SAARC is a big failure how it failed?

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Organizations can be either international or regional. Like some other organizations such as AU(African Union), AL(Arab League), EU(European Union), EEU(Eurasian Economic Union), and ASEAN(Association of Southeast Asian nationals), SAARC is also a Regional organization. These are the kind of organizations that group-specific continents or countries within specific domains or geopolitical areas and work to cultivate cooperation, economic and political integration, and peace in member states.

It was formed in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 8 December 1985 under 52 articles of the UN charter. Its idea was first raised in November 1980 by the late president Zia-Ur-Rehman of Bangladesh. Its headquarter is in Kathmandu, Nepal. It was made for collective self-reliance in a common journey for peace and development in member states. It comprises 3% of the world’s area,21% of the world’s population, and 4.21% of the global economy.

SAARC member and observer states:

Its member states are Bhutan, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Nepal. There were 7 members when it was founded and Afghanistan got the membership later in 2007.

Its observers are China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Mauritius, Australia, the United States, and the European Union.

SAARC broad objectives:

1- To promote welfare.

2-Accelerate economic growth.

3-Social progress and Cultural development.

4-Strengthen collective self-reliance.

5- To strengthen cooperation with other developing countries.

Principles:

1-Act by UN charter.

2-Maintain peace and be cooperative and work for mutual benefits.

3-Every member state will have equal power and the sovereignty of each state will be accepted.

4-Member states will not interfere in others’ internal affairs.

But unfortunately, they did not follow their Principles, that’s why SAARC is considered a failed organization.

Institutional setup:

1- The summit:

Every year the heads of member states meet at a high-class summit in which they discuss important issues or matters.

2- Secretariat:

It was established on 16 January 1987. Foreign ministers of every member state meet to formulate policies, review progress and seek for new areas where they can cooperate and work for it. It comprises the secretary-general, seven directors, and the general services staff. The Secretary general is appointed by the council of ministers for a tenure of 3 years.

3-The standing committee of foreign secretaries:

The Foreign Secretary of every member state meets to set finance criteria, discuss new projects and finalize them, overall monitoring and coordination, and determine priorities.

Challenges faced by member countries:

1-Slow development.

2-unfavorable trade balance(Some countries are even facing a trade deficit).

3-Poverty.

4-Extremism.

5-Terrorism.

6-Illiteracy.

7-Unemployment.

8-Water dispute.

9-Leadership vacuum.

10-Environment degradation.

SAARC specialized bodies:

1-SAARC Development Fund(SDF)

Funding of projects such as poverty alleviation or development. It is governed by a board comprised of a representative from the finance ministers of member states. It is further overseen by the governing councilwhich consists of finance ministers.

2-South Asian University (SAU)

It is an international university and is located in India.

3-South Asian Regional Standards organization (SARSO)

Its secretariat is in Dhaka, Bangladesh. To enhance cooperation and coordination and to accelerate inter-regional trade.

4-SAARC Arbitration Council

Its office is in Pakistan. It is a legal framework or forum for fair and efficient settlement of commercial, industrial, trade, banking, investment, and other disputes.

Reasons for SAARC failure:

1-Adverse relations between India and Pakistan.

2-Lack of trust due to political differences.

3-India wants to be the most dominating country in it because of its high economy, large area, and big population.

▪Dictatorship attitude which Is unacceptable By other member states.

4-Territorial disputes such as the Kashmir issue, water dispute, or Bangladesh issue.

5-Small size of the local market.

6-Debate on the amendment of the charter ( bilateral and contentious issues shall be excluded from the deliberation)

▪Pakistan and Sri Lanka believe that there is a need to solve bilateral issues for cooperation and that’s why this rule of the article much be changed but India believes that there isn’t any need for it and change will do more harm than good.

7-Lack of leadership interests.

How can SAARC perform in a better way:

1-Manage conflicts peacefully.

▪ India and Pakistan should stop their enmity. They should resolve their water dispute and Kashmir issue.

2-Work for stability instead of destabilizing each other.

3-Increase the volume of trade.

4-Establish South Asia security dialogue.