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A two-day Regional Workshop on “Assessing Impact of Transboundary Animal Diseases in South Asia,” followed by the SAARC CVOs Forum Meeting, was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

The event jointly organized by the SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), Dhaka and the Department of Animal Production and Health (DAPH), Sri Lanka, aimed to strengthen regional coordination and assess the growing threat of transboundary animal diseases (TADs), which continue to affect livestock productivity, food security and rural livelihoods in South Asia.

The event brought together leading policymakers, scientists, veterinary experts and development partners from the SAARC Member States (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka), WOAH Asia and Pacific, FAO RAP, ACAPSI and Regional and International Organizations.

Speaking as the Chief Guest, D.P. Wickremasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land & Irrigation called for stronger investment in technology, laboratory capacity and early-warning systems. He emphasized that safeguarding animal health is key to ensuring food safety, supporting rural economies and enhancing regional trade.

Guest of Honour Dr. Palika Fernando, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Land & Irrigation, highlighted Sri Lanka’s ongoing efforts to strengthen veterinary services and disease surveillance. She noted that regional workshops such as this provide vital opportunities for countries to learn from each other’s experiences and align their strategies.

Representing the SAARC Secretariat, Mr. Tanvir Ahmad Torophder, Director (ARD & SDF), SAARC Secretariat, Nepal, underscored the importance of integrating regional frameworks with national disease-control programs. He noted that the SAARC Secretariat will continue to support cross-border collaboration, capacity-building and harmonized reporting systems.

Md. Harunur Rashid, Director, SAARC Agriculture Centre (SAC), in his special remarks, reiterated SAC’s commitment to promoting evidence-based policymaking and fostering collaboration among SAARC Member States.

He stressed that South Asia, with one of the world’s largest livestock populations, must adopt a unified strategy to mitigate disease risks. “No single country can tackle TADs alone. Only through shared knowledge and joint action can we build resilient livestock systems,” he said.

The session concluded with remarks by the Chairperson, Dr. K.K. Sarath, Chief Veterinary Officer and Director General of DAPH, who stressed the need for sustained regional commitment.

The program began with an overview presentation by Dr. Md. Younus Ali, Senior Program Specialist (Livestock), SAC, who highlighted the economic and social consequences emphasized that regional disease surveillance, joint research and rapid response mechanisms are essential to safeguard livestock-dependent communities.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) marked its historic 40th anniversary of the adoption of its charter on Monday, commemorating four decades since South Asian leaders endorsed the document during the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka on December 8, 1985.

The day has since been observed annually as SAARC Charter Day.

On the occasion, the Heads of State/Government and Foreign Ministers of SAARC Member States issued dedicatory special messages highlighting the importance of SAARC as a shared platform to foster mutual understanding, collaboration and solidarity in order to build a peaceful, prosperous and integrated South Asia.

Reaffirming their commitment to the ideals and founding objectives as articulated in the Charter, the leaders also acknowledged the imperatives of concerted efforts and meaningful action to harness economic potentials, achieve sustained and equitable development, and to address the shared challenges confronting the region bound by history, culture and destiny.

In addition, the leaders conveyed their felicitations and greetings to the peoples and Governments of the Member States on the occasion of the Charter Day.

In his message, Secretary General of SAARC Md. Golam Sarwar, extended gratitude to the esteemed Member States, Observer States, Development Partners, Diplomatic Missions, regional and international organizations for their invaluable cooperation and support to SAARC through all these years. He also wished for their continued goodwill and steadfast support in the years to come as well.

SAARC has journeyed far, Secretary General said, recounting briefly the journey of SAARC from its focus on institutional strengthening and norm setting in priority areas to the implementation of programs across an array of sectors with a view to materialize the collective aspirations of the people of South Asia. He also hailed the Charter Day as an important occasion to reflect on the past accomplishments and to forge renewed commitment to reinvigorate the SAARC process.

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the adoption of SAARC Charter, the Secretary General of SAARC and his spouse will host a diplomatic reception in Kathmandu in the evening of December 9, 2025.

