SAARC Full Name
SAARC's full name is South Asian Association for Regional Corporation.It was established with the formal acceptance of the SAARC charter on December 8, 1985 in Dhaka. SAARC Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pacomprises eight member countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, kistan. The Secretariat Association was established on January 17, 1987 in Kathmandu.
The South Asian Association for Regional Corporation (SAARC) holds 3% of the world area, 21% of the world population, and 4.21% of the global economy as of 2009.
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What is the Full Form of SAARC?
The full form of SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional Corporation.
SAARC Long Form and Headquarter
The SAARC or South Asian Association for Regional Corporation headquarters is located in Kathmandu, Nepal. The organization aims to enhance the growth of economic and regional integration. The SAARC maintains permanent political relations at the United Nation as an observer and has developed connections with multilateral entities, including the European Union.
SAARC Member States
There are presently 8 member countries in SAARC. These are:
Afghanistan.
Bangladesh.
Bhutan.
India.
Maldives.
Nepal.
Pakistan.
Sri Lanka.
SAARC Observers
There are presently 9 SAARC observers. These are:
Australia.
China.
The European Union.
Iran.
Japan.
The Republic of Korea.
Mauritius.
Myanmar.
United States of America.
There is a prohibition on the admission of new observers to SAARC at present.
SAARC observers are invited to participate in the inaugural and closing ceremony of the SAARC summits.
SAARC Organization Structure
Council of Ministers.
Standing Committee.
Technical Committee.
Programming Committee.
Secretariat.
SAARC Objectives
SAARC full form in English i.e. South Asian Association for Regional Corporation has the following objectives:
To enhance the well-being of the people of South Asia .
To improve the quality of life of South Asian.
To enhance economic growth, social advancement, and cultural development in the region and to offer opportunities to all individuals to live in dignity and observe their full potential.
To promote and reinforce self-sufficiency among the countries of South Asia.
To enhance cooperation with other developing countries.
To enhance active collaborations and cooperation in economic, social, cultural, technical, and scientific fields.
To share mutual trust, understanding, and appreciation of one another issues.
To enhance the unity among themselves in international forums on matters of mutual interest and;
To unite with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
SAARC Principles
Cooperation within the SAARC framework shall be based on the following principles :
Respect for the principles of sovereign, equality, territorial integrity, political interdependence, and equality of all member states.
Non-interference in internal matters is one of the main objectives of SAARC.
Corporation for mutual benefit.
All decisions need to be taken collectively and need a quorum of all eight members.
All bilateral issues need to be kept aside and only multilateral (including many countries) issues to be discussed without being prejudiced by bilateral matters.
SAARC Secretariat
The SAARC Secretariat was introduced on January 16, 1987 in Kathmandu. The Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal inaugurated SAARC Secretariat.
The SAARC Secretariat aims to coordinate and examine the implementation of activities, prepare for and service meetings, and link as a channel of communication between the Association and its member states as well as other regional organizations. The Secretariat General who is assigned by the council of ministers from member countries in alphabetical order for three years heads the Secretariat.
Mr. Esala Weerakoon from Sri Lanka is the present secretary general of SAARC. The SAARC secretariat and member states observed 8 December as the SAARC Charter Day.
SAARC Area of Cooperation
Following are the SAARC area of cooperation:
Human Resource Development And Tourism.
Agricultural And Rural Development.
Economic, Trade And Finance.
Economic, Natural Disaster and Biotechnology.
Social Affairs.
Information And Poverty Alleviation.
Energy, Transport, Science & Technology.
Education, Security & Cultures.
Others.
SAARC Specialised Body
The SAARC member states have designed the following specialized body of SAARC in the Member states which have special rules and structures different from regional centers.
These bodies are managed by their respective governing bodies consisting of representatives from all the member states, the SAARC secretary-general, the representative of H.E. Secretary-General of the SAARC, and the Foreign Ministry of the Host Government
SAARC Specialised Body
SAARC Regional Centres
The SAARC Secretariat is assisted by the following six regional centers established in the member states to promote regional cooperation. The SAARC regional centers given below are supported by the Governing bodies including representatives from all member states, Secretariat General of SAARC, and the Foreign Ministry of the Host Government.
SAARC Apex Body
Following are the six SAARC Apex body:
SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation in Law.
South Asian Federation of Accounts.
South Asia Foundation.
South Asia Initiative to end violence among children.
Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature.
SAARC National Anthem
SAARC does not have any official national anthem like the other regional organizations (for example: ASEAN).
India SAARC
India is the charter member of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation (SAARC) that was established in 1985 as an organization to build a connected and integrated South Asia with the aim of enhancing the growth and development of all countries in the region. India continues providing assistance to different initiatives in the SAARC plans to attain close cooperation in the different areas.
Of the 19 SAARC summits held so far, India has hosted the second Summit on 17 to 18 November 1986 in Bangalore.
India enjoyed an excellent bilateral agreement with Sri Lanka, Nepal, Maldives, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. According to the “ Neighbourhood First Policy”, India is an active development partner and is engaged in different projects in these countries.
India also introduced the interim Unit of Disaster Management Centre at the Gujarat Institute of Disaster Management intending to serve all the needs of SAARC member states through policy advice, technical support on system development, capacity building service, and training for holistic management of disaster risk in the SAARC region.
Indis is fully aware of challenges in South Asia, with cross-border terrorism being the most serious of these challenges.
FAQs on SAARC Full Form
1.Which is the Biggest and Smallest County in SAARC?
Ans: Among all the eight countries of SAARC, India is the biggest country in SAARC with an area of 3.287 million square kilometers whereas Maldives is the smallest country in SAARC with an area of 298 square kilometers.
2.Who was the First Woman Secretary-General of SAARC?
Ans: Fathimath Dhiyana Saeed ( a Maldivian diplomat) was the first woman to hold the position of Secretary-General of the South Asian Association of Regional Corporation since the organization was established in 1985.
3.How Many Countries Does SAARC Have As an Observer?
The SAARC has 9 countries as an observer.
4.Who Founded SAARC?
The SAARC Secretariat was established on January 16, 1987 in Kathmandu by Bangladeshi diplomat Abul Ahsan. He was the first Secretary-General of SAARC and the organization was inaugurated by King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal.
5.Who is Known As the father of SAARC?
Ziaur Rahman is known as the father of SAARC.
