ECONOMYNEXT \u2013 SAARC member states should work together more to overcome difficulties facing the regional body and to re-ignite it, its top official has told a forum. <\/p>\n
SAARC Secretary General Golam Sarwar said \u201cthere remains great opportunity for regional unity to take center stage,\u201d at a forum in Colombo on \u2018Reigniting SAARC: Achievements, Challenges and Way Forward\u2019 by the Regional Centre for Strategic Studies (RCSS). <\/p>\n
While immediate bilateral priorities often demand close attention, he said, momentum is emerging as leadership across the region works to keep broader cooperation at the heart of the conversation. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen member nations champion this collective vision together, they can successfully elevate the dialogue around shared progress, ensuring that deep, meaningful regional integration remains a vibrant and lasting priority for all.\u201d<\/p>\n
The RCSS event sought to examine the current state and future potential of SAARC and regional cooperation within South Asia.<\/p>\n
Sarwar, who is on a visit to Sri Lanka, detailed the contributions of SAARC over nearly four decades, and its role as an \u201cirreplaceable beacon of hope\u201d for the region\u2019s 2 billion people. <\/p>\n
He outlined ongoing activities of specialized regional centres, highlighting the SAARC Cultural Centre in Sri Lanka as a vital node of technical expertise driving a practical, bottom-up approach to regional problem-solving. <\/p>\n
The Secretary General said that nothing epitomizes the spirit of \u201cknowledge without borders\u201d more powerfully than the establishment of the South Asian University (SAU). <\/p>\n
He pointed to cooperation taking place among states at the functional level, such as a recent ministerial conference in Colombo.<\/p>\n
SAARC is the region\u2019s premier vehicle for cooperation, Sarwar said, urging memebr states to unite to build a \u201cmuch stronger, more empowered, and thoroughly revitalized SAARC.\u201d<\/p>\n
The subsequent dialogue that followed included the participation of Esala Weerakoon, former SAARC Secretary General; Gamani Keerawella; Waruna Wilpatha, Director at the SAARC Secretariat; Varuni Muthukumarana, Director General (South Asia) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and former Director of the SAARC Secretariat; and Kaushalya Kumarasinghe, Director of the SAARC Cultural Centre (SCC), and diplomats, academics, policy experts and media personnel. (Colombo\/Jun26\/2026)<\/p>\n