What is SAARC Full form?
Full Form of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. SAARC is a geopolitical and economic body of eight countries located in South Asia, created in 1985 and the Headquarters of SAARC is situated in Kathmandu, Nepal.
What is SAARC?
Founded in 1985, SAARC is an organization that promotes cooperation among South Asian countries. SAARC has eight member states such that Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
In the late 1970,the seven South Asian countries of India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, Pakistan, and Afghanistan formed to provide a forum for South Asian citizens to function in the spirit of friendship and understanding.
SAARC Headquarters
The headquarters of SAARC are located in Kathmandu, Nepal. On 8th December,1985, the SAARC was signed in Dhaka.
Member states of SAARC
The SAARC member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional inter- governmental organization.
SAARC Observer countries:
- European Union
- China
- Iran
- The Republic of Korea
- Australia
- Japan
- Mauritius
- Myanmar
- United States of America
Objectives of SAARC
The following objectives of SAARC mentioned below, according to the charter;
- The main objective is to advance with the welfare of South Asians and to enhance their standard of living.
- The objective is to promote the region’s economic growth, social advancement, and cultural development while giving everyone the chance to live in dignity to their full potential.
- The objective is to encourage South Asian countries’ collective self-reliance.
- The objective is to foster understanding, trust, and respect for one another’s concerns
- The main objective encourages active cooperation and mutual aid in the realms of economics, culture, technology, and science.
- The objective is to improve collaboration with other emerging nations.
- The objective is to improve their mutual cooperation in international platforms on issues of common interest.
- To regional and global groups that share similar goals.
Functions of SAARC
SAARC has the following functions, as according to the charter;
- The main function is the living standard of the South Asians in order to improve their well-being.
- To the fullest extent of their potential and dignity, social, cultural, and economic progress.
- To advance the idea of self-sufficiency among South Asian nations.
- To nations in their efforts to coordinate and collaborate with other developing nations.
Benefits of SAARC
The SAARC has a following benefits:
- The SAARC has helped to build bridges between South Asian countries .
- The SAARC has promoted trade & investment among South Asian countries.
- The SAARC has helped to improve South Asian infrastructure with through projects such as the SAARC Development Fund
- SAARC has a South Asian cooperation on issues such as terrorism & climate change
SAARC Structure
| Council of Ministers | The foreign ministers of the member nations make up the Council of Ministers and is the in charge of the SAARC’s overall policy direction. |
| Standing Committee | The Standing Committee is composed of the foreign secretaries of the member countries and they are accountable for watching the performance of the Duties of SAARC. |
| Secretariat | The Secretariat is located in Kathmandu, Nepal of SAARC. It is headed by a Secretary General appointed by the Council of Ministers and Secretariat is in charge of organizing and carrying out the activities in search. |
| Technical Committees | The technical committees in search and it includes committees on economic cooperation, agriculture, environment, and health. The technical committees are responsible for implementing the needs and taking care of their areas. |
| Specialized Bodies | The search also has several bodies which include a development fund, disaster , a cultural centre, and others. |
Area of Cooperation in SAARC
Following are the major key areas where SAARC countries cooperate with each other given below:
- Human Resource Development & Tourism
- Agriculture & Rural Development
- Environment, Natural Disasters & Biotechnology
- Economic, Trade & Finance
- Social Affairs
- Information & Poverty Alleviation
- Energy, Transport, Science & Technology
- Education, Security and Culture & etc.
Apex and Respected companies
The following SAARC six Apex companies that are listed below:
- SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law)
- SCCI (SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry)
- SAFA (South Asian Federation of Accountants)
- SAF (South Asia Foundation)
- FOSWAL (Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature)
- SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children)
Importance of SAARC
The following South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) importance points for India in various ways:
- Economic Cooperation– They allows India to expand its economic ties with other South Asian nations and primarily through the facilitation of investment .
- Diplomatic Relation– India uses SAARC to communicate with its neighbors about various diplomatic disputes and it entails resolving conflicts and border disputes.
- Regional Security– The India a platform to interact with its neighbors and advance regional security and it is beneficial in disaster management and counterterrorism.
- Connectivity– It gives a chance to collaborate with its neighbors to improve connectivity. Moreover, it covers industries like transportation, and telecommunications and it can be especially beneficial for increasing trade and economic integration.
Conclusion
The full form of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, which is a regional organization that promotes cooperation among South Asian countries and it was founded in 1985 and has eight member states: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAARC’s goals are to promote South Asian economic integration and development to reduce the poverty and improve the standard of living in South Asia and to remote social progress and cultural interchange among South Asians; and enhance cooperation on matters of common interest. In this article, we have discussed in detail about SAARC full form and other related information.
