17 SAARC SUMMIT 2011 Introduction SAARC was created in 1985 with the objective of fostering cooperation among the

member states so that South Asia would develop as one community willing and capable of tackling the burning and chronic problems faced by more than one-fifth of the worlds humanity. It is an organization of eight South Asian nations, namely: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. 17th SAARC Summit was held in Addu in Maldives from 10-11 Nov 2011. There are nine observers who participate in SAARC summits in the opening and closing sessions as observers. They are the US, China, Australia, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar and the 27-nation European Union. The 17th SAARC Summit's theme is "Building Bridges"-- both in terms of physical connectivity and figurative political dialogue. Chairman of 17th SAARC Summit and Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed announced that 18th SAARC Summit is to be held in Nepal in 2013. The declaration, jointly adopted by the eight SAARC member countries, reaffirms their commitment to peace, confidence building, liberty, human dignity, democracy, mutual respect, good governance and human rights. Addu Declaration The declaration reviews their commitment to alleviate poverty and reduce income inequalities within the societies and reaffirms their resolve to improve quality of life and well-being of their people through people-centered sustainable development. In the declaration, SAARC member countries show their concerns about the continuing threat of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, transnational organized crimes, especially illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, trafficking in persons and small arms and increased incidents of maritime piracy in the region; and reiterating their resolve to fight all such menaces. The declaration says that the countries are aware the environmental degradation and particular vulnerabilities of the region to the threat of climate change and recognize the need to further strengthen the institutional mechanisms of SAARC in order to bolster and enhance regional cooperation.

Agreement Signed Foreign ministers from SAARC member countries have signed the agreements on (a) Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, Arrangement on Recognition of Confirmity

(b) Multilateral Assessment, (c) (d)

Implementation of Regional Standards and SAARC Seed Bank.

Achievement
1. SAARC member countries have agreed to direct the SAFTA (South Asuab

Free Trade Agreement) Ministerial Council to intensify efforts to reduce the sensitive list as well as reduce non-tariff barriers to trade. 2. SAARC nations have also agreed to direct the finance ministers to chart a proposal to allow more financial flows and investments. 3. SAARC secretary general has been instructed to ensure the final preparations for the Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service are completed this year.
4. Other efforts have also been made to promote communication between

SAARC countries.
5. Agreed to conclude the Regional Railways Agreement and convene the

Expert Group Meeting on Motor Vehicles Agreement before the next Council of Ministers. 6. The establishment of a South Asian Postal Union has also been agreed
7. They have reached an agreement on the Rapid Response to Natural

Disasters and agreed to initiate work on combating maritime piracy in the region.
8. All SAARC countries have agreed that they will spend an appropriate

proportion of their national income on renewable energy technologies, subject to approval of national arrangements.

9. They have agreed to convene an expert group meeting to discuss a

regional mechanism to empowerment of women and promote gender equality in the region.
10. Indian and Pakistan prime ministers met for talks in what seems to be

one of the focal points of the summit. Increasing warmth of relations were observed during the talks between the two parties with hopes for a "new chapter" opening during the next round of talks. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Yousaf Raza Gilani said their next round of talks should be "far more productive" and "far more practical-orientated and "far more positive."
11. Head of Delegation of Chinese Team, Vice Foreign Minister, Speaking at

the summit, Zhang announced $300,000 for the SAARC Development Fund in 2012 and declared that China was ready to raise its ties with the region to new heights.

Analysis China is looking for more prominent role in SAARC. He has already est an embassy in Male, Maldives two days prior to SAARC summit. His influencing is gradually increasing too as manifested in SAARC Declaration. Pakistan ( All weather friend of China), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives are in favor of China to make it full-fledged member to a dialogue partner. But India wants SAARC to remain a South Asian grouping and says by expanding it to include countries outside the region, SAARC may lose its original mandate and character. The power play between India and China in multilateral groupings is nothing new. Beijing has been opposing an attempt by India to join the six-nation Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) where it is currently an observer. The Addu Declaration, the joint communique issued at the end of the summit, noted that the leaders decided to undertake a comprehensive review of all matters relating to SAARCs engagement with Observers, including the question of dialogue partnership, before the next Session of the Council of Ministers in 2012

Concept of Regional Economic Union After nearly 26 years, Saarc member countries are finally making the right noises towards realising the long-term goal of a regional economic union. The 17th Saarc Summit stood out from previous onesfor clearly articuled vision and, most importantly, a renewed commitment by the largest country in the bloc; India. The 20-point Addu Declaration commits to intensify the implementation of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (Safta), harmonisation of national standards and measures, promotion of greater intra-regional mobility by facilitating more connectivity and empowerment of the Saarc Secretariat and Other regional centres to make them more functional-beyond tokenism, towards properly functional supranational bodies.

