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Lecture 5F - SAARC PDF

SAARC is an intergovernmental organization of South Asian nations established in 1985 to promote economic and social progress. It aims to improve quality of life and accelerate economic growth through collective self-reliance. While SAARC has over 1.5 billion people under its influence, its objectives have faced challenges due to tensions between India and Pakistan as well as unresolved territorial issues among members. Weak cultural identities and concerns over India's dominance have also hindered SAARC's effectiveness.

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429 views

Lecture 5F - SAARC PDF

SAARC is an intergovernmental organization of South Asian nations established in 1985 to promote economic and social progress. It aims to improve quality of life and accelerate economic growth through collective self-reliance. While SAARC has over 1.5 billion people under its influence, its objectives have faced challenges due to tensions between India and Pakistan as well as unresolved territorial issues among members. Weak cultural identities and concerns over India's dominance have also hindered SAARC's effectiveness.

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hira hassan
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SAARC

• The South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC) is an organization


of South Asian nations, which was established on 8 December 1985 when the
government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
formally adopted its charter providing for the promotion of economic and social
progress, cultural development within the South Asia region and also for
friendship and cooperation with other developing countries.

• It is dedicated to economic, technological, social and cultural development


emphasizing collective self- reliance.

• In terms of population, its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional


organization: almost 1.5 billion combined population of its member states.

• In April 2007, Afghanistan became its eighth member


Objectives of SAARC
• Promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and improve their quality of life;
• Accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the
region by providing all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and realize
their full potential;
• Promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia;
• Contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s
problems;
• Promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social,
cultural, technical and scientific fields;
• Strengthen co-operation with other developing countries;
• Strengthen co-operation among themselves in international forms on matters of
common interest; and
• Cooperate with international and regional organization with similar aims and
purposes.
SAARC Recognized Bodies
Mainly operates through six apex bodies which ensure regional cooperation on
multiple levels:

• SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI): The entity encourages


intra-regional trade by creating business linkages among the entrepreneurs. Its
primary focus is on the holistic growth of service sector and small & medium
enterprises.

• SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law): The


desire to establish an association within the SAARC region “to disseminate
information” and “promote an understanding of the concerns and developments”
prompted the birth of SAARCLAW in 1991. This association of legal communities of
SAARC nations was established in Colombo.

• South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA): In 1984, this organization came


into existence with an objective of strengthening and serving the accountancy
profession in the South Asian Region.
SAARC Recognized Bodies
• South Asia Foundation (SAF): A non-profit and non-political organization founded
by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Madanjeet Singh in 2000, SAF encourages
regional cooperation through UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Institutions of Excellence.
The institutions offer courses on varied subjects ranging from Climate and Green
Energy to Human Rights and Visual Arts.

• South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC): Founded in


2005, this regional forum aims at “ending all forms of violence against children in
South Asia.”

• Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL): It’s the first


non-government organization working towards nurturing and strengthening
cultural connectivity through interactions among SAARC nations.
SAFTA
• In a landmark move, SAARC nations unanimously decided to form South Asian Free
Trade Area (SAFTA).
• Although the agreement was reached at the 12th SAARC summit in 2004, it came
into force on 1 January 2006.
• The agreement not only created a free trade area of 1.8 billion people in SAARC
nations (except Afghanistan), but also removed trade barriers to increase the level
of economic cooperation.
SAARC Secretariat
• The SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu (Nepal) facilitates and monitors
implementation of activities of the organization and acts as a
communication channel between SAARC and its member states.
• Presently, the Secretariat is headed by Nepal’s ex-foreign secretary –
Arjun Bahadur Thapa.
Reasons of Failure of SAARC
• In recent years, some countries like China and Iran show their concern over the
membership in SAARC. Due to the significant importance of this region, many
European states are now the observer of this organization.

• Despite the relationship between India and Pakistan, it is still a useful tool for
smaller countries to promote understanding and cooperation at the bilateral level.
Since 1985 SAARC has evolved slowly but continuously both in terms of institutions
and programs.

• But today this region is facing many issues like terrorism, poverty, deprivation of
food, drug trafficking, extremism, and economic crisis. These core issues cannot be
resolved at bilateral level. It is significant to have a joint effort and close
coordination among the member countries to solve these threatening issues.
Reasons of Failure of SAARC
• Weak Cultural Identities -The South Asian Region comprises countries
sharing common history, heritage and culture. The horrors of divisions and
sub-divisions have however created fissures. These fissures are commonly
articulated through the ideas of distinct cultures. Pakistan wants to assert
itself as Islamic State and calls India a Hindu State. The debates regarding
identity are similarly going on in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The pursuit of
maintaining distinct cultural identity by every country has not allowed the
region to come together.

• Rivalry between India and Pakistan, the two largest members of SAARC,
has hovered hugely on SAARC. The rivalry continues to restrain SAARC
from functioning as a sub-regional organization.

• SAARC Charter Article X(2) of the SAARC Charter mandates that decisions,
at all levels in SAARC, are only of multilateral issues, and only those issues
are for inclusion in the agenda in a SAARC summit meeting on the basis of
unanimity. The SAARC platform thus cannot be used to resolve bilateral
issues; this has undermined the scope and potential of SAARC.
Reasons of Failure of SAARC
• India is a preponderant country – both in terms of size and economy, in
the SAARC Region. India’s neighboring countries have often felt insecure
about India’s ambitions. Thus, any attempts to secure free trade area are
met with the concerns of Indian businesses disrupting the indigenous
business of countries. This in turn leads countries to use SAARC as an
anti-India platform.

• The region is still beset with many unresolved border and maritime issues.
These unresolved borders have led to problems of Terrorism, Refugee
Crisis, Smuggling, Narco-Trade. The unresolved issues continue to mar
cooperative relations.

• India’s ambitions in the region crisscross with China’s ambitions to have an


influence on the region. China has in past decade strengthened its
relations with Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. This has led to a trust deficit in the
grouping
Readings:
• http://www.hamariweb.com/articles/article.aspx?id=45919
• http://www.elections.in/political-corner/what-is-saarc-history-and-objecti
ves/
• https://www.worldwidejournals.com/indian-journal-of-applied-research-(I
JAR)/file.php?val=March_2016_1456832339__66.pdf

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