Forty years ago, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Charter was signed. Despite its initial successes, South Asia today is politically and strategically fractured, economically least integrated and stuck when it comes to connectivity and diplomacy. With widening internal divisions and growing external demands, how should we look back to the four decades of SAARC and its future? 

Paradigm in peril: “After experiencing twice in their own lifetimes” the tragedies of the two World Wars, that generation of thinkers and leaders came together to create the United Nations to lead the world in transforming human behavior for “saving succeeding generations from the scourge of war” and other threats. After the deaths, devastation, and despair, the UN, standing on its three pillars, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and the Human Rights Council (initially named Commission), was to be the global repository of a new hope of collective human security, prosperity and dignity.

With the UN at the core, the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and the ill-fated International Trade Organization (ITO), GATT—now the World Trade Organization (WTO)—were to assist in managing global financial, monetary and trading systems. Aimed at intellectually guiding this global transformation, a new academic discipline, International Affairs, Studies or Relations (IR), bringing together knowledge of history, geography, politics, economics, law, diplomacy and national security etc, also started in Western universities, which has now spread to all parts of the world. 

In both these new developments, there was an assumption that the inadequacies in understanding, codifying and guiding human relations individually, but more importantly relations among the highest and most powerful of the human institutions, the nation-states, were primarily responsible for the death and devastation. Now, of course, technology has fundamentally altered the understanding and application of sovereignty, power and interest, further amplifying the need for some form of convergence between national sovereignty and global governance with transformative IR and effective UN. Sadly, the Global Paradigm was in Peril for a long time. With the crisis in IR and post-Cold-War unilateralism the UN is totally marginalized in global affairs.

Regionalism, the next best hope: With the UN unable to come out of the Cold-War chasm, but regional cooperation in post-War Europe doing much better, some scholars and policy makers thought, perhaps, that cooperation for peace-security, prosperity and human dignity among countries within the same geographic region, with similar culture, stages of development, threat perceptions and security needs would have better prospects. Regionalism thus emerged as the next best hope in IR, a better approach to resolve disputes, avoid wars and promote peace and security, development, and human rights.

With European integration, it was assumed that regional organizations, their leaders and officials could better catalyze national interest harmonization, protecting and promoting individual national interests within the collective regional good. This in turn could act as the building block for future global transformation.

Establishment of SAARC: Aware of the power of the idea of regionalism and their region’s common problems of poverty and political violence, like in other parts of the world, seven heads of state and government of South Asia signed the Charter of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 8th December 1985. “Promoting peace, stability, amity and progress in South Asia” for the welfare of the peoples of the region was the main goal. 

Right at the start, South Asian leaders identified two main areas for regional cooperation: Collective prosperity and regional security. With Afghanistan as the eighth member in 2007, the relevance of SAARC  in addressing the twin tragedies increased significantly. 

Early successes: From a modest start areas of cooperation multiplied, encompassing poverty alleviation to trade and finance, culture to environment, social development to security, science and technology to tourism. Eight agreements, including the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA), six conventions including on Suppression of Terrorism and its additional protocol were signed. The Food Bank and Development Fund was meant to promote greater regional integration. SAARC Seed Bank, Multilateral Arrangement on Recognition of Conformity Assessment, Rapid Response to Natural Disaster and Implementation of Regional Standards were also signed.

The Social Charter and Charter of Democracy were steps toward common political and social order. The South Asian University could still spur greater intellectual interaction and innovation for greater regional consciousness, identity and cooperation. Sadly, performance hugely lags compared to potential. 

Intellectual traffic jam: Three decades after its establishment, Nepal was hosting the 18th SAARC Summit from 23-27 Nov 2014. As the host, the political leadership of the organization came to Nepal. For the second time, the secretariat was also headed by a Nepali and the third time the summit was being held in Kathmandu, where the secretariat is located.

