♤ The Charter Bodies are the main mechanisms of SAARC. These include the Summit, Council of Ministers, Standing Committee, Programming Committee, Technical Committees and Action Committees.

♤ The Summit is the highest decision making authority in SAARC. These meetings are hosted biennially by the Member States in rotation in alphabetical order. The Member State hosting the Summit assumes the Chair of the Association until the next such meeting hosted by another Member State.

♤ The key outcome of the SAARC Summit is the Declaration. It contains decisions and directives of the Heads of State or Government to strengthen regional cooperation in the agreed areas.