Glossary: South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
DEFINITION:
Comprises the seven nations of South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka; headquartered in Kathmandu. Founded as South Asia Regional Cooperation (SARC) at a meeting for foreign ministers in New Delhi on August 1-2, 1983; the group was renamed when the 1983 agreement was ratified at the inaugural summit meeting at Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 7-8, 1985. SAARC’s goal is to effect economic, technical, and cultural cooperation, and to provide a forum for discussions of South Asia’s political problems.