SAARC (The Lackadaisical Organization)

[Waqar Abro]

South Asia Association for regional Corporation created in december 1985 its member countries are "Pakistan,India,Bangladesh,Bhutan,Afghanistan,Mald ives,nepal and Srilanka.This region accounts for 23% of the world population,its share in the global Gdp is less than 3%, All 8 members trade account for less than 2% of global trade.
Moreover,this region accounts for 1.7% of world exports and 3% of global Fdi inflows.
Reportedly,there are 30% people of the region living below the poverty line while this is the hub of 400 million poor people.
AH! SAARC members are locked in intra-state conflict.This organization has never provided any mechanism to address terrorism,drug trafficking,extremism,and economic related problems to its members.

Although,these specious matters have become a forlorn hope of 1/5th of the humanity.

Needless to mention,16th summit was held in bhutan in which member states decided that afore mentioned issues cannot be solved at bilateral level rather these issues should be addressed through joint efforts and such cordial relations as persist among the members of ASEAN,ECO and GCC.
It was decided in the "Islamabad Declaration" held in 2004 by the then President Pervez musharraf and the then premier Vajpaee that their disputes including kashmir will be resolved through a dialogue process which was suspended in november 2008 without solving intra-related issues due to "mumbai carnage".

"SAARC will not turn into just talk shop bhutan premier expressed hope in the 16th summit"

It is reported to note that "SAARC" has been dominated by india (it account for 74%)population of the whole region,its Gdp is 75%,trade is 79% and 81% Fdi flow.Due to this,India bears more responsibility to make Saarc as successful.

Painfully,there are lingering issues of water,terrorism and kashmir between two rival states (pakistan and india)who have been fighting like cats and dogs in the South Asia whose impact has been lasted upon SAFTA(south asian free trade agreement) and distorting the future of 1.56 billion people in the region.until relations between above mentioned countries are not normalise the fate of "SAFTA" will not be changed from its predecessors because both countries are largest and economically sound in the region.

Moreover,SAPTA(Sounth Asian preferential trading agreement) was signed in the 7th summit at Dhaka in april 1993,has not been operationalized while South Asia food reserves and South Asian Development Fund have met the same fate.

It was promulgated in the 16th summit that two projects of 300$million will be launched for poverty reduction which certainly improves the life of poor people.

Recently,it was announced in a meeting held at Islamabad that SAARCPOL would be created for desisting the terrorism and drug trafficking problems,was a nice stance though and deserving a plaudits.

It can be summed up as SAARC should be like a Forum where member countries moot not only matters of the region but also underline the causes of bilateral relations so that lingering indo-pak disputes can be solved and it should also discuss the issues of peace,security,development with international organization and promote interest of the member countries for preserving the concept of sovereignity.the foremost problem in the SAARC is trust deficit among the member states which leads this organizations towards a murkiest world.

The following measures can make SAARC as an efficient oraganization (i) people to people contact (ii)inter-connectivity (iii) a joint strategy to tackle the climate change,water and food shortages issues (iv) SAFTA AND SAPTA should be operationalised (v) Bilateral and Multi-lateral Trade should be boosted.

One can surely say that if the above measure to be followed wholeheartedly and collectively then the future of 1.56th organization would be productive as well as glittering.

The article has been written by

WAQAR ABRO

[theelegant444]

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic and political organization of eight countries in Southern Asia. In terms of population, its sphere of influence is the largest of any regional organization: almost 1.5 billion people, the combined population of its member states. It was established on December 8, 1985 by Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. In April 2007, at the Association's 14th summit, Afghanistan became its
eighth member.

In the late 1970s, Bangladeshi President Ziaur Rahman proposed the creation of a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries. The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was again 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.

Objectives of SAARC:

The objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are:
• To promote the welfare of the people 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, understanding and appreciation of one another's problems;
• 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; and
• To cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes.

The Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation was adopted by the Foreign Ministers 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 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.
Afghanistan was added to the regional grouping at the behest of India on 13 November 2005, and became a member on 3 April 2007. With the addition
of Afghanistan, the total number of member states were raised to eight (8). In April 2006, the United States of America and South Korea made formal requests to be granted observer status. The European Union has also indicated interest in being
given observer status, and made a formal request for the same to the SAARC Council of Ministers meeting in July 2006. On 2 August 2006 the foreign ministers of the SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US,
South Korea and the European Union. On 4th March 2007, Iran requested observer status. Followed shortly by the entrance of Mauritius.

SAARC Secretariat:

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 and was inaugurated by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal. It is headed by a Secretary General appointed by the Council of Ministers from Member Countries in alphabetical order for a three-year term. He is assisted by the Professional and the General Services Staff, and also an appropriate number of functional units called Divisions assigned to Directors on deputation from Member States.
The Secretariat coordinates and monitors implementation of activities, prepares for and services meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its Member States as well as other regional organizations.

The Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Secretariat which was signed by Foreign Ministers of member countries on 17 November 1986 at Bangalore, India contains various clauses concerning the role, structure and administration of the SAARC Secretariat as well as the powers of the Secretary-General.

In several recent meetings the heads of state or government of member states of SAARC have taken some important decisions and bold initiatives to strengthen the organisation and to widen and deepen regional co-operation.

The SAARC Secretariat and Member States observe 8 December as the SAARC Charter Day1.

Free Trade Agreement:

Over the years, the SAARC members have expressed their unwillingness on signing a free trade agreement. Though India has several trade pacts with Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka, similar trade agreements with Pakistan and Bangladesh
have been stalled due to political and economic concerns on both sides.

India has been constructing a barrier across its borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1993, SAARC countries signed an agreement to gradually lower tariffs within the region, in Dhaka. Eleven years later, at the 12th SAARC Summit at Islamabad, SAARC countries devised the South Asia Free Trade Agreement which created a framework for the establishment of a free trade area covering 1.4 billion people. This agreement went into force on January 1, 2006. Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 per cent by 2007.

SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement

The Agreement on SAARC Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed on 11April 1993 and entered into force on 7 December 1995, with the desire of the Member States of SAARC (India, Pakistan, Nepal, SriLanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives) to promote and sustain mutual trade and economic cooperation within the SAARC region through the exchange of concessions.

The establishment of an Inter-Governmental Group (IGG) to formulate an agreement to establish a SAPTA by 1997 was approved in the Sixth Summit of SAARC held in Colombo in December 1991.

South Asian Free Trade Area

The Agreement on the South Asian Free Trade Area is an agreement reached at the 12th SAARC summit at Islamabad, capital of Pakistan on 6 January 2004. It creates a framework for the creation of a free trade area covering 1.4 billion people in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives. The seven foreign ministers of the region signed a framework agreement on SAFTA with zero customs duty on the trade of practically all products in the region by end 2016.

The new agreement i.e. SAFTA, came into being on 1 January 2006 and will be operational following the ratification of the agreement by the seven governments. SAFTA requires the developing countries in South Asia, that is, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, to bring their duties down to 20 percent in the first phase of the two year period ending in 2007. In the final five year phase ending 2012, the 20 percent duty will be reduced to zero in a series of annual cuts.

The least developed nations in South Asia consisting of Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives have an additional three years to reduce tariffs to zero. India and Pakistan have signed but not ratified the treaty.


Regards,

Engr. Shoaib Awan

Assistant Engineer(Production)
Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd(OGDCL)
Islamabad.

[Mao Zedong]

Waqar Abro and theeelegant, thank you so much for sharing such a valuable material which covers all the requied information regarding history, establishment, members, and functions etc. of SAARC.
If anyone has material on "How to make SAARC more efficient" then please share.
Example from Mr. Waqar's post:

"The following measures can make SAARC as an efficient oraganization (i) people to people contact (ii)inter-connectivity (iii) a joint strategy to tackle the climate change,water and food shortages issues (iv) SAFTA AND SAPTA should be operationalised (v) Bilateral and Multi-lateral Trade should be boosted".

