Regional Public Goods

Selected Regional Public Good (RPGs) of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on human resource development, health, and environment

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established when its Charter was formally adopted on December 8, 1985 by the Heads of State or Government of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. SAARC provides a platform for the people of South Asia to work together in a spirit of friendship, trust and understanding. The organization's cooperation spans several areas including agriculture, science and technology, health, environment, trade, finance, funding mechanism, people-to-people contacts, information technology, security and social development.

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Human resource development is a fundamental area of cooperation in the region. During the Fourth Summit in 1988, the SAARC Heads of State agreed to establish SAARC Human Resource Development Centre which undertakes research, training and knowledge sharing on HRD issues.

A regional coordinating center on health, the SAARC Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS Center, was also established in 1992 to create a network for the National Tuberculosis Control Programme and National HIV/AIDS Control Programme of member countries.

Notably, the SAARC Heads of State have been active in pursuing regional cooperation to address environmental challenges. In 1997, the SAARC Environment Action Plan was implemented which led to the establishment of the SAARC Coastal Zone Management Center, SAARC Forestry Center, SAARC Disaster Management Center and SAARC Meteorological Research Center.

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