A Chronology of Events
Following are highlights of some important events until 1990. In addition Technical Committees have held annual meetings which have taken a number of initiatives to strengthen cooperation among the member countries in the identified areas.
1. Late President Ziaur Rehman of Bangladesh undertakes tour of the neighbouring countries, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (1977-1980) and promotes the idea of regional cooperation.
2. On May 2, 1980 he addresses letters to the Heads of State or Government of Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka elaborating the theme of regional cooperation and proposes a Summit level meeting of the South Asian Countries.
3. Foreign Secretaries of the seven South Asian Countries meet in Colombo on 21-23 April 1981 and identify five areas of cooperation, i.e. Agriculture, Rural Development, Telecommunications, Meteorology, Health and Population Activities. A Committee of the Whole is established to identify other areas of possible cooperation.
4. Foreign Secretaries meet in Kathmandu on 2-4 November 1981 and identify three new areas of cooperation, namely, Transport, Postal Services and Scientific and Technological Cooperation.
5. On 7-8 August 1982, Foreign Secretaries meet in Islamabad and agree on one additional area, namely, Sports, Arts and Culture for cooperation.
6. Committee of the Whole meets in Colombo on 10-13 January, 1983 and draws the Integrated Programme of Action (IPA).
7. Foreign Ministers meet in New Delhi on 1-2 August 1983 and launch the IPA through the adoption of a Declaration on South Asian Regional Cooperation (SARC).
8. On 10-11 July 1984 in Male, the Foreign Ministers decide to hold the first Summit meeting of South Asian Countries in Dhaka in the last quarter of 1985.
9. Foreign Ministers meet in Thimphu on 13-14 May 1985 and finalise the agenda and review the preparatory work for the first Summit to be held in Dhaka on 7-8 December 1985.
10. Meeting of Foreign Ministers preparatory to the first Summit is held in Dhaka on 5 December 1985 and recommends to the Summit adoption of the Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, Dhaka Declaration and SAARC emblem.
11. First Summit of the South Asian Countries is held in Dhaka on 7-8 December 1985. The Summit meeting formally launches South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) as an organisation and adopts its Charter, which spells out, inter-alia, the objectives and principles of the regional organisation.
12. Pursuant to the decision taken at the Dhaka Summit, a Ministerial level meeting on International Economic Issues is held in Islamabad on 2-3 April, 1986. The meting adopts a Declaration covering important economic issues relevant to the SAARC Countries.
13. A Ministerial level meeting is held in Shillong on 6-8 May 1986 to work out ways and means for increasing the participation of women in SAARC related activities. The meeting recommends to the Council of Ministers to include the subject of Women in Development as an agreed area of cooperation within SAARC.
14. First meeting of the Study Group on Terrorism is held in Dhaka on 12-14 June 1986. The Group recommends several measures, primarily in line with the various UN resolutions on the subject.
15. The SAARC Council of Ministers meet in Dhaka on 12-13 August 1986 and agrees to establish a Regional Agricultural Information Centre in Bangladesh and a Regional Meteorological Research Centre in India. The Council accepts Nepals offer to host the SAARC in Kathmandu.
16. The Study Group on Drug Trafficking and Drug Abuse holds its first meeting in Dhaka on 16-18 September 1986.
17. A Working Group meets in Dhaka on 18-21 October 1986 to formulate recommendations on the organisational, operational and financial aspects of the Secretariat.
18. A Ministerial level meeting on South Asian Children in cooperation with UNICEF is held in New Delhi on 27-29 October 1986.
19. The Council of Ministers meets in Bangalore on 14-15 November 1986 and approves modalities for financing the capital costs of regional institutions, rules of procedure, Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the SAARC Secretariat and its provisional budget for the year 1987.
20. The second meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the member countries of SAARC is held in Bangalore on 16-17 November 1986. The Summit decides to locate the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu and accepts offer of Nepal to hold Third Summit in Kathmandu. They also agree that the fourth summit will be held in Colombo.
21. The Secretariat of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is inaugurated by the King of Nepal on 16 January 1987 in the presence of all the Foreign Ministers of member states. Ambassador Abul Ahsan of Bangladesh assumes charge as the first SAARC Secretary-General.
