We all know that SAARC is South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation. Besides these, there are many Facts about SAARC that we should know but are unable to be updated. At initial, there are 7 countries in SAARC. Later, Afghanistan is added to this Association.
Now China is such a country which is a debate about whether SAARC countries to be added or not. China’s as a SAARC member is now debated. Some of them are interesting facts about SAARC. Find here 20 facts about SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation).
About SAARC
As we, all know that SAARC is the short form of The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was created when its Charter was formally adopted on 8 December 1985 by the Heads of State or Governments of Nepal, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, and Bangladesh in their first SAARC Summit in Dhaka on 7-8 December 1985.
With the addition of Afghanistan as a member of the regional grouping on 3 April 2007, the total number of member states now stands at eight.
The secretariat located in Kathmandu acts as the headquarters. The nomination of the Secretary-General rotates among the member countries in alphabetical order. He is appointed under the recommendation of the concerned government for a term of 3 years.
The observers of SAARC are Australia, China, The European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar, South Korea, and the United States.
The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was mooted by the then President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman in 198O. The association was formed with the view to enhancing the quality of life of the people and to finding solutions to the everyday problems of people of South Asia. The association provides a platform for the people of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust, and understanding.
The countries of South Asia have not only inherited a shared past but also have a common destiny. South Asian Countries have been tied together with intricate bonds of culture, religion, tradition, and ethnicity.
The organizational structure of the SAARC includes meetings of the Heads of State or Governments, the Council of Ministers, the Standing Committee, the Technical Committee, and the Secretariat. The Heads of state or Governments have Summit Conferences in a different country each year. The Summit endorses the decisions taken by its subordinate organs, The Council of Ministers constituted by the Foreign Ministers who meet twice a year to oversee and develop ideas and policies.
The Standing Committee of foreign SAARC has made several achievements such as the introduction of policies and programs for attaining its objectives, the launching of seven Integrated Programs of Action, set up of SAARC regional centers in the member countries, the establishment of an Independent South Asian Commission on poverty alleviation, establishment of South Asian Development Fund and the SAARC Japan Special Fund.
Moreover, several conventions and agreements have been tangible achievements of SAARC. The countries are working towards creating a free trade zone in the region. South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) came into force on January 1, 2006, which has been considered a milestone for the promotion of intraregional trade in the region.
Programs such as SAARC Audio-Visual Exchange Program (SAVE), SAARC Scholarship, SAARC Youth Volunteers Program, SAARC Youth Award Program, South Asian Games (SAG), and South Asian Festivals have proved successful in contributing to strengthening relations among people. Through this regional organization, a more consolidated voice of the region can be presented in the international forum.
SAARC as an organization has not been able to function to the fullest of its potential owing to poor relations between India and Pakistan. The major impediments to achieving success are the political difference between the member states, immense disparity in the development pattern within the region and exclusion of political and contentious bilateral issues from its ambit. It has not been strong enough to deal with the bilateral and multilateral problems of the region.
So, the need for reformation has been strongly felt to make SAARC more effective and dynamic. It is necessary to reorient the SAARC both structurally and operationally, enhancing its effectiveness as a dynamic vehicle of regional cooperation.
Secretaries do the detailed planning and implementation. Technical Committee, at the bottom of the hierarchy, controls the 11 areas of the IPAs such as agriculture and rural development, communication and transport, social development, science and technology, and energy.
20 Interesting Facts About SAARC Countries
=> The full form of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation.
=> The idea or concept of a SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation) was mooted first in 1980.
=> Ziaur Rahman, president of Bangladesh ((January 19, 1936 – May 30, 1981), pres+ents at first about the concept of a SAARC (South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation).
=> President Ziaur Rahman presents the idea of the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation on May 2, 1980.
=> Member states of SAARC are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
=> South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established on December 8, 1985.
=> There are four Sections in the charters in the Charter of SAARC.
=> There is a provision that the SAARC summit should be held at least once a year or more often when considered necessary to discuss and make.
=> There is a provision about the Council of Ministers of SAARC that the Member States’ Ministers of Foreign /External Affairs will be in the Council of Ministers of SAARC.
=> SAARC Secretariat is in Kathmandu, Nepal.
=> Ambassador Abul Ahsan of Bangladesh was appointed as the first Secretary-General of SAARC.
=> The first SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) summit was held in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, on the 7th and 8th of December 1985.
=> The second South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Summit hosted the Republic of India (Bharat) on 17th and 18th November 1986 in Bangalore.
=> The third summit was held in Kathmandu, the capital city of Nepal, on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th of November 1987.
=> The fourth SAARC Summit was held in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, on the 29th, 30th, and 31st of December 1988.
=> The fifth SAARC summit was held in Male, the capital city in the Republic of the Maldives, on the 21st, 22nd, And 23rd of November 1988.
=> The sixth South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation Summit was held in Colombo, Colombo the largest city and metropolitan area of Sri Lanka, on December 31, 1991.
=> Likewise, the sixteenth SAARC Summit was held in Thimpu, the capital city of Bhutan, on the 28th and 29th of April 2010.
=> Name the observers’ countries of the SAARC Australia, China, European Union, Iran, Japan, Mauritius, Burma, South Korea, and the United States.