The Addu Declaration It has directed finance ministers to chart a proposal that would allow for greater flow of financial capital and intra-regional long-term investment. It has also shown urgency in concluding the Regional Railways Agreement and conducting a demo run of a container train from Bangladesh to Nepal via India at the earliest. It has also agreed to convene the Expert Group Meeting on the Motor Vehicles Agreement before the next Session of the Council of Ministers, to conclude the Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation and the Study on the Regional Power Exchange Concept and Saarc Market for Electricity.

Of course, Saarc countries have never shied away from making ambitious commitments on paper in the past, but this time there appears to be a real basis to underpin the aspiration.

Renewed commitment from the largest country in the association with asymmetrical size and capacity, points to the prospect of more rapid integration and removal of barriers. During the inaugural session of the 17th Saarc Summit, taking ownership of the regional project, Indian PM Man Mohan Singh reaffirmed that India will do whatever is within their capabilities to make Saarc an effective instrument to deliver on their vision of common peace, shared prosperity and cooperation in South Asia. Singh also said the process of integration should move faster, while acknowledging that India, given its size, had a special responsibility. Why India wants Regional Economic Union? New Delhis growing inclination towards developing Saarc as an ultimate economic union is tempered with realism brought about by a change in geopolitics that has shifted economic power away from the developed countries. The global financial crisis has forced developing countries, especially those who rely on exports, to explore regional and domestic markets to sustain their growth. South Asia is home to over a billion people or over 23 percent of the global population, but regional connectivity remains one of the weakest in the world. Intra-regional trade accounts for less than five percent. Half a century ago, South Asia had a far higher level of intra-regional trade. That suggests that the problems are largely political in nature. Of late, intra-regional trade within the Safta framework has begun to grow rapidly, nearly doubling since 2009.

Collective interests India had been predominantly obsessed with conventional security issues in the past. Its acrimonious relations with Pakistan, coupled with a relationship based on mutual suspicion with other smaller countries, made regional economic cooperation a secondary issue. But deescalating tension between Indian and Pakistan and the changing nature of security threats has made regional cooperation typical in advancing mutual interests. Among the positive trends include increasing realization that military approaches are unlikely to resolve issues, slow but decisive erosion of hostile attitudes, beginning of a peace process and the resumption of dialogue

process, confidence building measures (CBMS), continuously increasing support among the general public, economic imperatives along with the advent of globalisation and the role of Saarc. Necessity to be Global Power From Indias point of view, New Delhis inevitable ascendancy as a global power requires it to emerge as a consensual hegemon in the region. That means not only walking the extra-mile to normalise relations with smaller states, even if it is on non-reciprocal basis, but also continuing engagement with Islamabad-to show the world that India is a responsible power, capable of managing its affairs. The growing presence of extra-regional powers like the US, EU and China in South Asia also seems to have pushed New Delhi to secure its sphere of influence through bilateral and multilateral engagements. China, an observer in the Saarc, went as far as proposing a Saarc plus one arrangement to cement its role in the region during the summit earlier this month. Such extra-regional forays into its backyard require India to do more. There is a tremendous role for India to play in Saarc, akin to the role Germany plays and has played in the European Union. Like India, Germany outsizes other countries in the bloc, yet it has been the undisputed leader, contributing asymmetrically to the evolution and development of the union. Fortunately, there seems to be a growing realisation among Indian decision makers that ambitions have to been matched by actions and that credibility and acceptability in ones own backyard makes projection power on the world stage more credible. With a newfound enthusiasm and so much untapped potential, forward is the only logical way for Saarc members. As most of the south Asia countries have come under the influence of China, India has realized that something has to be done to win the confidence and keep own leading role in south Asia. Challenges During last 25 years, many promises has been made but in practical terms, however, no significant achievement has, so far, been made to change the lives of the people in the region.

