016). "China as a Balancer in South Asia". The new great game : China and South and Central Asia in the era of reform. Thomas Fingar. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 192. ISBN 978-0-8047-9764-1. OCLC 939553543.
41. ↑ 41.0 41.1 "SAARC to grant observer status to US, S Korea, EU ." Hindustan Times. 2 August 2006.
42. ↑ Waliur Rahman. "US and S Korea to observe SAARC." BBC News , 11 April 2008.
43. ↑ "Iran requests for observer status in SAARC". China Daily. 4 March 2007. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2007-03/04/content_818998.htm.
44. ↑ "SAARC and Myanmar: Observer Research Foundation". http://www.orfonline.org/cms/sites/orfonline/modules/analysis/AnalysisDetail.html?cmaid=14854&mmacmaid=14855.
45. ↑ Kumar, S. Y. Surendra (December 2015). "China's SAARC membership: The debate". International Journal of China Studies 6 (3): 299–311. https://icsum.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IJCSV6N3-FULL-ISSUE-1.pdf. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 "Russia, Turkey seek observer status in SAARC". The Economic Times. Indo-Asian News Service. 16 February 2014. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/russia-turkey-seek-observer-status-in-saarc/articleshow/30517011.cms.
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 SAARC The Changing Dimensions: UNU-CRIS Working Papers United Nations University , Comparative Regional Integration Studies
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 Russia keen to join SAARC as observer , Oneindia News
49. ↑ "SAARC nations call for transparency in social sector". thaindian.com. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/uncategorized/saarc-nations-call-for-transparency-in-social-sector_10024810.html.
50. ↑ "SAARC: Towards greater integration in South Asia". Daily News. http://archives.dailynews.lk/2008/07/26/fea01.asp.
51. ↑ "Saarc Secretariat". http://saarc-sec.org/saarc-regional-centres.
52. ↑ Will SAARC have an anthem-like ASEAN? Hindustan Times, 3 November 2014
53. ↑ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — Apex and Recognised Bodies". saarc-sec.org. http://www.saarc-sec.org/Apex-and-Recognised-Bodies/14/.
54. ↑ "SAARCLAW — South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation in Law". saarclaw.org. http://www.saarclaw.org/index.php.
55. ↑ "SAARC Recognized Bodies". http://saarc-sec.org/saarc-recognized-bodies.
56. ↑ See for this aspect Michael, Arndt (2013). Sovereignty vs. Security: SAARC and its Role in the Regional Security Architecture in South Asia. Harvard Asia Quarterly Summer 2013, Vol. VX, No.2: 37-45
57. ↑ Jhawar, Shiv (2004). Building a Noble World. Noble World Foundation. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-9749197-0-6.
58. ↑ "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2012". http://nobelprize.org/.
59. ↑ "SAARC conference in Pakistan postponed". https://www.geo.tv/latest/116144-SAARC-conference-in-Pakistan-postponed-confirm-official-sources.
60. ↑ "SAARC summit to be called off as Dhaka, Kabul and Thimphu too slam Islamabad". The Indian Express. 29 September 2016. http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/dhaka-kabul-thimphu-too-blame-islamabad-saarc-summit-to-be-called-off-3054953/.
61. ↑ "Saarc summit collapses after India and three other members pull out". Hindustan Times. 28 September 2016. http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/saarc-summit-collapses-after-india-and-3-other-members-pull-out/story-kIMWfSqirGLzB6MEfuS3CN.html.
62. ↑ "Saarc summit in Pakistan postponed after member states pull out". Dawn. 28 September 2016. http://www.dawn.com/news/1286684.
63. ↑ Kelegama, Saman (2016). "China as a Balancer in South Asia". The new great game : China and South and Central Asia in the era of reform. Thomas Fingar. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. pp. 191. ISBN 978-0-8047-9764-1. OCLC 939553543.
64. ↑ Maqbool, Asif; Chattha, Muhammad Waqas Alam; Azeem, Masood. "Challenges and opportunities for Pakistan under SAFTA". https://www.gtap.agecon.purdue.edu/resources/download/2977.pdf.
65. ↑ "Agreement on South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA)". https://commerce.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/safta.pdf.
66. ↑ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — Area of Cooperation". saarc-sec.org. http://www.saarc-sec.org/areaofcooperation/detail.php?activity_id=5.
67. ↑ "Potential for Enhancing Intra-SAARC Trade: A Brief Analysis". https://www.eximbankindia.in/Assets/Dynamic/PDF/Publication-Resources/ResearchPapers/43file.pdf.
68. ↑ "SAFTA meet likely next month". The Himalayan Times. 25 March 2016. http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/safta-meet-likely-next-month/.
69. ↑ "ADB urges Safta to exploit rich trade potential of member countries". The News International. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/142861-ADB-urges-Safta-to-exploit-rich-trade-potential-of-member-countries.
70. ↑ Ranjan, Prabhash (8 September 2016). "Coming closer together for trade". The Hindu. http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/Coming-closer-together-for-trade/article14628676.ece.
71. ↑ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — SAARC Visa Exemption Scheme". saarc-sec.org. http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Visa-Exemption-Scheme/100/.
72. ↑ "South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation — SAARC Award". saarc-sec.org. http://www.saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Award/70/.
73. ↑ "SAARC Literary Awards". http://www.foundationsaarcwriters.com/literature/saarc-literary-awards.
74. ↑ "Five writers honoured at SAARC Literature Festival". Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/lifestyle/books/five-writers-honoured-at-saarc-literature-festival/article1-1024426.aspx. Five Writers honoured at SAARC Litearure Festival, Hindustan Times 11 March 2013
75. ↑ "Apex and Recognised Bodies". http://www.saarc-sec.org/Apex-and-Recognised-Bodies/14/.
76. ↑ Mahasweta Devi to get SAARC Literary Award Oneindia.in 30 March 2007
77. ↑ Hindustan Times, New Delhi, Saturday, 14 February 2015
78. ↑ "SAARC Youth Award". http://saarc-sec.org/SAARC-Youth-Award/71/.
79. ↑ "SAARC Youth Awards" (in en-gb). 3 September 2020. https://www.saarc-sec.org/index.php/resources/announcement/saarc-youth-awards.
80. ↑ "Press Releases, 18th SAARC Summit Declaration, 27 November 2014". SAARC. http://www.saarc-sec.org/press-releases/18th-SAARC-Summit-Declaration/121/.

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