The SAARC or South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is destined to be a social, political as well as cultural force based on the cooperation of the South Asian countries. The latest news about SAARC is that the Fourth Meeting of Health Ministers convened in Maldives.

Though the abbreviation SAARC or South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is destined to be a social, political as well as cultural force based on the cooperation of the South Asian countries on political level, as of now there remained a lot to expect in regard to its growth to the status of a formidable political power. The latest news about SAARC is that Secretary-General, addressed the Inaugural Session of the Fourth Meeting of Health Ministers convened in Maldives. While other alliances or regional organizations like G8, OPEC or NATO are mainly formed on the basis of economic or military cooperation SAARC is destined to look after a wide array of interests of member countries other than merely economic cooperation. In 1977 Ziaur Rahman, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, had initially proposed the formation of SAARC and with seven member countries comprising Banglasesh, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Srilanka, Pakistan and Afganistan, the organization has started its journey in the year 1985.

Areas of Cooperation

The SAARC countries are destined to work in vast and wider areas of cooperation including agriculture, biotechnology, economy, culture, energy, trade, poverty alleviation, rural development, environment, security issues, funding and finance mechanism, communication, culture, social development, human resource development, global terrorism, etc.

How SAARC started?

In late seventies SAARC countries expressed their willingness to form a south Asian regional block for betterment and sharing of economic and social strengths among the countries. In 1977 head of state of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman first formally proposed for its formation and with the Colombo meeting of foreign secretaries in 1981 the idea was discussed again. Finally in 1985 with the meeting of the whole or the head of states of seven member countries in Colombo, SAARC started its organizational function and agreed upon 5 areas of cooperation initially. Other areas of mutual cooperation were agreed upon and amended in the subsequent years.

Basic Objectives of SAARC

SAARC is an organization that is centered on the idea of mutual trust and cooperation for the welfare of the people in a wide range of areas concerning livelihood of the population and developmental aspects. Most dominant and guiding aspect of the organization is to promote collaborative and assisting framework in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields. Another important aspect of SAARC is to promote the organization as a powerful alliance of south Asian countries in the global arena for pursuing interests of the member countries. Poverty alleviation, improvement of livelihood and corresponding economic growth has always been in the forefront of the agendas of SAARC. After the globalization and its economic, social and cultural aspects took control of the world order initiatives in building relationship with other international organizations and regional powers became an important agenda and concerning area of SAARC.

Basic Principles of SAARC

As we have already seen that the basic objectives of SAARC do not take political positions and interests as their major binding concern and as the organization from its origination is more concentrated on the economic, social and cultural aspects of mutual sharing and development, the gross focus of the principles of the organization always rests on the political non interference in one another's territory, administrative structure and political interests. Apart from respect for sovereignty, territorial status and political interests SAARC emphasizes on the unity of opinion and decision on all matters that is evident in the binding principle of decision-making process. Another important principle of SAARC is that any bilateral issues between member countries have to be kept aside in the forum of SAARC and only common mutual interests of member countries should be considered as the subject of discussion.

As globalization as a world economic order and dominant cultural milieu has almost passed through two decades and as we have already seen its gigantic as well as encompassing effects across all aspects of our living hood and social spheres, the viability of regional economic as well as social cooperation has increased considerably in the recent times. Especially after economic recession took effect in the recent past the presence of regional organizations like SAARC is to play crucial role in the face of economic super powers and their influence.