South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC Summits 1985 to 2016
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation SAARC – Origination:
» South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC was founded on December 8, 1985.
» SAARC Members-BANGLADESH, BHUTAN, INDIA, MALDIVES, NEPAL, PAKISTAN and SRI LANKA.
» These seven neighboring countries have been formed as SAARC that is-South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
» Generally Summits have taken place every eighteen months.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC – Functions:
#1. Most important function is promoting stability, peace, amity and development through principles of the Non Aligned Movement and UN Charter.
#2. Nations should respect for the principles of sovereign equality, independence, territorial integrity, non-use of force and non-interference in the other States internal affairs and
peaceful settlement of all disputes.
#3. Conscious about the world which is interdependent, freedom, objectives of peace, social equity and economic prosperity are best attained in the south Asian region by the
development of understanding, cooperation and good relations among the member states
#4. Aware of common issues, aspirations and interests of the south Asia people
#5. Convinced the regional cooperation among the south Asians nations.ETC…….
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) – Areas of Cooperation:
#1. Agriculture and Rural Development
#2. Women, Youth and Children
#3. Health and Population Activities
#4. Science and Technology and Meteorology
#5. Environment and Forestry
#6. Human Resources Development; and
#7. Transport
The SAARC Secretariat:
*On 16 January 1987 The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu.
# SAARC Secretariat – Main Role:
#1. Implementation of SAARC activities
#2. Venue for SAARC meetings
#3. The Secretariat composed of secretary general, General Service Staff and Seven Directors.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC Awards:
Giving Several Awards to encourage organizations as well as individuals
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC Youth Awards Scheme:
The SAARC Youth Awards Scheme was started in 1996.
Main aim is to provide recognition to talented youth and encourage development of the youth in the Member States.
Also aiming to encourage the south Asian youth to understand their energies in different fields
The Award contains a Gold Medal, a citation in English and a cash prize of US$ 1500.00.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC Youth Awards:
1997 : First Award for “Outstanding Social Service in Community Welfare”
1998 : Second Award for “New Inventions and Discoveries”
2001 : Third Award for “Creative Photography : South Asian Diversity”
2002 : Fourth Award for “Outstanding contribution to protect the Environment”
2003 : Fifth Award for “Invention in the Field of Traditional Medicine”
2004 was decided as “Dedicated Community Services in the Field of TB and/or HIV/AIDS”.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC Regional Centers:
SAARC Agricultural Information Centre (SAIC), Dhaka
SAARC Meteorological Research Centre (SMRC), Dhaka
SAARC Tuberculosis Centre (STC), Kathmandu
SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC), New Delhi
SAARC Human Resources Development Centre (SHRDC), Islamabad
SAARC Coastal Zone Management Centre, Maldives
SAARC Information Centre, Nepal
SAARC Energy Centre, Pakistan
SAARC Disaster Management Centre, India
SAARC Cultural Centre, Sri Lanka
SAARC Forestry Centre, Bhutan
DESIGNATED SAARC YEARS:
1989 SAARC Year of Combating Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking
1990 SAARC Year of Girl Child
1991 SAARC Year of Shelter
1992 SAARC Year of Environment
1993 SAARC Year of Disabled Persons
1994 SAARC Year of the Youth
1995 SAARC Year of Poverty Eradication
1996 SAARC Year of Literacy
1997 SAARC Year of Participatory Governance
1999 SAARC Year of Biodiversity
2002-2003 SAARC Year of Contribution of Youth to Environment
2004 SAARC Awareness Year for TB and HIV/AIDS
2006 South Asia Tourism Year
2007 Green South Asia Year
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC DECADES:
1991-2000 SAARC Decade of the Girl Child
2001-2010 SAARC Decade of the Rights of the Child
2006-2015 SAARC Decade of Poverty Alleviation
2010-2020 SAARC Decade of Intra-regional Connectivity
SAARC Regional Award for Young Scientists and Senior Scientists:
#1. Main Aim is to encourage young scientists of the SAARC countries working in the Meteorology field.
#2. SAARC also started another Award for Senior Scientists in 1997.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
#1. Decisions will be taken on the basis of unanimity.