All major global and regional actors (the US, China, Russia, Japan, Myanmar, Iran and South Korea) as observers of SAARC, reflected the pivotal position of South Asia in the post-Cold War world. With national leadership of vision and strong SG, this summit could have been a transformative moment for SAARC. 

As a member of the Summit Preparatory Committee, at the first meeting, I began my remarks by quoting a former SG—“SAARC has hardly progressed beyond signs and symbols”—and reminding the participants of the widespread criticism of SAARC for being ineffective. With Nepal assuming multiple leadership roles, I asked, “what kind of agenda should we propose, business as usual, incremental reforms or transformative?” 

Initially there was an all-round support for a transformative agenda. But from the second meeting the “intellectual traffic jam, political timidity and bureaucratic rigidity” started clogging the highway responsible for making SAARC unable to move forward.

After prolonged discussion, ‘Deeper Integration (Better Connectivity) for Peace and Prosperity’ was agreed as the summit theme. But support for deeper integration for peace and prosperity started diminishing and eventually the summit ended up being what SAARC summits have always been, rich in fanfare and declaratory rhetoric but little progress in addressing the real problems of the people of the region or a more unified position on external demands. “Neighborhood first or last?” dilemma and “beggar thy neighbor” policies keep South Asia divided and SAARC in “coma” today. 

Essentials remedies: This takes me back to the third SAARC Summit in 1987, the first in Nepal. In preparation for it, the Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS) of the Tribhuvan University (TU), with which I was then associated, organized a seminar titled ‘SAARC: Retrospect and Prospect’. I started my paper “Nepal in SAARC, a Long-Term Perspective” with a question: What kind of regional cooperation are we talking about without Trade? Trade became one of the areas of cooperation later. 

The next issue I raised was the provision of the charter excluding bilateral and contentious (political and security) issues. The role of the secretariat only as an administrative unit and the level of the secretary-general (SG), a mid-level career official, was the third issue I identified for discussion. Finally, the overly state-centric nature of the organization was, in my view, problematic. With this diagnosis, I proposed three remedies:

1. Strengthening the Secretariat and upgrading the level of the SG, enabling and empowering him/her to more effectively implement the decisions of the inter-governmental bodies and promote regionalism by harmonizing national interests of individual member-states within the larger regional good

2. Greater role for civil society to take up issues that may seem politically contentious for the inter-governmental process to take up immediately but too important to be left out completely

3. A confidence building process by establishing a Council for Dispute Settlement composed of elder statesmen and intellectuals to discuss issues excluded from the inter-governmental process until the charter can be reviewed and amended to strengthen SAARC as a mature institution able to discuss more substantive bilateral political and security issues, which are the main impediments to real regional cooperation

My conclusions then were, without addressing these issues, SAARC will be busy only in marginal issues and diplomatic fanfare but unable to really move regional cooperation forward in any significant way. Since then, I have moved from academia to public service, diplomacy to conflict resolution and peacemaking. In my academic-professional-diplomatic roles, I have spoken and written on the need to ‘Transform SAARC to Prepare South Asia for a New Age’, with emphasis on the issues identified in that short paper.

Almost three decades later, the 18th summit came and went. Not just the 19th summit remains in limbo, but SAARC and South Asia continue at the same crossroads of time and space, history and geography, only in many ways moving backward in regional cooperation. The only difference is, with the new Asian Century, China in the north and India at its center, the Indo-Pacific, South Asia  and the Central Himalayas have emerged as one of the global political, economic and strategic epicenters, significantly increasing opportunities and risks for the region. 

As a student, teacher and practitioner, I have advocated rethinking IR and regional cooperation for long. Today, I am both happy and sad that the discourse on SAARC, its marginalization or BIMSTEC and its revitalization, revolve around the same issues I have raised for four decades. 

