UGC NET COMMERCE December 2018 Q18
0. Who among the following is not an observer country of the SAARC?
- Option : C
- Explanation : The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December, 1985. SAARC comprises of eight Member States: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The Secretariat of the Association was set up in Kathmandu on 17 January, 1987.
The objectives of the Association as outlined in the SAARC Charter are: to promote the welfare of the peoples of South Asia and to improve their quality of life; to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to realize their full potentials; to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South Asia; to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another’s problems; to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social, cultural, technical and scientific fields; to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries; to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of common interests; and to cooperate with international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
There are currently nine Observers to SAARC, namely: (i) Australia; (ii) China; (iii) the European Union; (iv) Iran; (v) Japan; (vi) the Republic of Korea; (vii) Mauritius; (viii) Myanmar; and (ix) the United States of America.
There is a moratorium on the admission of new Observers to SAARC at present. Observers are invited to participate in the inaugural and closing Sessions of SAARC Summits.
Member States have decided to engage the SAARC Observers into productive, demanddriven and objective project based cooperation in priority areas as identified by the Member States, i.e. (i) Communication (ii) Connectivity (iii) Agriculture (iv) Public Health (v) Energy (vi) Environment and (vii) Economic Cooperation.
Joint Meeting of Observers and National Focal Points (Ministries of Foreign Affairs) will finalize the projects based on proposals from Member States and Observers.