22. A meeting of high level experts for expanding and strengthening regional cooperation is held in New Delhi on 23-26 February 1987. The meeting draws up detailed schemes giving practical shape to five new ideas: i.e. launching of a South Asian Broadcasting Programme covering radio and television; establishment of a SAARC Documentation Centre; promotion of organised tourism among SAARC Member Countries; institution of SAARC Chairs, Fellowships and Scholarships and launching an organised volunteers programme.
23. The second meeting of the Group of Experts on Terrorism is held in New Delhi on 18-20 March 1987.The Group finalises the list of offences that are not to be regarded as political.
24. A Working Group on Sharing of Institutional Costs of SAARC Regional Institutions meets in Kathmandu on 13-14 May 1987 and makes detailed recommendations on budgetary, financial and cost-sharing arrangements for the establishment of regional institutions.
25. The Council of Ministers meets in New Delhi on 18-19 June 1987 and agrees, in principle, to establish a Food Security Reserve and commissions a Group of Legal Experts to draft a Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism. The Ministers also specify dates by which action on some of the five new schemes of regional cooperation should commence.
26. The SAARC Group of Legal Experts on Terrorism meets in Colombo on 17-19 August 1987 and prepares a Draft Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism.
27. The Third meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the Member States is held in Kathmandu from 2-4 November 1987. The Summit meeting is preceded by meetings of the Ninth Session of the Standing Committee and the Fourth Session of the Council of Ministers. The Summit decisions inter-alia include signing of the Convention on Suppression of Terrorism, Agreement on the Establishment of South Asian Food Security Reserve, Commissioning of Studies on the Causes and Consequences of natural disasters and the protection and preservation of the Environment, as well as on areas of economic cooperation recommended by the Planners of South Asian countries. Other important decisions relate to a call for the participation of Non-Governmental Organisations including professional bodies in the process of socio-economic and cultural development of South Asia. The Summit authorises the Standing Committee to examine the questions of admission of new members, grant of observer and guest status and the establishment of relations with similar organisations.
28. SAARC Audio Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee holds its second meeting in New Delhi on 2-3 February 1988. Among other things the Committee agrees on the schedule of SAVE programmes for the period March -December 1988, signature tune and logo for programmes and arrangements for SAARC Quiz programmes.
29. The first meeting of the SAARC Documentation Expert Committee is held in New Delhi on March 9-11, 1988 and considers various aspects of the proposed establishment of SAARC Documentation Centre.
30. Meeting of the Group of Experts on the Study on the Causes and Consequences of Natural Disasters and the Protection and Preservation of the Environment is held in Kathmandu on 13-15 July 1988. The Group makes recommendations on the scope, objectives, terms of reference, methodology and funding for the Study.
31. The Council of Ministers meet in Kathmandu on 11-12 August 1988 and decides that the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism will come into force on 22 August 1988. The Council also decides that the agreement on establishing the SAARC Food Security Reserve will come into force with effect from 12 August 1988. Other important decisions include endorsement of the report of the meeting of the Group of Experts on the Study of the causes and consequences of natural disasters and the protection and preservation of the Environment, procedure for the admission of new members, establishment of relations with international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes and the participation of NGOs including professional bodies in the private sector in the SAARC activities.
32. A meeting of representatives of the designated banks/agencies is held in the SAARC Secretariat on 30-31 August 1988 to formulate recommendations on the implementation of Travel Voucher System and Settlement of Accounts under the scheme for Promotion of Organised Tourism in the region including facilities for limited convertibility of national currencies for tourists from SAARC countries.
33. A meeting of SAARC Group of Experts on matters relating to Studies on Areas recommended by the Second Meeting of Planners is held in Islamabad on 18-19 September 1988 and formulate terms of reference and methodology for the proposed studies to be undertaken with a view to suggesting measures and specific work programmes to promote cooperation among the SAARC member countries in the areas of trade, manufacturing and service activities.
34. A meeting of Focal Points for SAARC Chairs, Fellowship and Scholarship Scheme takes place in New Delhi on 22-23 September 1988 to finalise details about the scheme to be commenced with effect from academic year beginning in 1989.
