Cross-border Infrastructure
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka formally adopted the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter on 8 December 1985. SAARC provides a platform for the people of South Asia to work together to accelerate the process of economic and social development. Afghanistan was invited to become a member of SAARC during the 13th SAARC Summit in November 2005.
In preparatory meetings prior to the first summit, members identified nine areas of cooperation under an Integrated Programme of Action (IPA) – agriculture; health and population activities; meteorology; postal services; rural development; science and technology; sports, arts and culture; telecommunications; and transport. At the 12th SAARC Summit in 2004, the Council of Ministers approved the restructuring of core areas. Under a new Regional Integrated Programme of Action (RIPA), the Technical Committees (TCs) were reorganized into seven: agriculture and rural development; environment and forestry; health and population activities; human resource development; science and technology and meteorology; transport; and women, youth and children. Also, five new Working Groups were created to focus on biotechnology, energy, information and communications technology (ICT), and tourism.
Agreements
- 18th SAARC Summit Kathmandu Declaration: Deeper Integration for Peace and ProsperitySouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC27 Nov 2014
- 17th SAARC Summit Addu Declaration: Building BridgesSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC11 Nov 2011
- 16th SAARC Summit Thimphu Silver Jubilee Declaration: Towards a Green and Happy South AsiaSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC29 Apr 2010
- 15th SAARC Summit Colombo Declaration: Partnership for Growth for Our PeopleSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC3 Aug 2008
- Japan's Support to SAARC: Priority Areas and PoliciesMinistry of Finance - Japan2 Aug 2008
News
- Coronavirus hits South Asia travel as Sri Lanka halts pilgrimages to Indiaeconomynext11 Mar 2020
- India’s GoAir launches Sri Lanka flights, says Coronavirus scare boosting intra-South Asian traveleconomynext27 Feb 2020
- E-commerce can spur growth in South AsiaThe Daily Star - Bangladesh18 Dec 2019
- Powering South Asia economic cooperationThe Financial Express - India17 Dec 2019
Opinions and Editorials
- South Asia: Advancing cooperation in trade facilitation in the neighbourhoodThe Economic Times3 Aug 2019
- South Asian regionalism: What hopes after SAARC meltdown?The Asia Foundation2 Nov 2016
- Energy security in South Asia – AnalysisEurasia Review17 Feb 2016
- SAARC should consider common energy frameworkLanka Business Online8 Feb 2016
Studies and Research
- Cross-Border Electricity Cooperation in South AsiaA. Singh, T. Jamasb, R. Nepal, and M. TomanWorld Bank1 Jun 2015
- Connecting South Asia to Southeast Asia: Cross-Border Infrastructure InvestmentsJ.-F. GautrinAsian Development Bank Institute27 May 2014
- Regional cooperation and integration through cross-border infrastructure development in South Asia: impact on povertySrinivasan, P.V.Asian Development Bank1 Nov 2012
- India’s recent infrastructure development initiatives: a comparative analysis of South and Southeast AsiaBhattacharyya, Anushree and Debashis ChakrabortyMunich Personal RePEc Archive2 Jun 2010
Meetings
- 18th SAARC SummitSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC26 Nov 2014
- 17th SAARC SummitSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC10 Nov 2011
- Third Meeting of SAARC Tourism MinistersSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC13 Jan 2011
- 16th SAARC SummitSouth Asian Association for Regional Cooperation - SAARC28 Apr 2010
Featured Publications
