The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) commemorates its historic 40th Charter Day on 8 December 2024. The SAARC was launched by the South Asian Heads of State/Government at their First Summit in Dhaka by adopting the Charter on 08 December 1985.

Since then, 08 December is commemorated as the SAARC Charter Day every year. The Heads of State/Government of SAARC Member States, President of Bangladesh, Mohammed Shahabuddin; Chief Advisor of the Interim Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Prime Minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay; Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi; President of Maldives Dr. Mohamed Muizzu; Prime Minister of Nepal K.P. Sharma Oli; Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif; President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake; and Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, have issued special messages in commemoration of the 40th Charter Day.

The Foreign Ministers of Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka have also issued dedicatory messages on the occasion. In their special messages, the Heads of State/Government and Ministers of Foreign Affairs have underlined the important role of SAARC as a shared platform to its Member States for fostering mutual understanding, regional cooperation and solidarity.

They have expressed that SAARC is the embodiment of the region’s collective aspiration for peace, prosperity and advancement. The SAARC Leaders also re-committed in realizing the collective vision of a peaceful, prosperous and more integrated South Asia. Having possessed massive human resources due to youthful population, rich natural and cultural assets as well as facing the common challenges of poverty, underdevelopment and environmental degradation, South Asia has strong imperatives for regional cooperation, the Leaders have conveyed.

Emphasizing the importance of collective efforts and initiatives to achieve growth and prosperity in the region, they have unequivocally expressed their commitment and support to the SAARC process in order to fully realize the objectives spelled out in the Charter. The Leaders have also conveyed their felicitations and greetings to the peoples and Governments of the Member States on the occasion of the Charter Day. Copies of their messages are attached.

The Secretary General of SAARC has also issued a message to mark the important milestone. In his message, the Secretary General has conveyed that the special Day provides an occasion to celebrate the numerous achievements SAARC has made in consolidating and streamlining institutional structure, norm setting in priority areas as well as programmes implementation to promote the cause of regional cooperation.

This is also an occasion to forge new resolve to strengthen SAARC and reinvigorate all its processes, the Secretary General has said. To celebrate the 40th SAARC Charter Day, the Secretary General of SAARC and his spouse will host a diplomatic reception in Kathmandu in the evening of 12 December 2024.