35. First meeting of the SAARC Group of Experts on the Establishment of a Multi-sectoral Investment Institution takes place in Dhaka on 8-9 October 1988. The Group identifies the steps required for setting up such a mechanism, its nature, structure, modalities and financing and decides to consider further details at a subsequent meeting.
36. SAARC Youth Volunteers Programme is launched in Kathmandu on 15-30 October 1988. The first programme organised with the participation of volunteers from the region relates to Fish Pond Management.
37. Annual meeting of Planners takes place in Kathmandu on 1-2 November 1988. The meeting agrees on modalities for cooperation in data base for development planning, human resources, skill development and employment, education, manpower planning development, conservation of natural resources and long-term perspective and basic needs programme. The meeting recommends the launching of SAARC 2000 - a programme for human resource development and basic needs in the region during the Fourth SAARC Summit.
38. The First Governing Board Meeting of SAARC Agriculture Information Centre is held in Dhaka from 4-5 December 1988. The Board finalises various rules and regulations for the running of the Center and determines the criteria and modality for recruitment of the Professional Staff.
39. The first meeting of the SAARC Food Security Board is held in Islamabad on 24 December 1988. The Board reviews and assesses the food situation in the region and identifies immediate, short term and long term policy actions necessary for ensuring adequate supplies of basic food commodities and agrees on the guidelines regarding maintenance of stocks, storage condition and quality control.
40. The Fourth meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the SAARC Countries is held in Islamabad from 29-31 December 1988. The Summit is preceded by meetings of the Sixth Session of the Council of Ministers and the Twelfth Session of the Standing Committee. The Summit decisions inter-alia include declaration of 1989 as the SARRC Year for combating Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking and 1990 as the SARC Year of the Girl Child, inclusion of Education as the twelfth agreed area of cooperation and launching of SAARC - 2000 A Basic Needs Perspective. Other important decisions relate to the mandate given to the Secretary-General to convene an Expert Group Meeting to examine the proposal for the establishment of Centre for Human Resource Development, Special Meeting of the Group of Coordinators to identify any specific areas on Trade, Manufactures and Services where cooperation may be feasible immediately and the grant of Special SAARC Travel Document to Supreme Court Judges and Members of National Parliaments exempting them from visa requirement. The Summit also decides on the holding of a second Ministerial level meeting on Women in Development, approves the procedure for admission of new members welcome the idea of holding South Asian Festivals from time to time and directs that the desirability of establishing a regional body to promote cultural links among member states be examined. The leaders accepted the offer of Sri Lanka to hold the Fifth Summit in Colombo in 1989.
41. The first meeting of the SAARC Group of Coordinators to finalise the format for the Study on the causes and consequences of natural disasters and the protection and preservation of the Environment is held in Dhaka on 14-15 March 1989. The Group finalises the format for the country-wise studies and recommends course of action to be followed for conducting the study on the Greenhouse Effect and its impact on the region.
42. Special meeting of the Group of Coordinators for Studies on Trade, Manufactures and Services to identify any specific areas where cooperation may be feasible immediately is held in Colombo on 31 March - 1 April 1989. The Group emphasises the need for a greater level of exchange of economic and commercial information among trade and industry circles in the region and recommends that the early completion of the on-going studies on areas recommended by the second meeting of planners will provide the base for identification of measures and specific work programmes to promote cooperation in this field.
43. Fourth annual meeting of planners is held in Male on 22-25 May 1989. The meeting reviews the implementation of the recommendations of the earlier meetings of Planners and considers each agreed area of cooperation for identifying scope for harmonising of national policies for furtherance of SAARC objectives.
44. A meeting of the Expert Group on the SAARC Travel Document is held in Islamabad on 7 November 1989. The Group recommends modalities for the issue of the Special Travel Document to the Supreme Court Judges, Members of National Parliaments, spouses and their dependent children to be effective from 1 May 1990.
