This is a presentation prepared by the students of IIMC, Dhenkanal on SAARC. For suggestions and comments you can mail at iimcdkl@yahoo.co.in

1. THE SAARC SAGA

2. Swati Garg
Glory Dwarkesh
Indian Institute of Mass Communication
Dhenkanal
WITH THE COMBINED EFFORTS
OF:

3. o Globalization has shrunk the world into a
‘global village’.
o It has enabled people to connect both virtually
and geographically.
o This calls for co-operation among nations for
the achievement of welfare.
o ‘Common Interests’ have enabled nations to
connect and work together.
PROLOGUE

4. THE BIRTH OF SAARC

5. HISTORY
o SAARC(South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) was formed
under Article 52 of United Nation’s Charter.
o Idea first conceived by President Zia-Ur-Rehman of Bangladesh during
1977-78.
o In May 1980, formal call for SAARC regional cooperation issued to all by
him.
o First meeting of foreign secretaries of seven countries- Bangladesh,
Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Pakistan held in Colombo in
April 1981.
o Formally established on December 8,1985 after four and a half years of
preparation.
o Afghanistan became eighth member of SAARC in April 2007 at 14th
SAARC summit.

6. Integrated Programme of Action(IPA) - Due to
geographical proximity, the 12 areas of ‘common interest’
for regional cooperation were identified:
 Agriculture
 Health & rural development
 Meterology
 Telecommunication
 Postal services
 Transport
 Scientific and technological development
WHY SAARC?

7.  Sports
 Arts and culture
 Prevention of drug trafficking and abuse
 Women development
 Education

8. a. Cooperation within the framework of the Association is based on respect
for the principles of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political
independence, noninterference in the internal affairs of other states and
mutual benefit.
b. Such cooperation is to complement and not to substitute bilateral or
multilateral cooperation.
c. Such cooperation should be consistent with bilateral and multilateral
obligations of the member states.
d. Decisions at all levels in SAARC are taken on the basis of unanimity.
e. Bilateral and contentious issues are excluded from its deliberations.
PRINCIPLES

9. i. To promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life;
ii. 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
potentials;
iii. To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia;
iv. To contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's
problems;
v. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural,
technical and scientific fields;
vi. To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries;
vii. To strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of
common interests; and
viii. To cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and
purposes.
OBJECTIVES

10. o The SAARC region is a landmass of 3.3% of the world area and has one-
fifth of the population and 9.12% of total world economy.
Member Countries
o All the SAARC countries can be categorized into different groups.
o Firstly, there are three land-locked countries namely Bhutan, Nepal
and Afghanistan.
o Secondly, there are two Islands such as Sri Lanka and Maldives and
o Thirdly the three countries India, Pakistan and Bangladesh which
have the Indian Ocean in the South and South West and the Indo-
Gangatic plains stretching along these countries.
COMPOSITION

11. o Established in Kathmandu 16 January 1987.
o It is headed by Secretary General
o The Secretariat coordinates and monitors implementation of
activities, prepares for services and meetings, serves as a
channel of communication between the associations and its
member-states and other regional organizations.
o Present Secretary General is Arjun Bahadur Thapa of Nepal (1
March 2014- present)
SECRETARIAT

12. GEOGRAPHICAL POSITIONS

13. As an organization, SAARC mainly operates through six apex bodies which ensure
regional cooperation on multiple levels:
o SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) : Intra-regional trade
o SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in
Law): to disseminate information and ensure concerns and
developments
o South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) :Strengthening and
serving accounting professionals
o South Asia Foundation (SAF) : regional co-operation
o South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC):
ending all forms of violence against children
o Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL): Strengthening
cultural connectivity
RECOGNISED BODIES

14. SAARC Preferential Trading Agreement(SAPTA)
o To promote and sustain mutual trade and economic cooperation within
SAARC region through the exchange of concessions.
o Recognition of special needs of least developed contracting states
and agreement on concrete preferential measures in their favour.
o The establishment of Inter-Governmental Group(IGG) to formulate an
agreement to establish SAPTA by 1997 was approved in sixth summit held
in Colombo in 1991.
o Agreement was signed on 11 September 1993 and came into force on 7
December 1995.
TRANSITION FROM ‘SAPTA’ TO
‘SAFTA’

15. South Asian Free Trade Agreement(SAFTA)
o Agreement reached at 12th SAARC summit at Islamabad on 6 January 2004.
o It led to free trade and agreement of goods paving the way for South-Asian
Economic Union on the lines of EU.
o The exchange of mutual experience among the countries is more relevant,
cheap and cost effective and provides a vast scope for mutual cooperation in
various areas.
o Mostly agriculture will continue to dominate these economies for many years
to come.
o The economy development such as food for growing population, fodder for
livestock, raw material and market for industries are the main market goods.

16. 1) Australia
2) China
3) United States- 2006
4) Japan
5) Mauritius-2007
6) Myanmar
7) South Korea-2006
8) Iran-2007
9) European Union-2006
OBSERVERS

17. 1) Myanmar(Applied for full membership)
2) Turkey (Observer status)
3) Russia (Observer status)
4) South Africa (Observer status)
POTENTIAL FUTURE
MEMBERS

18. SAARC DECADES
1991-2000 SAARC decade of the girl child
2001-2010 SAARC decade of the rights of the child
2006-2015 SAARC decade of poverty alleviation
2010-2020 SAARC decade of intra-regional connectivity

19. 1. Bangladesh- Dhaka 1985
2. India-Bengaluru 1986
3. Nepal-Kathmandu 1987
4. Pakistan-Islamabad 1988
5. Maldives-Male 1990
6. Sri Lanka- Colombo1991
7. Bangladesh- Dhaka 1993
8. India –New Delhi 1995
9. Maldives- Male 1997
10. Sri Lanka-Colombo 1998
SUMMITS

20. 11.Nepal-Kathmandu 2002
12.Pakistan-Islamabad 2004
13.Bangladesh- Dhaka 2005
14.India- New Delhi 2007
15.Sri Lanka –Colombo 2008
16.Bhutan-Thimpu 2010
17.Maldives-Addu city 2011
18.Nepal-Kathmandu 2014
19.Pakistan(likely to be held)- Islamabad Nov 2017
SUMMITS

21. o Nuclearisation (Pakistan)
1. Cross-border terrorism
2. Civil wars
o Poverty and unemployment
o High budget deficits and low growth rates
o Inflationary pressure
o Unfavourable trade balance
o Developed countries pulling the third-world countries down
o Lack of intra-regional and inter-regional cooperation
CHALLENGES

22. o India’s ‘big-brother’ status
o The three nations boycotting is a healthy sign for us.
o Absence of even one member country leads to
postponement/cancellation of the summit.
o The remaining four countries(Pakistan, Nepal, Sri
Lanka and Maldives) cannot hold the summit.
o Simultaneous cornering of Pakistan by Bhutan,
Afghanistan, Bangladesh along with India itself marks
a victory over cross-border terrorism.
o Strong market hold of India.
PRESENT RELEVANCE
TO INDIA

23. o Official website of SAARC http://saarc-sec.org/
//training.itcilo.it//
Wikipedia
BIBLIOGRAPHY