The author deals extensively with these issues in his new book “SAARC to BIMSTEC:Breakdown or Breakthrough in Regional Cooperation in South Asia”, being published by a leading Indian publisher in early 2026

Last Sunday was SAARC Day, the day in which the promulgation of the SAARC Charter is celebrated. It was an important occasion to remind the citizens of South Asia that they should not lose sight of the high principles behind regional cooperation. The day was even more remarkable because it was the 40th anniversary of the SAARC Charter, an important milestone though unfortunately, only on paper. I am saying so because we all know that SAARC as a regional organization could be seen as, at the best, life support. 

The truth is that SAARC has been on life support for many years. We know that the main reason is the fact that India, the main and most powerful player in the region, does not attach importance to it. 

For Prime Minister Modi of India, the SAARC process is a hindrance, a burden especially because, as we all know, Pakistan is the second biggest nation in the bloc. While such a posture by New Delhi might offer the best way to meet India’s strategic goal both geopolitically and economically, the truth is that the whole region is missing out on a huge opportunity.  By now, there is a consolidated amount of evidence that regional cooperation is effective for those countries who invest in it. 

We do not need to make the case of the European Union that has reached the levels of cooperation and integration almost akin to a confederation of nations. Africa counts on several successful examples of regional integration. While ECOWAS, the regional cooperation architecture made up by western African nations, is not living its best times due to a series of coups in several of its members, there is the East Africa community and there is also the Southern Africa development community.  

No matter the challenges, both communities have made strides in terms of joint initiatives aimed at developing the respective member-states from a shared and common perspective. The picture in Central and South Americas is mixed and more complex but at the moment President Lula of Brazil is portraying himself as a big champion of regional cooperation. One of his most recent successes is the fact that MERCOSUR, a regional trade organization of five nations in South America, signed a groundbreaking trade agreement with the EU.

Closer to South Asia, we have the benchmark of regional cooperation, the ASEAN. As an observer of Asian affairs, I am not particularly fond of ASEAN due to the fact that its members lack ambition in terms of future vision and they tightly control the whole process. Yet, I do recognize not only the potential of ASEAN but also its success story in terms of becoming a platform in which the member-states shape their common interests and, together, reap some benefits from it. I wish only that SAARC could follow some of the steps of all these organizations starting from the perspective of regional cooperation. 

In a process in which nation states collaborate and partner with each other, cooperation among themselves is the first pillar of a much more ambitious political process, regional integration. This complex, daunting end goal where countries would cede their own sovereignty is something that only Europe has been trying to pursue. As we know it is a really difficult journey, one in which sovereign states are voluntarily pulling together bits of their decision-making that are normally decided in the national capitals. 

Coming back to SAARC, we need to be realistic on what it is possible to achieve. Setting aside the highly inspiring journey of integration being undertaken by the members of the EU, SAARC must focus on replicating the ASEAN model where the capitals are fully and only the ones in charge. On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the SAARC Charter, all the heads of state and governments have issued congratulatory messages. It is a good thing, though symbolic. 

Actually, considering the current status of play in relation to the SAARC, I am even surprised that they actually reminded themselves of the existence of the regional organization. Now it is high time to do something to reactivate the SAARC but, with PM Modi disinterested and disengaged, how to start? First of all, SAARC is not only the Leaders’ Summit which, shamefully, the last one was held in Kathmandu 10 years ago, in Nov 2014. 

It is also an umbrella organizations with a myriad of bodies, institutes and entities that are still operating no matter the challenging environment and lack of support surrounding them. The SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu should do a much better job at highlighting their work and their undertakings. Doing so would remind the citizens of the region that, no matter the ongoing impasse existing on the top of the SAARC, the institution is still active and works steadfastly toward a shared common future. Yet the secretariat also works under difficult circumstances and, objectively, we cannot expect much from it. 

That’s why there is an opening for leaders like Oli to reintroduce the whole concept of SAARC to the South Asian people. PM Oli, by partnering with like minded heads of state and government, should simply ignore India’s neglect toward SAARC and re-create a new narrative about the strategic importance of this organization. This could become a strategic interest for Nepal, a new cornerstone of its foreign policy. 