The pace at which SAARC is moving does not prove its validity and relevance. SAARC was created at a time when the Cold War was at its peak. South Asia was one of the hot spots of conflict and superpower rivalry. Two big powers of South Asia - India and Pakistan - had entered into two different military camps, although they were members of the non-aligned movement. its performance and pace are not promising. Compared to other regional blocks like ASEAN and the European Union, SAARC has not been able to advance in a manner it was expected to. Why has SAARC not been able to move faster? Why are SAARC activities not action-oriented to produce better results? There are some issues which The answers are obvious. Despite having many commonalities and potential, mistrust among the member countries has marred any meaningful cooperation among the South Asian countries. India and Pakistan are the bigger members of the regional body. These two countries have many issues and disputes around which SAARC is revolving. While India and Pakistan are locked in dispute, smaller countries of the region, too, harbor a certain level of mistrust of their bigger neighbours. The conflict between India and Pakistan has kept SAARC hostage to a large degree while suspicion between the bigger and smaller neighbours has given rise to a deficit of trust. The SAARC Charter has the provision of a unanimous decision-making process and has prohibited any kind of bilateral and contentious issues from being raised in the SAARC forum. Also the SAARC Charter has exclusively confined its objectives and activities to economic, social and cultural cooperation. As a result, the objectives of SAARC have not been realised. Some issues have a regional dimension, but they are being dubbed as bilateral matters. One such issue is related with the Bhutanese refugee problem. More than 100,000 Bhutanese nationals have been living in Nepal for the last two decades as refugees. The presence of such a large number of refugees has put tremendous pressure on the social and economic sector of a small and resource-strapped country like Nepal. Bilateral efforts have not yielded any positive results on the resolution and repatriation of Bhutanese refugee. Since Nepal and Bhutan do not share a common border, Bhutanese refugees

had entered Nepal via Indian territory. Therefore, the refugee country involves three countries. Thus, this issue now needs to be addressed and resolved through a regional approach. Similarly, SAARC requires some structural change. SAARC has a multilayer structure. The most powerful one is the summit that consists of heads of state and government. The second tier is the ministerial level and the third one is the Standing Committee comprising foreign secretaries, which, in fact, holds practical decision-making power. Unfortunately, the Secretary-General has a mere bureaucratic role with no executive and decision-making power. This is also attributed to the lackluster performance and snail pace of SAARC. If SAARC is to be made really strong, the role of the Secretary-General has to be enlarged with executive and decision-making power while strengthening the SAARC Secretariat. It is now time to implement the SAARC decisions made in the past, which is also the focus of the 17th Summit. In the absence of effective implementation of the resolutions and decisions of the past, SAARC is becoming more like a gossiping forum of South Asian leaders. Some critics have even started talking about the relevance of SAARC in the present context because of its non-performance. SAARC is the association of eight member countries with nine observers, which in itself is a big irony. The concept of bringing some powerful and rich countries to SAARC as observers was guided by the motive of making the regional body more resourceful. But the resource should be generated from within. In SAARC, India is resourceful which can make substantive contributions for regional development. Chinas membership Similarly, China currently has an observer status. China is also a South Asian country because it shares a border with five of the eight SAARC member countries. Moreover, China is today the second largest economy in the world. If SAARC is to be made a complete and resourceful regional organisation, China has to be approached for full-fledged membership. Once China is included, SAARC would be the biggest regional organisation in the world with greater international clout. Issue of Climate Change

Government scientists of the Maldives fear, the sea might rise up to 0.9cm a year since 80% of its 1,200 islands are no more than 1m above sea level. If world would not fight against climate change, with in 100 years the Maldives could become uninhabitable. The countrys 360,000 citizens would be forced to evacuate. In Kandholhudhoo of the Maldives, tidal surges flood their homes every fortnight. Sri Lanka is also a vulnerable country to the effect of climate change. Once it used to say that, climate change effect in Sri Lanka is more dangerous than civil war. A major part of Jaffna and other northern areas of Sri Lanka will be submerged when sea level rises. Climate change in Sri Lanka will have dire consequence on water, agriculture, health and the coast. Already there are early signs of impact, which would assume serious proportion by 2025. According to Oxfam report world wormer and the Himalayan, glaciers could affect 500 million people in South Asia. Melting glaciers, rising sea level, changing rainfall pattern and scarcity of drinking water will affect these areas. Like Bangladesh, rural Nepalese are already living in poverty due to this effect, winter wheat has been failed due to warmer climate. Indian wheat is also facing that problem. Nepal, Bhutan and the Himalayan mountainous region are a few of the most vulnerable areas in the world to climate change. The Himalayan glaciers and warmer climate will affect them. Pakistan has suffered from a dangerous flood for a long time. All the South Asian countries are facing the effect of climate change. Though Bangladesh is the most vulnerable of them but the 17th SAARC host country, the Maldives is not any less vulnerable to Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is also in same condition. On the other hand, other affected countries, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan will also help to make this bridge. The richest country, USA is the observer of SAARC and they have a duty to fight together with the worst climate affected countries like Bangladesh, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and others. Recommendation SAARC can also work together to promote culture and arts that can be used to promote tourism in the region. He welcomed a consideration to establish dialogue with partners to promote the travel industry. Development within countries would attract foreign investors and freeing of trade between SAARC members would create benefit for all nations.

