South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an intergovernmental organization of eight full member states, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, founded in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 8, 1985 and headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. Its members account for about 21 percent of the world's population and 5.21 percent, or 4.47 trillion dollars, of the global economy as of 2021, and the organization has promoted regional integration including through the South Asian Free Trade Area since 2006. SAARC summits have not been held since the 18th summit in Nepal in November 2014, after the planned 19th summit in Pakistan was indefinitely postponed following India's withdrawal and that of several other member states over the Uri attack.