To start with, PM Oli should task Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba to take a tour of the South Asian capitals, starting from those keener to reactivate the SAARC process. New Delhi might get or might not get on board but, at this point, what India wants to do with SAARC is quite insignificant. We need a majority of nations from the region ready to promote the ideals of regional cooperation because doing so is in their best interests. PM Oli could, selectively, also embark on a tour of the region, pitching to his counterparts the importance of the SAARC.He could still, under the pretext of the 40th anniversary of the SAARC Charter, give a major speech on why Nepal and other neighboring nations should invest in a common regional architecture. 

The Secretary-General of SAARC, Md Golam Sarwar, in his congratulatory message for the same occasion, listed a series of priorities, a series of major reforms that SAARC should undertake in order to regain its legitimacy and relevance. PM Oli should embrace this cause and promote a wide debate within Nepal about ways to reactivate and reform the SAARC.

Considering that the HQ of the SAARC Secretariat is in Nepal, it should be obvious that Singhadurbar takes a special interest in the issue. PM Oli could also establish an advisory group made up of national experts, including members of the civil society and former diplomats, to chart out the best options for Nepal to become a true champion of regional cooperation not only for its own sake but for the prosperity of the whole region. If PM Oli decides it is worth investing his time and energy for the cause, helping resuscitate the SAARC could become one of his most enduring and important legacies.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has extended warm greetings and cordial felicitations to the governments and people of the member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on the auspicious occasion of the fortieth anniversary of SAARC Charter Day today.

In the felicitation message, PM Oli stressed SAARC's prominent role in fostering mutual trust, understanding and cooperation among member states, and expressed firm commitments of Nepal- current SAARC Chair- to its Charters for building a peaceful, prosperous and integrated South Asia. It was mentioned in a press statement released by the Foreign Ministry today.

Highlighting persisting socioeconomic and environmental challenges including climate change and transnational organized crimes, the PM also called for revitalizing SAARC process for promoting shared interest and prosperity of the people in the regions.

Similarly, in a separate message, Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba expressed best wishes to the governments and the people of SAARC member states on this special occasion. Minister Rana acknowledged the vision of founding leaders and importance of SAARC Charter in promoting collective self-reliance, improving quality of life of people and fostering regional solidarity to address multiple challenges faced commonly by the member states.

She also underscored the need for reviving and enabling SAARC to live up to its objective including SDGs in the spirit of amity, mutual consensus enshrined in the Charter.

The third Round of Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between Nepal and Bangladesh was held in Kathmandu on Wednesday. Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal led the Nepali delegation while Foreign Secretary (Senior Secretary) Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladeshi delegation.   

The two sides discussed regional issues of mutual interest, underscoring the need to revitalize SAARC and strengthen BIMSTEC for the promotion of regional cooperation. They agreed to cooperate at various multilateral forums, especially at the UN, for pursuing common interests, especially in the areas of LDC graduation, poverty alleviation, climate change, and safety and security of migrant workers.

They discussed all major issues of mutual interest and agreed to promote cooperation encompassing all sectors, especially trade and commerce, transit and connectivity, power and energy, tourism, culture and education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in a press release.

Both foreign secretaries emphasized the operationalization of the BBIN MVA framework to contribute to the individual country’s economy not only by expanding trade and connectivity, but also by creating more opportunities to promote people-to-people contacts.

Foreign Secretary Lamsal highlighted the need to tap full potential in economic, cultural and educational sectors through a meaningful collaborative partnership between the two neighbors by involving their private sectors. 

Nepal would like to enhance trade and investment cooperation with Bangladesh, Lamsal said and asked Bangladesh to explore investment opportunities in Nepal, including in the hydropower sector. Furthermore, she requested the Government of Bangladesh to eliminate the Other Duties and Charges (ODCs) levied on Nepali products being exported to Bangladesh. Lamsal also emphasized the exchange of visits at different levels.

Foreign Secretary Momen stressed the need for an early conclusion of a power agreement between Bangladesh, India and Nepal to enable his country to import power from Nepal. He thanked the Government of Nepal for allocating land for the construction of a monastery in Lumbini, expressing hope that it would turn out to be a milestone in bilateral relations.

