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| Sunday, 27 February 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
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What SAARC stands for You may have regularly seen, and also heard the word SAARC being mentioned these days and wondered what it is all about. The South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation, or SAARC, is an association of seven countries of South Asia, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. These countries comprise an area of 4, 480, 000 km2 and a fifth of the population of the world. Set up on December 8, 1985, SAARC encourages co-operation in agriculture, rural development, science and technology, culture, health, population control, narcotics control and anti-terrorism. The foremost objective of SAARC is to help peoples of South Asia to work together towards finding solutions to their common problems in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding and to create an order based on mutual respect, equity and shared benefits. History The idea of regional co-operation in South Asia was first mooted in November 1980. After consultations, the Foreign Secretaries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo, in April 1981. This was followed, a few months later, by the meeting of the Committee of the Whole, which identified five broad areas for regional co-operation. The Foreign Ministers, at their first meeting in New Delhi, in August 1983, formally launched the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) through the adoption of the Declaration on South Asian Regional Co-operation (SARC). At the First Summit held in Dhaka on December 7-8, 1985, the Charter establishing the SAARC was adopted. Institutional structure Summit:The highest authority of the Association rests with the Heads of State or Government. Council of Ministers : Comprising the Foreign Ministers of member States, it is responsible for the formulation of policies; reviewing progress; deciding on new areas of co-operation; establishing additional mechanisms as deemed necessary; and deciding on other matters of general interest to the Association. The Council meets twice a year and may also meet in extraordinary sessions by agreement of member states. Standing Committee: Comprising the Foreign Secretaries of member States, it is entrusted with the overall monitoring and coordination of programmes and the modalities of financing; determining inter-sectoral priorities; mobilising regional and external resources; and identifying new areas of co-operation based on appropriate studies. It may meet as often as deemed necessary but in practice it meets twice a year and submits its reports to the Council of Ministers. Programming Committee: Comprising the senior officials, it meets prior to the Standing Committee sessions to scrutinize Secretariat Budget, finalise the Calendar of Activities and take up any other matter assigned to it by the Standing Committee. Technical Committees: Comprising representatives of member States, they formulate programmes and prepare projects in their respective fields. They are responsible for monitoring the implementation of such activities and report to the Standing Committee. The chairmanship of each Technical Committee normally rotates among member countries in alphabetical order, every two years. Action Committees : According to the SAARC Charter, there is a provision for Action Committees comprising member States. They are concerned with implementation of projects involving more than two, but not all member States. SAARC Secretariat Established in Kathmandu on January 16 , 1987, the SAARC Secretariat is responsible for co-ordinating and monitoring 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, a Director from each member State and the General Services Staff. The Secretary-General is appointed by the Council of Ministers upon nomination by a member State, on the principle of rotation in alphabetical order, for a period of two years. Abul Ahsan from Bangladesh was the first Secretary-General (January 16 , 1987 - October 15, 1989). The current Secretary-General is Q. A. M. A. Rahim of Bangladesh. **** Objectives and principles The objectives, principles and general provisions, as mentioned in the SAARC Charter, are as follows : - 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 realise their full potential. - 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. **** List of SAARC summits 1. December 8, 1985 in Dhaka 2. November 17, 1986 in Bangalore 3. November 4, 1987 in Kathmandu 4. December 31, 1988 in Islamabad 5. November 23, 1990 in Male 6. December 21, 1991 in Colombo 7. April 11, 1993 in Dhaka 8. May 4, 1995 in New Delhi 9. May 14, 1997 in Male 10. July 31, 1998 in Colombo 11. January 6, 2002 in Kathmandu 12. January 6, 2004 in Islamabad This year it is scheduled to take place in Dhaka, Bangladesh. |
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