The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an important regional organisation in South Asia. It was established on 8 December 1985.

We have already discussed several issues in South Asia in the chapters in the previous section. It is clear that India needs a comprehensive South Asian policy to prosper in coherence with our neighbourhood. SAARC is a platform that has the potential to provide that opportunity.

Structure of SAARC

The Secretariat of the SAARC was set up in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 17 January 1987. Its seven founding members are Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Pakistan, Nepal and Bhutan.  Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007.

Objective of SAARC

The objectives of the Association are:

• To promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life
• Accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region by providing all individuals the opportunity to live with dignity and realise their full potential.
• Promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia.
• Contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems.
• To provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potential.
• Strengthen cooperation with other developing countries and international and regional organisation

Structure of the SAARC

SAARC has the following structure:

1. Council – The Council is the apex policy-making body of SAARC. It is represented by government heads of the respective member countries.
2. Council of Ministers – It comprises the foreign ministers, and they meet two times annually.

SAARC Summits

The Meetings of the Heads of State or Government of Member States is the highest decision-making authority under SAARC. Summits are usually held biennially hosted by a Member State in alphabetical order. The Member State hosting the Summit assumes the Chair of the Association.

The key outcome of a SAARC Summit is a Declaration. The Summit Declaration contains decisions and directives of the Leaders to strengthen and consolidate regional cooperation in different areas being pursued under the auspices of SAARC.

The last summit was the 18th SAARC summit that was held in Kathmandu on 26-27 November 2014, and its outcome was a 36-point Kathmandu declaration.

Achievements of SAARC:

SAARC has provided a platform for trade integration in the region. It has signed various agreements to integrate the region as follows:

• The level of cooperation among the member countries has increased significantly after the formation of SAARC in 1984. Negotiations in the common platform act as the groundwork for the new areas of cooperation among member countries.
• SAFTA: The South Asian Free Trade Area was signed in 2004 and came into effect on 1 January 2006. It sought to reduce the tariff and trade barriers among the countries and promote mutual trade and economic cooperation within the region.
• Various programs and Forum: There has been the formation of various forums and programs for mutual benefit like South Asian University, New Delhi; SAARC International College, Bangladesh; Telemedicine Network; SAARC Writers and Literature Foundation; South Asia Foundation; South Asia Co-operative Environment Programme (SACEP); South Asia Olympic Council (South Asian Games).
• Due to the distinct geographical location of South Asia, cooperation among the member countries has led to solutions to common problems like energy, food security, housing, etc. For example, the promotion of solar energy, bio-fertiliser, low-cost housing, etc
• SAARC has made great strides in education, sports, culture and media. The South Asian University has become fully operational and has scholarships and fellowships for research in various fields. It is located in New Delhi near the IGNOU campus.

Challenges with the SAARC:

Despite various initiatives, there is the least engagement in South Asia, as only 5% of internal trade takes place in the region. This is due to the following challenges:

• Indo-Pak rivalry: The India-Pak rivalry has been preventing any meaningful engagement within SAARC. Following the 2016 Uri terror attack, India cancelled its participation in the 19th SAARC summit, alleging Pakistan’s involvement in the terror attack.
• Balancing with China: SAARC is a hugely asymmetrical organisation, and India has always been the political, economic, geographic, and cultural hegemon. Instead of cooperating with India, nations look towards China as an external balancer.
• Lack of collective identity: Regionalism succeeds when nations see a sense of collective identity for themselves. In SAARC, there are multiple identities.
• Failure of the Key agreement:  Under SAARC, various agreements have been signed, and institutional mechanisms have been established, but they have not been adequately implemented. SAFTA is often highlighted as a prominent outcome of SAARC, but it could not be properly implemented. Similarly, the Motor Vehicle Agreement (MVA) was crucial for harnessing regional connectivity across South Asia. However, it could not be signed due to Pakistan’s dithering.
• Lack of security cooperation: There is no agreement over the perception of threats since member countries disagree on the idea of threats. For example, while cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan is a major concern for India, Pakistan has failed to address these concerns.
• Lack of arrangement for resolving disputes: SAARC does not have any arrangement for resolving disputes or mediating conflicts. Disputes among the member countries often hamper consensus building, thus slowing down the decision-making process.
• More focus on bilateralism: Given SAARC’s failures, member countries have turned to bilateralism. Bilateralism decreases the countries’ dependence on SAARC to achieve their objectives, making them less interested in pursuing initiatives at a regional level.
• Lack of concrete results: The SAARC Summits have consistently focused on development, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, trade expansion, etc. However, in each case, the SAARC has had zero success. The sincere efforts required by the member states for the development of the region have always been lacking here. SAARC has shown ultimate failure in the fight against terrorism.
• Shortage of resources: SAARC faces a shortage of resources, and countries have been reluctant to increase their contributions. There are also substantial deficiencies in the infrastructure required to increase communication and transport among member states. Naturally, SAARC’s progress has been slow.

Way Forward:

• Common Identity: South Asian identity has to be built based on common cultural, historical, social, and civilizational traditions. Establishing an identity in the South Asian region for quality, brand names, standards, and investment arrangements would benefit all member states.
• Attracting investors: Investors can be attracted by highlighting the future prospects in the SAARC countries. Instead of competition among nations, complementariness between the nations can be utilised for overall upliftment.
• Regular conduct of the meeting: Need of a regular meeting is essential to resolve differences and use it as a platform for regional cooperation.
• Trust building: There is a need to build trust among the countries. India can play an important role in this. For example, resolving bilateral issues with countries, like the territorial disputes with Nepal and water issues with Bangladesh, will help trust building between small countries and India.
• Implementation of the agreements: Implementation of agreements like SAFTA, Motor Vehicle Agreement, and SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services (SATIS) to further integrate the economies and enhance regional cooperation.
• People-to-people contact: There is a need for a greater exchange of academics, poets and other cultural circles among the countries of South Asia. Many more seminars and workshops need to be organized by academics and researchers, highlighting the benefits of mutual cooperation.
• Economic policy coordination: It needs time to curb the rivalries in regional and international markets arising from South Asian nations and for similar trade profits and production.
• Focus on infrastructure: There is a need to enhance communication among the citizens of South Asia by further improving the road, rail and air travel facilities.

Conclusion

Regional integration in South Asia cannot be completed without SAARC as it enjoys a unique position in the region. Various bilateral issues have affected SAARC’s functioning, which can be addressed by mutual trust building. Now, it is high time to give priority to the SAARC to strengthen regional cooperation in South Asia.