● The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established with the signing of the SAARC Charter in Dhaka on 8 December1985.
● The idea of regional cooperation in South Asia was first raised in November1980. After consultations, the foreign secretaries of the seven founding countries—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—met for the first time in Colombo in April 1981.
● Afghanistan became the newest member of SAARC at the 13th annual summit in 2005.
● The Headquarters and Secretariat of the Association are at Kathmandu, Nepal.