SAARC
Also called: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation · Topic: India and her Neighbours · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 2 "India and Her Neighbours"
Meaning
SAARC stands for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is a group of South Asian countries that work together for peace and shared progress. This kind of teamwork between neighbours is called regionalism. Seven countries founded SAARC on 8 December 1985 in Dhaka. Afghanistan joined in 2007, which brought the number of members to eight. The secretariat (the main office) is in Kathmandu. No summit has been held since 2014, and the 2016 summit in Islamabad was called off, so the group has largely stalled.
Example
The members are India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Afghanistan. The headquarters is in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Don't confuse with
- BIMSTEC: BIMSTEC was set up in 1997, and its charter came into force in 2024. It joins countries around the Bay of Bengal, including some in Southeast Asia, and it does not include Pakistan.
- IORA: IORA was also set up in 1997. It joins countries along the rim of the Indian Ocean, not only South Asia.