The Standing Committee comprises of the Foreign Secretaries of the SAARC Member States. As provided in Article V of the SAARC Charter, they take measures /decisions relating to: overall monitoring and coordination of programme of cooepration under different areas; approval of projects and programmes, including modalities of their financing; determination of inter-sectoral priorities; mobilisation of regional and external resources; and identification of new areas of cooperation based on appropriate studies.
Standing Committee is mandated to meet as often as necessary. Generally, they have met preceding the sessions of the Council of Ministers i.e. both during the Summit as also as the Council is convened in between two Summits. That way, the Committee would be meeting at its thrity-seventh regular session in Thimphu on 25-26 April 2010 (preceding the Council of Ministers and the Sixteenth Summit). Depending on special requirement, Standing Committee has met at Special Sessions, on stand-alone basis: till date, the Committee had held five such Special Sessions, the last (fifth) being in Dhaka on 12 April 2006.
The Committee reports to the Council of Ministers, on regular matters; and, as needed, asks for specific decision on policy matters from the Council.
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Standing Committee
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DATE |
Venue
|
|
Forty Second Session |
16 March 2016 |
Pokhara, Nepal
|
|
Forty First Session |
23-24 November 2014 |
Kathmandu, Nepal
|
|
Fortieth Session |
19 February 2014 |
Bandos Island Resort, Maldives
|
|
Thirty Ninth Session
|
7-8 November 2011 |
Addu City, Maldives |
|
Thirty Eighth Session
|
6-7 February 2011 |
Thimphu, Bhutan |
|
Thirty Seventh Session
|
25-26 April 2010 |
Thimphu, Bhutan |
|
Thirty Sixth Session
|
25-26 February 2009 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Thirty Fifth Session
|
29-30 July 2008 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Thirty Fourth Session
|
5-6 December 2007 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Thirty Third Session
|
31 March-1 April 2007 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Fifth Special Session
|
12 April 2006 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Thirty Second Session
|
31 July-1 August 2006 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Thirty First Session
|
9-10 November 2005 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Thirtieth Session
|
18-19 July 2004
|
Islamabad, Pakistan |
|
Twenty Ninth Session
|
31 December-1 January 2004
|
Islamabad, Pakistan |
|
Fourth Special Session
|
9-10 July 2003 |
Kathmandu, Nepal |
|
Twenty Eighth Session
|
19-20 August 2002 |
Kathmandu, Nepal |
|
Twenty Seventh Session |
30 December-1 January 2002
|
Kathmandu, Nepal |
|
Third Special Session
|
9-10 August 2001 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Twenty Sixth Session
|
15-17 March 1999 |
NuwaraEliya, Sri Lanka |
|
Twenty Fifth Session
|
25-26 July 1998
|
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Twenty Fourth Session
|
27-28 November 1997 |
Male’, Maldives |
|
Twenty Third Session |
8-9 May 1997
|
Male’, Maldives |
|
Twenty Second Session
|
16-18 December1996 |
New Delhi, India
|
|
Twenty First Session
|
15-17 December 1995 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Second Special Session
|
25-26 August 1995 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Twentieth Session
|
27-29 April 1995 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Nineteenth Session
|
27-29 July 1994 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Eighteenth Session
|
1-3 December 1993 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Seventeenth Session
|
7-9 December 1992
|
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Sixteenth Session
|
5-7 July 1992
|
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
First Special Session
|
27-29 April 1992 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Fifteenth Session
|
2-4 November 1991 |
Colombo, Sri Lanka |
|
Fourteenth Session
|
1-2July 1991
|
Male’, Maldives |
|
Thirteenth Session
|
16-17 November 1990
|
Male’, Maldives |
|
Twelfth Session
|
6-7 November 1989
|
Islamabad, Pakistan |
|
Eleventh Session
|
26-27 December 1988
|
Islamabad, Pakistan |
|
Tenth Session
|
9-10 August1988 |
Kathmandu, Nepal |
|
Ninth Session
|
29-30October 1987
|
Kathmandu, Nepal |
|
Eighth Session
|
16-17 June 1987 |
New Delhi, India |
|
Seventh Session
|
13 November 1986 |
Banglore, India
|
|
Sixth Session
|
11 August 1986 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Fifth Session
|
4 December 1985 |
Dhaka, Bangladesh |
|
Fourth Session
|
10-11 May 1985 |
Thimphu, Bhutan |
|
Third Session
|
5-7 February 1985 |
Male’, Maldives |
|
Second Session
|
7-8 July 1984 |
Male’, Maldives |
|
First Session
|
27-28 February 1984 |
New Delhi, India |