Saarc which countries

It formulates policies; reviews progress of cooperation; decides on new areas of cooperation; establishes additional mechanism when necessary and also takes decision on other matters of general interest to the Association. Up to now, there have been 37 sessions of the Council held.

It is mandated to mobilize regional and external resources and to identify new areas of cooperation. The Programming Committee meets prior to the Standing Committee sessions or at the end of each English calendar year to finalize calendar of activities, programs and budget of the Secretariat, Regional Centers and Specialized Bodies.

Fifty-four sessions of the Programming Committee have been held so far. The last four meetings of the Committee one special Session and regular 52 nd , 53 rd and 54 th Sessions were held in Nepal in December , March , February and December respectively. Connectivity is sine qua non for regional integration in South Asia.

Implementation of such instruments would enable regional connectivity in a seamless manner and ensure cross-border flows of goods, services, capital, technology and people. The 18th SAARC summit declaration directed relevant authorities to initiate national, regional and sub-regional measures and necessary arrangements for linking South Asia with contiguous regions, including Central Asia, and beyond by all modes of connectivity.

Meaningful economic cooperation is essential to expedite regional integration process. As envisaged in the SAARC Charter, important steps have been undertaken to expand cooperation in core areas, especially in trade, finance, investment and economic activities. The leaders in the 18 th SAARC Summit expressed their strong determination to deepen regional integration for peace, stability and prosperity in South Asia by intensifying cooperation, inter alia, in trade, investment, finance, energy, security, infrastructure, connectivity and culture; and implementing projects, programmes and activities in a prioritized, result-oriented and time-bound manner.

Given high energy demand and huge energy deficit in the region, energy constitutes another important area for cooperation among SAARC Member States. It has opened up an avenue for energy trade in the region. In view of its natural beauty, ancient civilization and cultural diversity, South Asia has immense potentials for the development of tourism sector. A joint promotion campaign and marketing is necessary to develop and promote SAARC region as a destination in international tourism market.

During the 5th Meeting of the Working Group New Delhi, November , Nepali delegation presented an overview of major tourist destinations in Nepal and also highlighted the impact of April Earthquakes on its tourism business. Agriculture makes a significant contribution to the South Asian economy as well as to the livelihood of its people.

This sector provides over 40 percent employment opportunities in South Asia. The leaders, during the 18 th SAARC Summit, agreed to increase investment, promote research and development, facilitate technical cooperation and apply innovative, appropriate and reliable technologies for enhancing agricultural Food and nutritional security as well as promotion of sustainable agriculture are of equal priority within the ambit of regional cooperation.

South Asia remains in vulnerable zone to environmental degradation, adverse impact of climate change and frequent incidence of disasters all across the world. The 3rd Summit of SAARC held in Kathmandu underscored the importance of region-wide approach to address issues of environment by strengthening and intensifying cooperation to preserve, protect and manage diverse and fragile eco-systems of the region.

Hari Kumar. Author information Copyright and License information Disclaimer. Corresponding Author: Dr. E-mail: moc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3. This article has been cited by other articles in PMC.

J Coll Physicians Surg Pak. Gupta BM, Bala A. A scientometric analysis of Indian research output in medicine during J Nat Sci Biol Med. Diabetes mellitus in South Asia: Scientific evaluation of the research output. J Diabetes. During the Summit, SAARC leaders also called for authorities to tackle and prevent the trafficking in women and children.

In regards to the Post Development Agenda, participating countries aim to initiate an inter-governmental process to appropriately contextualize the Sustainable Development Goals at the regional level. MFA is a regional network of non-government organizations NGOs , associations and trade unions of migrant workers, and individual advocates in Asia who are committed to protect and promote the rights and welfare of migrant workers.

It is guided by a vision of an alternative world system based on respect for human rights and dignity, social justice, and gender equity, particularly for migrant workers. Email: mfa mfasia.