{"id":75496,"date":"2026-03-01T16:52:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-01T11:22:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=75496"},"modified":"2026-03-02T12:44:44","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T07:14:44","slug":"south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/south-asian-association-for-regional-cooperation-saarc\/","title":{"rendered":"South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a regional organisation established on 8th December 1985 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to promote economic, social, cultural, and technical cooperation among South Asian countries. It comprises 8 member states: India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Afghanistan, with its headquarters in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC has launched initiatives like the SAARC Development Fund, South Asian University, and SAARC Satellite to strengthen regional collaboration. Despite achievements in trade, education, and disaster management, the organisation faces challenges due to political tensions and low intra-regional trade.<\/span><\/p>\n

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Overview<\/b><\/h2>\n

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), established on 8th December 1985 in Dhaka, is a regional organisation. The table gives an overview of the SAARC organisation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Overview<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Information<\/b><\/td>\nDetails<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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SAARC Established<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

1985 (December 8), Dhaka, Bangladesh<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Number of Member Countries<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

8 – India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Number of Observers<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

9 – Australia, European Union (E.U), Iran, Japan, Mauritius, South Korea, USA, China, Myanmar<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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SAARC Headquarters<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

Kathmandu, Nepal<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Launch of SAARC Satellite for South Asia<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

\n

2017<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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SAARC Specialised Bodies<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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    \n
  1. South Asian University (SAU) – India<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. South Asian Regional Standards Organization (SARSO) – Dhaka<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. SAARC Development Fund (SDF) – Bhutan<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. SAARC Arbitration Council (SARCO) – Pakistan<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n

1st Secretary General of SAARC<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Abul Ahsan (Bangladesh)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Current Secretary-General of SAARC<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Golam Sarwar (Bangladesh) – Took office on 4th March 2023<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Last Member to Join SAARC<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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Afghanistan (April 2007)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Last SAARC Summit<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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19th SAARC Summit in Pakistan (Cancelled)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Also Read: United Nations Environment Programme<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

SAARC Historical background<\/b><\/h2>\n