South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

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South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Flag of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Location of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Members • Observers
Headquarters Kathmandu, Nepal
Membership 8 member states
6 observers
Leaders
 -  Secretary General Dr. Sheel Kant Sharma
Establishment December 8, 1985
Area
 -  Total 5,130,746 km² (7th1)
1,980,992 sq mi 
Population
 -  2004 estimate 1,467,255,669 (1st1)
 -  Density 285.9/km² 
740.5/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2005 estimate
 -  Total US$ 4,074,031 million (3th1)
 -  Per capita US$ 2,777 
Currency see footnote 2
Time zone (UTC+4½ to +6)
Website
http://www.saarc-sec.org/
1 If considered as a single entity.
2 A unified currency has been proposed.
Present currencies (ISO 4217 codes bracketed):
Afghan afghani (AFG) • Bangladeshi taka (BDT) •
Bhutanese ngultrum (BTN) • Indian rupee (INR) •
Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) • Nepalese rupee (NPR) •
Pakistani rupee (PKR) • Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)

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, the combined population of its member states. It was established on December 8, 1985 by India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan. In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its eighth member.

Contents

[edit] History

In the late 1970s, Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman proposed the creation of a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries. The Bangladeshi proposal was accepted by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka during a meeting held in Colombo in 1981. In August 1983, the leaders adopted the Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation during a summit which was held in New Delhi. The seven South Asian countries, which also included Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan, agreed on five areas of cooperation:

  • Agriculture and Rural Development
  • Telecommunications, Science, Technology and Meteorology
  • Health and Population Activities
  • Transport
  • Human Resource Development

Afghanistan was added to the regional grouping at the behest of India on November 13, 2005,[1] and became a member on April 3, 2007.[2] 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.[3][4] On August 2, 2006 the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and the European Union. On 4 March 2007, Iran requested observer status.[5]

[edit] Secretariat

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987. 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 comprises the Secretary General, seven Directors and the General Services Staff. The SAARC Secretariat was inaugurated by his Majesty King Bhindra Bir Shah Dev on January 16, 1987.The several recent meetings of the heads of state or government of SAARC have taken some important decisions and bold initiatives to strengthen the organisation and to widen and deepen regional co-operation.The role and function of the SAARC secretariat and the Secretary-General and on the Establishment of the Secretariat are provided for in the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by Foreign Ministers of member countries on 17 November 1986 at Bangalore India.According to the Memorandum, the Secretary-General is appointed by the SAARC Council of Ministers upon nomination by the member states on the principal of rotation in an alphabetical order. The other professional staff is Directors nominated by each member state but formally appointed by the Secretary General.

[edit] Ineffectiveness

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 members.

[edit] Political issues

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 cooperation between the SAARC members to fight terrorism.

[edit] Free trade agreement

Over the years, the SAARC members have expressed their unwillingness on signing a free trade agreement. Though India has several trade pacts with Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, similar trade agreements with Pakistan and Bangladesh have been stalled due to political and economic concerns on both sides. India has been constructing a barrier across its borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1993, SAARC countries signed an agreement to gradually lower tariffs within the region, in Dhaka. Eleven years later, at the 12th SAARC Summit at Islamabad, SAARC countries devised the South Asia Free Trade Agreement which created a framework for the establishment of a free trade area covering 1.4 billion people. This agreement went into force on January 1, 2006. Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 per cent by 2007.

[edit] Dhaka 2005 Summit

The summit accorded observer status to People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea and United States of America. The nations also agreed to organize development funds under a single financial institution with a permanent secretariat, that would cover all SAARC programs ranging from social, to infrastructure, to economic ones.

[edit] Membership

Current members

Observers

[edit] Secretaries General

Flag of Bangladesh Abul Ahsan 16 January 1987 to 15 October 1989
Flag of India Kant Kishore Bhargava October 17, 1989 to December 31, 1991
Flag of the Maldives Ibrahim Hussain Zaki January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993
Flag of Nepal Yadav Kant Silwal January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995
Flag of Pakistan Naeem U. Hasan January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998
Flag of Sri Lanka Nihal Rodrigo January 1, 1999 to January 10, 2002
Flag of Bangladesh Q.A.M.A. Rahim January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005
Flag of Bhutan Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008
Flag of India Sheel Kant Sharma March 1, 2008 to date

[edit] List of SAARC summits

1st Flag of Bangladesh Dhaka December 7-8 1985
2nd Flag of India Bangalore November 16-17 1986
3rd Flag of Nepal  Kathmandu November 2-4 1987
4th Flag of Pakistan Islamabad December 29-31 1988
5th Flag of the Maldives Malé November 21-23 1990
6th Flag of Sri Lanka Colombo December 21, 1991
7th Flag of Bangladesh Dhaka April 10-11 1993
8th Flag of India New Delhi May 2-4 1995
9th Flag of the Maldives Malé May 12-14 1997
10th Flag of Sri Lanka Colombo July 29-31 1998
11th Flag of Nepal  Kathmandu January 4-6 2002
12th Flag of Pakistan Islamabad January 2-6 2004
13th Flag of Bangladesh Dhaka November 12-13 2005
14th Flag of India New Delhi April 3-4 2007
15th Flag of Sri Lanka Kandy July 30-31 2008

