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The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

Uploaded by barkhaamonkar on Sep 20, 2005

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established when its Charter was formally adopted on 8 December 1985 by the Heads of State or Government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first mooted in May 1980. The Foreign Secretaries of the seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981. The Committee of the Whole, which met in Colombo in August 1981, identified five broad areas for regional cooperation. The Foreign Ministers adopted the Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation in 1983 in New Delhi.
During the meeting, the Ministers also launched the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) in nine agreed areas, namely, Agriculture; Rural Development; Telecommunications; Meteorology; Health and Population Activities; Transport; Postal Services; Science and Technology; and Sports, Arts and Culture. The Association provides a platform for the peoples of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding. It aims to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life through accelerated economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region.

The Objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are:
• 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 realize their full potential
• To promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia
• To contribute to mutual trust, understand and appreciation of one another's problem
• 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 interest
• To co-operate with the international and regional organizations that have the similar aims and purposes.

Principles:
• 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;
• Such cooperation is to complement and not to substitute bilateral or multilateral cooperation; and such cooperation should be consistent with bilateral and multilateral obligations of Member States.
General Provisions:
• Decisions at all levels in SAARC are to be taken on the basis of unanimity; and
• Bilateral and contentious issues are to be excluded from the deliberations...

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Uploaded by:   barkhaamonkar

Date:   09/20/2005

Category:   Contemporary

Length:   25 pages (5,589 words)

Views:   7234

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