#2. Contentious and Bilateral problems will be excluded from the deliberations.
**IN FAITH WHEREOF We Have Set Our Hands And Seals Hereunto. DONE In DHAKA, BANGLADESH, On This The Eighth Day Of December Of The Year One Thousand Nine
Hundred Eighty Five.
1. Hussain Muhammad Ershad: PRESIDENT OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF BANGLADESH
2. Rajiv Gandhi: PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDIA
3. Jigme Singye Wangchuk: KING OF BHUTAN
4. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom: PRESIDENT OF THE REBUPLIC OF MALDIVES
5. Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev: KING OF NEPAL
6. Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq: PRESIDENT OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN
7. Junius Richard Jayewardene: PRESIDENT OF DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA
8. Secretary-General: H.E. Arjun Bahadur Thapa, Secretary General of SAARC
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC Summits List 1985 to 2016
SAARC Summits List:
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – First summit
Conducted in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 7–8 December 1985
Attended by Government representative and president of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan and the kings of Bhutan and Nepal, and the prime minister of India.
They signed the SAARC Charter on 8 December 1985.
At the same time the SAARC established a SAARC secretariat and adopted an official SAARC emblem.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation – SAARC – Second summit
The second summit was held in November 16-17 Bangalore, India in 1986.
Abul Ahsan of Bangladesh as the first Secretary-General of SAARC
SAARC Third summit
Nepal from 2–4 November 1987
Remarks: The foreign ministers of the member states signed the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism and an agreement to establish a South Asian Food
Reserve.
SAARC Fourth summit:
Islamabad, Pakistan on 29–31 December 1988
Declared 1989 to be the “SAARC Year Against Drug Abuse”,
Declared 1990 to be the “SAARC Year of the Girl Child”
Set up a technical committee on education, and launched a regional plan called “SAARC-2000-A Basic Needs Perspective” to meet specific targets by the end of the twentieth
Century in areas such as food, shelter, education and environmental protection.[3] It was also agreed to hold regular “South Asian Festivals” with the first being hosted by India.
Fifth summit
Held in Malé, Maldives on 21–23 November 1990
Remarks:#
The leaders signed the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances
Declared various SAARC years (1991-2000 AD) to be the “SAARC Decade of the Girl Child”
1991 to be the “SAARC Year of Shelter”,
1992 to be the “SAARC Year of the Environment”,
1993 to be the “SAARC Year of Disabled Persons”
Sixth summit
Colombo, Sri Lanka on 21 December 1991
Seventh summit
Dhaka, on 10–11 April 1993,
Eighth summit
New Delhi, on 2–4 May 1995,
Ninth summit
Male, on 12–14 May 1997
Tenth summit
Colombo, on 29–31 July 1998
Eleventh summit
Kathmandu, on 4–6 January 2002
Twelfth summit
Islamabad, on 4–6 January 2004
Thirteenth summit
Dhaka, on 12–13 November 2005
Fourteenth summit
New Delhi, India on 3rd-4 April 2007
Fifteenth summit
Colombo, Sri Lanka on 1–3 August 2008
Importance:
#major points of discussion was the global food crisis
Sixteenth summit
#Thimpu, Bhutan on 28–29 April 2010
#Bhutan hosted the SAARC summit for the first time
#This was marked the silver jubilee celebration of SAARC that was formed in Bangladesh in December 1985
#Signed on Cooperation on Environment to tackle the problem of climate change.
#pledged to plant 10 million trees in next 5 years.
#India proposed setting up of climate innovation centers in South Asia to develop sustainable energy technologies.
#India announced “India endowment for climate change” in South Asia to help member states.
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC – Seventeenth summit
10-11 of November 2011 in Addu City, Maldives
#H.E. Mohamed Nasheed was elected as the Chairperson of the 17th SAARC Summit
SAARC – Eighteenth summit
The 18th SAARC Summit-Nepalese capital Kathmandu from November 26 to November 27, 2014
Motto:‘Deeper Integration for Peace and Prosperity’
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation-SAARC – Nineteenth summit
Pakistan will host the 19th summit in Islamabad in 2016.
Announced by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the 18th SAARC summit.