STRENGTHENING SAARC REGION COOPERATION IN THE SAARC REGION

This article explores various strategies and priority areas for strengthening regional cooperation within the SAARC region. It moves beyond a general call for cooperation to identify specific and practical areas where enhanced collaboration could yield tangible benefits for the people of South Asia. The study advocates for a multi-pronged approach that includes deepening economic integration, fostering people-to-people contacts, and collaborating on non-traditional security challenges. The research highlights the need to move beyond preferential trade to a deeper form of economic cooperation, including the promotion of cross-border investment and the creation of regional supply chains. It also emphasizes the importance of "soft" connectivity, such as educational and cultural exchanges, to build a sense of regional identity. The paper also makes a strong case for cooperation on shared challenges like water management, disaster preparedness, and public health. The analysis concludes that strengthening SAARC requires a shift from a state-centric focus to a more people-centric approach, prioritizing projects that have a direct and visible impact on the lives of ordinary citizens.

Despite the political obstacles, the potential for strengthening regional cooperation in South Asia remains immense. This paper provides a detailed exploration of the key areas and strategies for realizing this potential. The analysis is structured around three main pillars of cooperation. The first pillar is economic cooperation. The paper argues for moving beyond the limited scope of SAPTA and accelerating the transition to a genuine South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA). It also calls for a new focus on facilitating cross-border investment and for the development of regional infrastructure projects to enhance physical connectivity. The second pillar is social and cultural cooperation. This section makes a strong case for the importance of building a "South Asian consciousness" from the bottom up. It proposes a range of initiatives, such as the liberalization of visa regimes, the promotion of regional tourism, and the creation of a South Asian university and media network, to foster greater understanding and interaction among the peoples of the region. The third pillar is cooperation on transnational challenges. The paper identifies a number of areas, such as the cooperative management of shared river basins and the creation of a regional disaster response mechanism, where the logic of collaboration is compelling and the potential benefits are enormous. The paper concludes that a revitalized SAARC should pursue a pragmatic, multi-track strategy that makes progress on all these fronts simultaneously, thereby creating a dense web of interdependence that can help to overcome the region's political divisions.