SAARC

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 with 7 founding members.
SAARC now comprises eight Member States: Afghanistan (joined in 2007), Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The Secretariat of the Association is located in Kathmandu, Nepal.
The objectives of the Association include promotion of welfare of the peoples 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.
Decisions at all levels are to be taken on the basis of unanimity; and bilateral and contentious issues are excluded from the deliberations of the Association.

In a message to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation on its 36th Charter Day anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said SAARC can only be fully effective in the absence of “terror and violence”.
In their messages, both Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli called for the SAARC summit to be held soon.
Nepal is the current chairman of the SAARC, a position which moves by rotation through the eight countries of South Asia, and held the SAARC summit last in 2014.
In 2016, Pakistan was due to hold the next summit, but it had to be put off after India refused to attend the event in Islamabad, and Nepal continues to hold the chair.

In their SAARC day messages, other heads of state conveyed their commitment to SAARC, and commended the SAARC COVID-19 emergency fund proposed by India in March this year when Mr. Modi had convened a virtual conference.
India had pledged US $10 million to start the fund, the others, including Pakistan committed about $9.8 million together, and the SAARC secretariat committed $5 million to the fund.
Thus far, India has sent medical equipment worth US$ 1 million to Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Maldives as a part of its contribution.

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