SAARC Full Form

What is the Full form of SAARC?

The full form of SAARC is the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is a geopolitical and economic body of eight countries located in South Asia, created in 1985. The Headquarters of SAARC is located in Kathmandu, Nepal.

The eight member countries of SAARC are as follows:

1. India
2. Bangladesh
3. Bhutan
4. Sri Lanka
5. Afghanistan
6. Nepal
7. Maldives
8. Pakistan

It also has nine Observers: China, the EU, Iran, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Japan, Mauritius, Myanmar and the USA.

About SAARC

• The seven South Asian countries, including Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Maldives, and Afghanistan, settled in the late 1970s and agreed to create a trade bloc to provide a forum for the citizens of South Asia to function in the spirit of friendship, confidence and understanding at the same time.
• On May 2, 1980, Zia Ur Rahaman initially lifted this initiative to create a trade bloc.
• The first summit was held in Dhaka on December 8, 1985.
• In 2007, Afghanistan joined as the eighth member of SAARC.
• In 2007, India was the Chair of SAARC, the year the most productive year that SAARC had ever known.

SAARC’s Cooperation Areas

The five primary cooperation areas assigned by SAARC are as follows:

• Human Resources Development
• Rural and agriculture development
• Transport
• Science, Technology, and Telecommunication
• Population and health-related activities

Apex and Respected companies

SAARC has six Apex entities that are listed below:

• SAARCLAW (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation in Law)
• SCCI (SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry)
• SAFA (South Asian Federation of Accountants)
• SAF (South Asia Foundation)
• FOSWAL (Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature)
• SAIEVAC (South Asia Initiative to End Violence Against Children)