🌐 Chapter 08 · Topic 04 · International Organisations

Regional Organisations

ASEAN, SAARC, EU, African Union, Arab League — formation, headquarters, members, and key facts.

🌏 ASEAN — Association of Southeast Asian Nations

HQ: Jakarta, Indonesia; Founded: 8 August 1967 (Bangkok Declaration)
Members: 10 — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam
ASEAN motto: “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”
ASEAN Community has 3 pillars: Political-Security, Economic, Socio-Cultural
India is an ASEAN Dialogue Partner; India-ASEAN relations are central to India’s Act East Policy
ASEAN+3 = ASEAN + China, Japan, South Korea
East Asia Summit (EAS) = ASEAN + 8 (includes India, Australia, USA, Russia)

🌏 SAARC — South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation

HQ: Kathmandu, Nepal; Founded: 8 December 1985 (Dhaka Declaration)
Members: 8 — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan
Observer states: USA, EU, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Iran, Myanmar
SAARC Secretariat established in Kathmandu in 1987
SAARC summits have been irregular due to India-Pakistan tensions; last summit was in 2014 (Kathmandu)
SAFTA (South Asian Free Trade Area) — free trade agreement among SAARC members

🌍 Major Regional Organisations — Quick Reference

Organisation	HQ	Founded	Members	Key Fact
EU (European Union)	Brussels, Belgium	1993 (Maastricht Treaty)	27	Single market; Euro currency; Brexit (UK left 2020)
African Union (AU)	Addis Ababa, Ethiopia	2002	55	Replaced OAU (1963); joined G20 in 2023
Arab League	Cairo, Egypt	1945	22	League of Arab States; promotes Arab interests
OAS (Organization of American States)	Washington D.C., USA	1948	35	Oldest regional organisation; Western Hemisphere
Commonwealth	London, UK	1931	56	Former British Empire nations; India is a member
NAM (Non-Aligned Movement)	No permanent HQ	1961	120	Founded by Nehru, Nasser, Tito, Sukarno, Nkrumah; India is a founding member
BIMSTEC	Dhaka, Bangladesh	1997	7	Bay of Bengal Initiative; India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, Bhutan
IORA	Ebène, Mauritius	1997	23	Indian Ocean Rim Association; India is a member

⭐ Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): NAM was founded in 1961 at the Belgrade Conference. The five founding leaders were: Jawaharlal Nehru (India), Gamal Abdel Nasser (Egypt), Josip Broz Tito (Yugoslavia), Sukarno (Indonesia), and Kwame Nkrumah (Ghana). NAM was established during the Cold War to avoid alignment with either the USA-led Western bloc or the USSR-led Eastern bloc. India has been a strong advocate of NAM principles. The 19th NAM Summit was held in Uganda in 2024.

📌 BIMSTEC vs SAARC: India has been increasingly focusing on BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) as an alternative to SAARC, which has been stalled due to India-Pakistan tensions. BIMSTEC connects South Asia and Southeast Asia and does not include Pakistan. India hosted the 5th BIMSTEC Summit in 2022. BIMSTEC has 7 members: India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Nepal, and Bhutan.

✅ Revision Checklist

✅ ASEAN = Jakarta = 8 August 1967 = 10 members = Southeast Asia
✅ India-ASEAN = Act East Policy = Dialogue Partner
✅ SAARC = Kathmandu = 8 December 1985 = 8 members = South Asia
✅ SAARC last summit = 2014 Kathmandu
✅ EU = Brussels = 1993 (Maastricht) = 27 members = single market
✅ African Union = Addis Ababa = 2002 = 55 members = joined G20 2023
✅ Arab League = Cairo = 1945 = 22 members
✅ Commonwealth = London = 1931 = 56 members = India is member
✅ NAM = 1961 = 120 members = Nehru + Nasser + Tito + Sukarno + Nkrumah
✅ BIMSTEC = Dhaka = 1997 = 7 members = Bay of Bengal = India’s alternative to SAARC