Vol. 2, Issue 1, Part I (2016)

Abstract
In September 2000, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, world leaders came together to adopt what would become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The eight goals provide a concrete, time-bound, measurable framework for tackling various dimensions of extreme poverty and environment degradation. They are arguably the most comprehensive, ambitious and broadly supported development goals ever agreed upon by the international community. The South Asian region contains huge diversity and contrasting group of countries. Regions as well as respective countries have made attempts to localize the MDGs. One of such attempts is the preparation of SAARC Development Goals (SDGs).These goals essentially revolve around the MDGs. The SDGs were conceptualized and formulated as a strategic regional response to the urgent imperative of riding South Asia of poverty and achieving the international Millennium Development Goals by 2015. Indeed, in certain aspects, the SDGs seek to go much further and faster than the MDGs targets. The SDGs are also in a sense a road map for the implementation of the SAARC Social Charter. This paper tries to explain the profile of South Asia as a region and its response to the international Millennium Development Goals by framing SAARC Development Goals. The paper tries to explain the precedents leading to the framing of SAARC Development Goals.