[edit] Future membership

  • Flag of the People's Republic of China The People's Republic of China has shown its interest in joining SAARC.[8] While Pakistan and Bangladesh support China's candidature, India is more reluctant about the prospect of Chinese membership, while Bhutan does not even have diplomatic relations with China.[9] However, during the 2005 Dhaka summit, India agreed on granting observer status to the PRC along with Flag of Japan Japan. During the 14th summit, Nepal along with Pakistan and Bangladesh, announced their support for the membership of China.[10][11][12] China seeks greater involvement in SAARC, however, finds it too early to apply for full membership. [13]
  • Flag of Iran The Islamic Republic of Iran, a state with borders to two SAARC members, has traditionally enjoyed strong cultural, economic and political relationships with Afghanistan, India and Pakistan and has expressed its desire to become a member of the South Asian organization. On 22 February 2005, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Kamal Kharrazi, indicated Iran's interest in joining SAARC by saying that his country could provide the region with "East-West connectivity".[14] On 3 March 2007, Iran asked to join the SAARC as an observer. SAARC Secretary-General Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji responded by saying that Iran's request for observer status would be taken up during a meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of SAARC member countries in the 3 April summit in New Delhi.[15][16]
  • Flag of Myanmar Union of Myanmar has expressed an interest in joining as a full member. If done so, Myanmar will become the ninth member in the group. India is currently backing Myanmar.[19][20]

[edit] Comparison with other regional blocs

Most active regional blocs
(as of 2004, except as noted)
Regional bloc1 Area Population GDP ($US) Member
states1
km² sq mi in millions (PPP) in millions (nominal) per capita (PPP) per capita (nominal)
AU 29,797,500 11,504,879 897,548,804 1,515,000 1,131,850 1,896 1,261 53
ASEAN (2007 est.) 4,497,493 1,736,000 566,500,000 3,115,480 1,173,000 5,541 2,041 10
CACM 422,614 163,172 37,816,598 159,536 84,792 4,219 2,242 5
CARICOM 462,344 178,512 14,565,083 64,219 24,020 4,409 1,649 (14+1)3
CCASG / GCC 2,285,844 882,569 35,869,438 536,223 717,800 14,949 20,011 6
CEFTA 298,148 115,116 28,929,682 222,041 122,001 7,675 4,217 (7+1)3
EU (2007 est.) 4,324,782 1,669,808 497,000,000 14,953,000 16,574,000 28,213 33,482 27
EurAsEC 20,789,100 8,026,720 208,067,618 1,689,137 1,125,528 8,118 5,409 6
EFTA (2007 est.) 529,600 204,480 12,660,623 567,500 743,300 44,828 60,000 4
GAFTA 9,421,946 3,637,834 280,727,416 1,341,298 N/A 4,778 N/A (16+1)3
GUAM 810,506 312,938 63,764,600 456,173 106,469 7,154 1,670 4
NAFTA (2007 est.) 21,783,850 8,410,792 445,000,000 15,857,000 15,723,000 35,491 35,564 3
PARTA 528,151 203,920 34,137,339 23,074 N/A 2,954 N/A (14+2)3
SAARC 5,136,740 1,983,306 1,467,255,669 4,074,031 N/A 2,777 N/A 8
Unasur / Unasul 17,339,153 6,694,684 370,158,470 2,868,430 N/A 7,749 N/A 12
UN and countries
for reference2		 Area Population GDP ($US) Units4
km² sq mi in millions (PPP) in millions (nominal) per capita (PPP) per capita (nominal)
UN 133,178,011 51,420,318 6,411,682,270 55,167,630 48,245,198 8,604 7,524 192
Brazil (2007 est.) 8,514,877 3,287,612 183,888,841 1,804,000 1,067,706 10,073 6,842 27
Canada (2007 est.) 9,984,670 3,855,103 33,000,000 1,274,000 1,406,000 38,200 42,738 13
India (2007 est.) 3,287,590 1,269,346 1,120,000,000 4,726,000 1,089,000 4,182 1,004 35
Japan (2007 est.) 377,873 145,898 127,433,494 4,346,000 4,346,000 33,800 38,341 47
PR China5 (2007 est.) 9,596,960 3,705,407 1,321,851,888 7,043,000 3,420,000 5,300 2,800 33
Russia (2007 est.) 17,075,200 6,592,772 142,500,000 2,076,000 1,286,000 14,600 9,056 83
USA (2007 est.) 9,826,630 3,794,083 302,000,000 13,543,000 13,794,700 43,500 45,594 50
Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database, IMF nominal figures for 2006.[citation needed]
Legend
     smallest value among the blocs compared     largest value among the blocs compared

Footnotes
1 Including data only for full and most active members.
2 Including the largest five countries by area, population (not #4), GDP (PPP) (not #5), and GDP (nominal) (not #3 or #5).
3 Including non-sovereign autonomous areas of other states.
4 Members or administrative divisions.
5 Data for the People's Republic of China does not include Hong Kong, Macau, or the independent Republic of China (Taiwan) (over which PRC claims sovereignty).

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[edit] See also

SAARC Portal

[edit] References

  1. ^ indiatimes.com
  2. ^ South Asia: Afghanistan Joins World's Largest Regional Grouping
  3. ^ news.bbc.co.uk
  4. ^ hindustantimes.com
  5. ^ english.people.com.cn
  6. ^ a b thehimalayantimes.com
  7. ^ tehrantimes.com
  8. ^ Afghan and further Chinese membership prospects
  9. ^ China's membership prospects
  10. ^ chennaionline.com
  11. ^ telegraphnepal.com
  12. ^ irna.ir
  13. ^ [1]
  14. ^ Iran's membership prospects
  15. ^ upi.com
  16. ^ irna.ir
  17. ^ english.people.com.cn
  18. ^ monstersandcritics.com
  19. ^ [2]
  20. ^ [3]
  21. ^ topnews.in
  22. ^ topnews.in
  23. ^ » SAARC nations call for transparency in social sector - Thaindian News

[edit] External links


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