The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December 1985. SAARC comprises of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January 1987. The objectives of the Association as outlined in the SAARC Charter are: 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 potentials; to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems; 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 international forums on matters of common interests; and to cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
Taken from: http://saarc-sec.org/about-saarc
What is SAARC?
SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Benefits and Opportunities of Regional Cooperation in South Asia – World Bank
SAARC in the New Millenium: Promises to Keep – Indian Diplomacy
SAARC Opinions, Reports and Discussions:
A Critical Disconnect: The Role of SAARC in building DRM capacities of South Asian countries (2015)
SAARC is dead, long live SAARC- The Diplomat
South Asian “Zombie”: The futility of reviving SAARC – Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses
The Irrelevance of SAARC- The Tribune
SAARC – 25 Years of Regional Integration in South Asia (2011)
SAARC Publications:
A Compilation of Memoranda of Understanding/Cooperation Agreements
Areas of Cooperation:
Human Resource Development and Tourism
Agriculture and Cultural Development
Environment, Natural Disaster and Biotechnology
Information and Poverty Alleviation
Energy, Transport, Science and Technology
Education, Security and Culture
SAARC External Relations:
China’s role in SAARC- Brookings
Memorandum of Understanding Between World Health Organization (WHO) and SAARC
SAARC News:
Pakistan Accuses India of “scuttling” SAARC Summit
PM Modi’s SAARC Boycott is effective, intelligent move against Pakistan- NDTV
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