Voice of climatic change and its effect in south Asian region should be boldly put in international arena. If SAARC is to be made an effective regional body to resolve regional issues and nurture meaningful cooperation in various fields, some of the provisions in the Charter need to be amended. The provision relating to unanimous decision making and prohibition of bilateral and contentious issues from being raised in SAARC need to be reviewed. If SAARC is to be made a genuine regional community and promote cooperation, mutual trust is the first prescription for which a conducive atmosphere ought to be created. To end the disputes among the nations, bilaterally, a genuine solution is to be sought, free and open discussions must be held with an open and a positive mind.

Addu Declaration 1. To direct the SAFTA Ministerial Council to intensify efforts to fully and effectively implement SAFTA and the work on reduction in Sensitive Lists as well as early resolution of non-tariff barriers and expediting the process of harmonizing standards and customs procedures. 2. To direct the SAARC Finance Ministers to chart a proposal that would allow for greater flow of financial capital and intra-regional long-term investment. 3. To hold the Twelfth SAARC Trade Fair along with SAARC Travel and Tourism Fair in Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives in 2012; and to develop modalities, by involving the relevant private sector, in promoting the region globally as Destination South Asia. 4. To conclude the Regional Railways Agreement and to convene the Expert Group Meeting on the Motor Vehicles Agreement before the next Session of the Council of Ministers; and to direct the early conducting of a demonstration run of a container train (Bangladesh India Nepal). 5. To direct the Secretary General to ensure completion of the preparatory work on the Indian Ocean Cargo and Passenger Ferry Service, including the Feasibility Study, by the end of 2011, in order to launch the Service.

6. To ensure timely implementation of the Thimphu Statement on Climate Change. 7. To direct the conclusion of the Inter-governmental Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation and the Study on the Regional Power Exchange Concept as also the work related to SAARC Market for Electricity. 8. To make available an appropriate percentage of national income towards the respective countries renewable energy investments, subject to the approval of national arrangements. 9. To resolve the operational issues related to the SAARC Food Bank by the next Session of the Council of Ministers with a view to ensuring its effective functioning. 10. To root out terrorism, taking into account its linkages with illegal trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and small arms and to make coordinated and concerted efforts to combat terrorism; and call for an early conclusion of the proposed UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and completion of the ratification of the SAARC Convention on Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters. 11. To initiate work towards combating maritime piracy in the region. 12. To direct the convening of an Inter-governmental Expert Group Meeting to discuss the establishment of a regional mechanism to ensure empowerment of women and gender equality in the region, with focus on national legislations, including timely realization of the MDGs and SDGs. 13. To direct the finalization of the work on the elaboration of the SAARC Regional Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution with a view to its adoption by the next Summit. 14. To formulate an actionable framework to address the common challenge of sanitation and access to safe drinking water in the region. 15. To expedite the work on mutual recognition of academic and professional degrees and harmonization of academic standards; and establishment of longterm linkages among universities, research institutions and think-tanks in the

region. 16. To direct the South Asia Forum to continue to work towards the development of the Vision Statement for South Asia and its future development, including on the goal and elements of a South Asian Economic Union, as may emerge from its subsequent meetings. 17. To strengthen SAARC mechanisms, including the Secretariat and Regional Centres, through an inter-governmental process. 18. To direct SAARC mechanisms and institutions to develop and implement regional and sub-regional projects, as appropriate, in agreed areas. 19. To undertake a comprehensive review of all matters relating to SAARCs engagement with Observers, including the question of dialogue partnership, before the next Session of the Council of Ministers in 2012. 20. To mark a SAARC Media Day and, in that context, decide to convene a Regional Conference on Media to consider deepening collaboration in the region.