The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, has shown willingness to strengthen cooperation with SAARC.

The UN Secretary General expressed the desire of the UN to strengthen cooperation with SAARC, which represents the 'Large Chunk of Global Population'. He expressed it during a courtesy call  Secretary General of SAARC, Golam Sarwar, had paid to him at UN Headquarters in New York on April 8.

In his opening remarks, Ambassador Sarwar appreciated UN Secretary General for UN’s steadfast commitment and support to SAARC, which is an Observer Organization of the UN since 2004, according to SAARC secretariat, Kathmandu.

The visiting Secretary General of SAARC had extensive discussions on further strengthening of relations between SAARC and UN in multiple areas of mutual interest especially climate change, food security and renewable energy collaborations.

While highlighting that SAARC has signed Memorandums of Understating (MoUs) with UN agencies including UNDP, FAO, UNEP, UNISDR, UNESCAP, UNTAD, UNICEF, UNESCO, WHO, UNAIDS, UNFPA and UNWOMEN, Ambassador Sarwar further stated that several of these MoUs need to be updated taking into account the present context in order to augment existing ties between two parties.

Given the potential of reinforcing project-based collaboration between both organizations, Ambassador Sarwar proposed a joint meeting of the SAARC secretariat and UN agencies in Kathmandu at the SAARC secretariat, in the near future as a brainstorming session to identify forthcoming areas for further collaboration.

UN Secretary General Guterres welcomed the proposal and emphasized on the elevation of the cooperation between SAARC and the UN. He also instantly instructed his office to connect the SAARC secretariat with relevant officials of the UN Headquarters for the sake of effective Sectoral Cooperation.

In a bid to boost effectiveness and sustainability of the secretariat, Ambassador Sarwar explored the avenues for capacity building opportunities for the officials of the SAARC secretariat.

Moreover, UN Secretary General Guterres assured continued UN support and assistance toward SAARC and both dignitaries during the meeting agreed to work closely to further enhance the existing ties between SAARC and UN in the coming years, reads a press statement. 

Established in 1985 with the aim of regional cooperation, integration and socio-economic development of its member countries and the region as a whole, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), as of now, is a “zombie” organization that could only be technically said to be operational; its spirit, ambitions and zeal dead as no progress has been made in its mandate. Upon its foundation, SAARC’s main goals included enhancing the well-being of South Asians, advancing their quality of life, fostering economic growth, social progress, and cultural advancement, ensuring dignity and realizing full potential for all individuals, and furthering collective self-sufficiency. However, despite having great potential as an intergovernmental organization to uplift the entirety of the South Asian diaspora, SAARC’s performance in recent times is underwhelming at best and utterly disappointing at worst.

Failure of SAARC

SAARC currently finds itself in a state of inertia, lacking clear direction and meaningful mandates for the future. This stagnation can be attributed to a multitude of factors plaguing the organization. Foremost among these are the longstanding bilateral conflicts, notably the deep-rooted animosity between India and Pakistan, which overshadows SAARC's agenda and hinders consensus-building among member states. The Indo-Pak conflict deeply impacts SAARC, hindering its functionality by causing recurrent tensions that divert attention from its agenda, fostering insecurity and instability in South Asia. This cycle of suspicion undermines cooperative efforts within SAARC, exacerbated by India’s dominant position in the region, which complicates efforts to promote equality. 

The last SAARC Summit was scheduled to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, in Nov 2016. However, it was indefinitely postponed due to escalating tensions between India and Pakistan. The URI surgical strike, which occurred on 29 Sept 2016, led to heightened military activity along the Line of Control (LoC) and exponentially increased the already dense diplomatic hostilities between the two countries. This ultimately led to the cancellation of the summit. The ongoing bilateral conflicts and diplomatic hostilities between India and Pakistan have since prevented the resumption of SAARC summits, underscoring the organization's challenges in fostering regional cooperation amidst deep-seated geopolitical rivalries.