45. The Council of Ministers meets in Islamabad on 8-9 November 1989. It is preceded by meetings of Standing Committee and the Programming Committee. The Council decides on measures for streamlining of SAARC activities, directs the Technical Committees to include atleast one activity in the Calendar of Activities involving participation of NGOs as well as professional bodies in the private sector. Decision is taken to bring under the purview of the Technical Committees on Education and Rural Development the on-going schemes of SAARC Chairs, Fellowship and Scholarship and the Youth Volunteers Programmes respectively. The Council approves SAARC Plan of Action for marking 1989 as the SAARC Year for Combating Drug Abuse and Drug Trafficking and decides to observe 8 December 1989 as the Day Against Drug Abuse in all member countries.
46. Fifth meeting of the SAARC Audio Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee is held in New Delhi on 20-22 November 1989. The Committee finalises modalities for coproduction of TV and Radio programmes and agrees that in addition to the regular monthly telecast/broadcast, a special magazine type programme on developmental themes will be telecast/broadcast every six months. The TV programme will be put out in the third week and radio programmes will be broadcast in the first week of June and December every year.
47. Legal Experts meet in Colombo on 29 January - 1 February 1990 and draft the Regional Convention on Drug Control, which subsequently was named the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances.
48. The SAARC Documentation Expert Committee convenes its third meeting in Kathmandu on 6-7 February 1990. The Committee discusses the possible venue for the Centre and a host of other important technical details regarding the functioning of the Centre.
49. Expert Group Meeting to Work Out Modalities for the Realisation of SAARC 2000 - A Basic Needs Perspective is held in Kathmandu on 13-15 February 1990. The meeting reviews the National Perspective Plans of member countries and agrees that the areas to be included in the Plan would be food, clothing, shelter, education, primary health care, population planning and environmental protection. The meeting while identifying the modalities for the preparation of the regional Plan notes that it would entail a judicious process of integration of the basic needs perspectives of individual member states.
50. A Meeting of Experts on the Implementation of the SAARC Regional Convention on Suppression of Terrorism is held at Colombo on 19-21 February 1990. The Group reviews the status of implementation of the Convention, in particular the status of ratification/accession to the international conventions listed in Article 1, and enabling measures taken by member states to make the Convention effective.
51. Fifth meeting of Planners is held in Colombo on 19-21 March 1990. The meeting reviews the progress in the implementation of the recommendations of the second, third and fourth meetings of Planners.
52. SAARC Audio Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee convenes its sixth meeting in Male on 19-21 June 1990. In addition to auditioning and previewing the SAVE programmes in the SAVE Pool, the Committee decides on the time schedule for completing the radio and TV co productions on the themes - Gender Bias in Education and Highway Safety.
53. Second meeting on the Implementation of the SAARC Travel Voucher Scheme is held at Bombay on 15-16 March 1990, during which agreement is reached on a number of issues, including the scope of the scheme, denominations of the travel voucher and the procedure for settlement of accounts.
54. Second Ministerial Meeting on Women in Development is convened in Islamabad on 12-14 June 1990. The Ministers, in their Joint Communique issued at the end of the meeting, welcome the growing consensus at the international level to focus attention on the needs of women and children and identified a number of areas to be addressed at the national and regional levels.
55. An Expert Group meets in Islamabad on 21-23 August, 1990 to consider the proposal for the SAARC Centre for Human Resource Development. The Group reviews the Human Resource Development (HRD) policies and programmes in member countries and identifies existing facilities for HRD in the region. The Group while recommending that a Centre for HRD should be established, makes a number of detailed suggestions regarding the setting up of the Centre.
56. First Meeting of Chairpersons of Technical Committees is held in Male on 13-14 November 1990. The meeting reviews progress in the implementation of various decisions regarding IPA, considers modalities for coordination of sectoral programmes, and measures for promoting effective involvement of NGOs and professional bodies in the work of Technical Committees. It also addresses the important subject of preparation and selection of well-identified target-oriented and time-bound programmes. A number of important recommendations emerge from the meeting.
57. Second meeting of the SAARC Food Security Board is held in Male on 16 November 1990 and reviews the foodgrain situation of member countries through country presentations. The meeting consideres the desirability of enlargement of the size of the Reserve and decides that for various reasons it was not considered appropriate at that stage to amend the schedule.
