The 14th SAARC summit commences in the Indian capital of New Delhi today. If all annual summits had taken place, it would now be the 22nd summit, as SAARC is 22 years old. This means that, on average, one summit was skipped every three years. This says something about the level of progress the regional organisation has made since the seven heads of state or government signed it into existence in Dhaka in December 1985. No doubt, 22 years is a long time in regional cooperation, and during the period, SAARC has not done anything concrete that could make a visible positive impact on the lives of the peoples of the region, who represent one-fifth of humanity. But on the other hand, it is a matter of some satisfaction that despite the none-too-happy ties between the two biggest and most powerful member states — India and Pakistan — SAARC is intact, still meeting, planning and trying to do something. For an organisation that was born amid a climate of suspicion and distrust — for instance, India initially saw the idea as the smaller states ganging up against it and its smaller neighbours were wary of Indian dominance.

But, it is heartening that the 14th summit is taking place in an improved climate in which all members, including India and Pakistan, believe in the soundness of the idea of regional cooperation. In Delhi, SAARC will become an eight-member club with the induction of Afghanistan. Besides, delegations are attending the summit from the newly observer-status countries — China and Japan — as well as from the US, the EU and South Korea, which applied for observer status after China got it in probably not entirely unrelated developments. India, as its current host, should also be particularly interested in making the summit a success. As a goodwill gesture, it has announced that it will unveil a special package for the least developed member states — Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and the Maldives.

SAARC has passed many resolutions, made many commitments, and issued a number of declarations. And for the years and decades dedicated to important themes, it is famous for. The 13th summit in Dhaka declared 2006-2015 the SAARC Decade of Poverty Alleviation and the establishment of a SAARC Poverty Alleviation Fund. However, the main problem with SAARC is that it has lacked the requisite resolve to carry out all those commitments. The Delhi summit is expected to dwell on this area. The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) may indeed be taken as a concrete achievement, yet some irritants still exist, mainly between India and Pakistan, regarding the sensitive lists of products. SAFTA will come up for discussion. So also will the proposals for a SAARC food bank, the operationalisation of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF), and the creation of a South Asian University. New ideas, plans and projects should also be taken up. But, more important, it is time for the top leaders of the region to review the progress, problems and prospects of SAARC and inject a new momentum into the sluggish regional cooperation by keeping past promises. This will be a true measure of the success of the 14th summit.