Further adding to this issue is a pervasive lack of trust among member nations, stemming from historical grievances and competing geopolitical interests. Political instability and governance challenges within member states further detract from regional cooperation efforts, while economic disparities limit the scope for mutually beneficial initiatives. SAARC’s institutional capacity is also hampered by weak administrative structures and bureaucratic inefficiencies, exacerbating its inability to deliver tangible outcomes. External interference from global powers and regional actors seeking to advance their own interests further complicates SAARC’s ability to pursue an independent and coherent agenda. Collectively, these challenges render SAARC a ‘zombie organization’, struggling to navigate a complex landscape fraught with obstacles to meaningful regional cooperation and development.

Amidst the failure of SAARC to fulfill its mandate, India to strengthen its geopolitical grasp in South Asian region as well as Southeast region made a strategic move by extending invitations to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) leaders to the BRICS summit held in 2016 at Goa. This move signaled a major diplomatic shift, showcasing India’s willingness to turn to BIMSTEC in response to SAARC’s ineffectiveness at meeting its expectations. Subsequently, the Indian Prime Minister engaged in a bilateral meeting with BIMSTEC leaders. Since then, the member states have been reluctant to resume the SAARC summit. India has been consistently participating in the BIMSTEC summit, looking to establish it as a formidable alternative regional platform for the five SAARC nations to discuss sub-regional cooperation.  

Rise and Significance of BIMSTEC

BIMSTEC was established on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration. At present, BIMSTEC consists of seven member states out of which five member states are also the member of SAARC namely, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and two member states are from Southeast Asia, namely Myanmar and Thailand. Basically, BIMSTEC is a sector-driven institution unlike SAARC and many other regional alliances. Since its establishment, fourteen priority sectors of cooperation have been identified through the BIMSTEC ministerial summit held on different occasions. These sectors are trade and investment, transport and communication, energy, tourism, technology, fisheries, agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counterterrorism and transnational crime, environment and disaster management, people-to-people contact, cultural cooperation and climate change. The member countries of BIMSTEC  lead these sectors which are divided among them. They meet at different levels, like BIMSTEC summits, ministerial meetings, senior officials’ meetings, and expert groups.

BIMSTEC, as a trade bloc, presents numerous opportunities as the combined GDP in the region is around $2trn which is likely to grow exponentially in the near future. Among the member states, Myanmar’s intra-BIMSTEC trade accounts for approximately 36.14 percent of its overall trade, while Nepal and Sri Lanka have intra-regional trade shares of roughly 59.13 percent and 18.42 percent respectively. Bangladesh’s intra-BIMSTEC trade share stands at 11.55 percent, whereas India and Thailand have shares of around three percent within the BIMSTEC. 

Could BIMSTEC be an alternative to SAARC?

SAARC is a purely regional organization characterized by member nations sharing a collective history, geographical closeness, shared cultural identity and regional values. The member countries of SAARC are bound not only by historical ties but also by common developmental challenges, necessitating collaborative efforts for effective resolution.

Conversely, BIMSTEC serves as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia, leveraging its potential to connect the economies of both regions. By integrating South Asia with the vibrant economies of ASEAN, BIMSTEC acts as an inter-regional organization facilitating economic cooperation and trade. Its scope extends beyond the confines of South Asia, embracing a broader regional outlook.

SAARC and BIMSTEC are not interchangeable options or substitutes for each other. Rather than viewing SAARC and BIMSTEC as competing entities, it is more appropriate to recognize them as complementary frameworks with distinct but mutually reinforcing objectives. SAARC’s emphasis on intra-regional cooperation complements BIMSTEC’s inter-regional connectivity aspirations. The collaborative efforts within SAARC pave the way for addressing common developmental challenges, while BIMSTEC’s outreach to ASEAN economies opens avenues for enhanced trade and economic prosperity.

The authors are a law student at Kathmandu School of Law