Re-evaluating SAARC

The 18th SAARC Summit Conference convened in Kathmandu, Nepal in the fourth week of November ostensibly aimed at 'deeper integration for peace and prosperity' concluded with handshakes between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. However, most analysts have agreed in general that the meeting has been only a partial success.
A wide-ranging communique was issued at the conclusion of the Summit but two important issues remained unresolved. SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) member states signed the SAARC Framework Agreement on Energy Cooperation aimed at sharing and trading electricity among the member countries through the creation, if possible, of a common grid. They however failed to reach a consensus that would have permitted them to sign two other regional connectivity deals. This related to a possible- SAARC Motor Vehicles Agreement for the regulation of passenger and cargo vehicular traffic and also to a SAARC Regional Railways Agreement.  The Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala tried to salvage the situation by pointing out during the concluding session that transport ministers of the member countries would be sitting within three months to finalise both these unfinished SAARC agreements.
It is understood that Bangladesh and India were ready to ink these two deals but differences of opinion among some member countries, particularly Pakistan, became a roadblock. The Bangladesh Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali, addressing a press conference after his return from Nepal was optimistic about eventual agreement among all member states about these two agreements. In this context, he highlighted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's emphasis on strengthening intra-regional connectivity within South Asia to achieve socio-economic development, peace and stability. It was reiterated that Bangladesh believed that all the South Asian states needed to rise above their differences and usher in the required political will that would enable them to overcome their challenges.
If the SAARC member states can eventually agree on these two agreements, then the SAARC Secretariat as well as each country could reach out for investments in ambitious rail, road and waterway projects within the region. Such an initiative for inter-connecting South Asia could then be facilitated through funding received from some states who are also part of SAARC as Observers - China, USA, the EU, Republic of Korea and Japan.  Some of them have already signalled their willingness to review possible financial proposals. It is understood that the SAARC Secretariat has also been in contact with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and they have jointly carried out a comprehensive study to ascertain how better linkage can be introduced  in this least integrated region. While undertaking the study, care has been taken to consider future steps and measures that would not be inconsistent with efforts to create greater connectivity envisaged through the creation of the BCIM (Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Forum for Regional Cooperation) corridor and the implementation of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) roadmap. It would be interesting to note here that on rail connectivity, the member states have proposed building five rail networks. According to the proposal, the first corridor will begin from Lahore (Pakistan) to Delhi and Kolkata of India via Dhaka to Mahastan to Imphal (India). The second corridor will connect Karachi-Hyderabad- Khokarapar-Munabao-Barmer-Jodhpur of India.
Indian Prime Minister Modi, according to press reports, has assured funding for possible regional infrastructure, health facilities and even a possible communication satellite. It is being hinted that such a measure on the part of India might have resulted from China's growing economic inroads into what India considers to be its backyard but where it remains embroiled in bitter rivalry with Pakistan.
This commitment to enhance regional connectivity substantially through the building and upgrading of roads, railways, waterways, infrastructure, energy grids, communications and air links is meant to ensure smooth cross-border flow of goods, services, technology and people. It is believed that such an effort would help South Asia to free itself from poverty.
One needs to view efforts towards greater integration and establishing common South Asian objectives against the challenges that exist within this region like militant religious fundamentalism, majoritarian dominance, acute democratic deficit, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, poor health care facilities in the rural areas (inhabited by the majority of the population), social deprivation, marginalisation, systemic exclusion and unemployment. Added to these is the pervasive presence of para-tariff and non-tariff barriers that influence trade within the region. The last factor that cannot be overlooked is the lack of expected professionalism in the SAARC Secretariat and its different bodies. It needs to be noted here that the SAARC Secretariat authorities appear to have compounded the scenario by dissolving the SAARC Information Centre, the SAARC Human Resource Development Centre and the SAARC Documentation Centre. Their one decision was however more acceptable which is the merger of the SAARC Forestry Centre, the Disaster Management Centre, Coastal Zone Management Centre and the Meteorological Centre.
All these elements apparently persuaded this latest SAARC Summit meeting to adopt a 36- point declaration and classify anticipated movement forward through 27 sub-headings. This has been done recognising that "it is time to reinvigorate SAARC's regional cooperation and revitalise SAARC as an effective vehicle to fulfil the developmental aspirations of the peoples of South Asia".
Some of the important measures that have been identified for implementation include (a) initiation of an inter-governmental process to "appropriately contextualise" the Sustainable Development Goals, which would come in place after 2015, at the regional level; (b) pushing forward the issue of the blue economy (related to marine resources) and encouraging partnership in this regard; (c) cooperating on 'safe, orderly and responsible management' of labour migration from the region to ensure safety, security and well-being of the migrant workers in the destination countries outside the region; (d) linking South Asian countries with contiguous regions, including Central Asia, through national, regional and sub-regional measures; (e) undertaking coordinated response for fighting cyber crime, terrorism and violent extremism in all forms; (f) developing capacity of member states to apply space technology for socio-economic development  and sharing already achieved experience in this regard; (g) eliminating the threshold criteria from the SAARC Food Bank Agreement so as to enable the member states to avail food grains during times of emergency; (h) establishing a Regional Vaccine Bank and a Regional Livestock Gene Bank; (i) developing an Action Plan for observing properly the SAARC Year of Cultural heritage during 2016; (j) reiterating the need to further promote good governance and sustainable development through enhanced transparency, accountability and the presence of rule of law; (k) developing a Regional Strategy for Enhancing the Quality of Education in order to raise the standards of South Asian educational institutions and (l) engaging the Observers within the SAARC paradigm (Australia, China, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mauritius, Myanmar and the United States) within 'demand-driven priority areas' so that the region can benefit from their financial and technological potential.
This time round the SAARC leadership has set several ambitious goals. One can only hope that these will not remain only as part of notes normally taken in a workshop. There has to be greater political commitment in areas like trade facilitation. There has to be conscious efforts to "accelerate free trade in goods and services in the region" by "putting into operation simplified and transparent rules of origin, implementation of trade facilitation measures, harmonisation of standards relating to Technical Barriers to Trade and sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures; harmonised, streamlined and simplified customs and procedures, elimination of non-tariff and para-tariff barriers and smooth and efficient transit and transport facilities".
Similarly, the SAARC Secretariat needs to pay attention to ensure that relevant South Asian bodies take appropriate steps for effective implementation of SAARC Agreement on Rapid Response to Natural Disasters, SAARC Convention on Cooperation on Environment and Thimpu Statement on Climate Change and also take into account the existential threats posed by climate change to some SAARC member states. One presumes that the establishment of the SAARC Environment and Disaster Management Centre will help this process.
Let us hope that this time round there will be a more serious effort on the part of the member states in proving to the more than 1.6 billion people of South Asia that the leadership means what they say and that this meeting has not been just another public relations exercise.
The writer, a former Ambassador, is an analyst specialised in foreign affairs, right to information
and good governance.
mzamir@dhaka.net