[theelegant444]

RECOMMENDATIONS TO MAKE SAARC MORE EFFECTIVE:

SAARC can be made an effective and goal oriented organization on these following lines:

1. New Spirit of Dynamism:

It must exude new confidence and its international profile be improved. It can only be achieved by realizing the past poor performance in terms of its deliverance on different issues within the member states.

2. Strengthening Cooperation among its members:

It implies cooperation in different areas especially in the field of trade, telecom sector etc.

3. Approval of Plan of action recommended by the working group:

Certain recommendations made by the working group must be implemented to eradicate poverty, promote education, root out terrorism and its consequences on the economy of member states. Especially poverty is the major problem of this region.The Council approved the decision to take immediate steps for the implementation of SAARC program with the assistance of the international development institutions. Poverty is indeed the single most daunting challenge confronting all the SAARC countries.

4. Enhance Inter Regional cooperation and Encourage cooperation with other Regional organizations and Regional Bodies:

Dialogue partnership must be promoted to improve inter-regional cooperation with other regional bodies such as ASEAN, it must be decided to study the modalities.

5.Establishment of a SAARC High Economic Council:

Though a high economic council has been established by member states consisting of Finance and Commerce Ministers with the objective to promote economic integration in economic, trade, financial and monetary areas, setting up a SAARC infrastructure Fund. But it needs to be more vigorous.

6. SAARC Poverty Alleviation Fund:

Efforts must be made to implement the goals of SAARC Social Charter as well as consult with each other in order to promote collaborative Poverty Alleviation Projects under the SAARC Poverty Alleviation Fund.

7. Additional Protocol on Terrorism:

The agreements by the heads of government on Social Charter, SAFTA and Additional Protocol on Terrorism carved a way for smooth sailing of SAARC and will help the atmosphere of trust deficit among members. It is the need of the hour to build trust so that peace and security may be restored and facilitated progress in all areas. Promotion of peace and security in the region would undoubtedly contribute to the overall economic development.

8. Regional Bilateral disputes need to be resolved:

The main hurdle that had effectively hampered progress continues to exist is regional bilateral disputes. For example, long-standing dispute over Kashmir between Pakistan and India. Two approaches are often advocated, either one starts with soft issues and gradually moves towards the hard and complex ones or vice versa. Either way unless and until the main dispute is not resolved, the permanent peace will continue to evade. However this does not mean that soft issue approach does not pay dividends. Therefore, the member states should push Pakistan and India to resolve this ongoing issue so that its impact on the functionalities of SAARC may be hampered.

Conclusion:
More than 19 years have passed since the birth of SAARC in 1985 but the performance was not all that impressive which, in turn, was inviting biting criticism almost regularly. Just as the United Nations did not live up to the expectations of a vast majority of member states, SAARC also disappointed many in the region, especially in terms of tangible outcome that can substantively affect the lives of ordinary citizens of the member countries.
Admittedly the overall atmosphere has considerably improved particularly since January six this year, but one must not forget that efforts must be directed to remove, as far as possible, all the possible irritants that can take an unexpectedly heavy damage in achieving its objectives.
It is indeed a welcome development that so many constructive decisions have been taken with a view to ensure the onward movement of SAARC. On the face of it is difficult not to recognize the sincere efforts of the SAARC Foreign Ministers that have managed to pull SAARC from the vortex of failures and placed it on the right track. It is not too far fetched to assume that progress in SAARC could facilitate recently initiated Indo-Pak composite dialogue. The quest for transforming words into action appears to be relatively more determined and in consequence it is anticipated that the incumbent trends could elicit the desired dividends.

Regards,

Engr. Shoaib Awan

Assistant Engineer(Production)
Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd(OGDCL)
Iskamabad.