BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

STRENGTHENING SAARC REGION COOPERATION IN THE SAARC REGION

Author: Prem Shankar Jha

DOI Link: DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2004v25n4a4

ABSTRACT

Inter-state relations in South Asia are characterized by tensions and acerbity, which in turn, lead to economic and social failures of different dimensions -rising unemployment, growing desperation among the youths and resulting political turmoils. The trend needs to be reversed immediately. The theme of the paper is that the right kind of economic cooperation even now could just about make the difference between viability and growth in a globalised world, and economic exclusion and spiralling descent towards state failure. One way to do this would be to create a Joint Infrastructure Development Authority under SAARC to which all the SAARC countries would provide seed capital in proportion to their size and GNP. This authority could be entrusted with the task of preparing feasibility reports for existing and proposed regional infrastructure projects, finding international investors, determining the share of each of the concerned countries in its share capital, the tariffs to be charged for the services or products supplied to the beneficiaries, and do whatever else is required to implement the project. A paraliel organisation to be created by SAARC, could administer the infrastructure facilities so created much as the original Common Market Secretariat in Brussels did in the sixties and seventies.