58. Heads of State or Government of South Asia attend the Fifth SAARC Summit held in the Maldives on 21-23 November 1990. The Summit meeting is preceded by the Eighth Session of Council of Ministers (18-19 November), Thirteenth Session of Standing Committee (16-17 November) and Eighth Session of Programming Committee (13-14 November). The Male Declaration and the Joint Press Release issued at the end of the Summit highlight the decisions arrived at by the leaders during their deliberations. The leaders witness the signing of the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances on 23 November 1990. The Summit launches the Special SAARC Travel Document, which exempts its holders from visas for travel within the region. The leaders decide to declare 1991-2000 AD as the SAARC Decade of the Girl-Child to maintain focus on the problems of the Girl Child. They also decide to declare 1991 as the SAARC Year of Shelter, 1992 as the SAARC Year of the Environment and 1993 as the SAARC Year of Disabled Persons. The leaders decide to set up the SAARC Tuberculosis Centre (STC) and SAARC Documentation Centre (SDC) in Nepal and India respectively. The Summit requests the Chairman of the Fifth SAARC Summit to initiate consultations on rationalising SAARC activities and adopting a more business-like and functional approach in the conduct of SAARC meetings. The leaders accept the offer of Sri Lanka to host the Sixth Summit in Colombo in 1991.
59. SAARC Audio Visual Exchange (SAVE) Committee convenes its seventh meeting in Male on 29 November - 1 December 1990 and previews/audition programmes for the SAVE pool. The Committee notes that considerable progress was being made on the joint production of the TV and radio programmes on the theme Women in Development and also notes with satisfaction that the SAARC Radio Quiz produced by Pakistan was well received in all the member countries. o
SAARC Secretariat
Established in Kathmandu, SAARC Secretariat was inaugurated by His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev on 16 January 1987. The Secretariat is located at Tri Devi Marg as you enter the popular Thamel area in Kathmandu. The building equipped with adequate facilities to house the regional headquarters was donated by His Majestys Government of Nepal, which had also constructed subsequently an Annex Building to cater to the additional requirements of the Secretariat.
In addition to offices for the Secretary-General, Directors and other staff of the Secretariat, the building houses the Secretariat Library in the new wing, a conference hall and two smaller meeting rooms.
The Secretariat being the headquarters of the regional forum has been, since its establishment, instrumental in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of SAARC activities as well as servicing the meetings of the association. It has also served as a channel of communication between SAARC and other regional and international organisations.
Over the years, the Secretariat has provided a useful venue for important meetings. Several Heads of State or Government, Ministers and other important officials of the member governments have visited the Secretariat. Important visitors to the Secretariat also include those from outside the region.
An annual feature of the Secretariat has been its SAARC Charter Day Reception, which is organised on 8 December of every year.
The Secretariat comprises the Secretary-General, Seven Directors, Support and General Services Staff. The Secretary-General who has a two-year term is appointed by the SAARC Council of Ministers on the principle of rotation among the member states in alphabetical order.
At present, the permanent staff in the Secretariat comprise those who belong to the category of General Services Staff (GSS). While GSS I staff are regionally recruited, GSS II - VII are all locally recruited.
The working hours of the Secretariat are from 0900 hrs to 1700 hours on Mondays through Fridays.
The responsibilities of the Secretariat is shared among seven Divisions, each one of them headed by a Director.
The Secretariat which started functioning with limited staff and responsibilities have increased over the years in commensurate with the expansion in the areas covered within the framework of SAARC. Continuous efforts are being made to upgrade the quality of services provided by the Secretariat to ensure the steady progress of the organisation. Emphasis is being given to create greater awareness of SAARC and its efforts to promote regional cooperation in South Asia through the print and electronic media. Over the years, a number of important reports and publications have been produced by the Secretariat.
Directors are appointed by the Secretary-General, upon nomination by member states for a period of three years which, in special circumstances could be extended by the Secretary-General in consultation with the member state concerned for a period not exceeding another full term.
SAARC Secretaries-General
SAARC Directors
Current team of Directors :
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