Question

SAARC Council -

Goals of the Council

Answer 1

1. Zia-ur Rehman, President of Bangladesh felt that an organisation, which would work for the economic and social development in Asia needs to be established.
2. Accordingly, the first among the four meetings of foreign secretaries of Bangladesh, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Nepal was convened in 1981, at Colombo.
3. In this meeting, it was decided to work together for the planning of regional co-operation, rural development, health, demographic issues, trade, etc.
4. In 1983, the foreign ministers of the above-mentioned countries published the ‘SARC Declaration’ in Delhi.
5. The following are the objectives of SAARC, as declared in the Dhaka conference.
   • To co-operate for the rapid, all-round development of member nations.
   • To oppose terrorism and smuggling of narcotics.
   • To resolve problematic issues and create mutual understanding for mutual trust among nations.
   • To co-operate with various organisations at regional, zonal and international levels, working with similar objectives.
   • To work on an international level for collective well-being.