INTERPOL

Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization –

INTERPOL,[1] is an organization facilitating international police cooperation. It was
established as the International Criminal Police Commission in 1923 and adopted its
telegraphic address as its common name in 1956.

Its membership of 188 countries provides finance of around $59 million through annual
contributions. The organization's headquarters is in Lyon, France. It is the second largest
intergovernmental organization after the United Nations.[clarification needed]

Its current Secretary-General is Ronald Noble, formerly of the United States Treasury.
Jackie Selebi, National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, was president
from 2004 but resigned on 13 January 2008, later being charged in South Africa on three
counts of corruption and one of defeating the course of justice. He was replaced by
Arturo Herrera Verdugo, current National Commissioner of Policía de Investigaciones de
Chile and former vice president for the American Zone, who remained acting president
until the organization meeting in October 2008,[2] and was subsequently replaced by
Commissioner of Police Singapore Police Force, Khoo Boon Hui.

In order to maintain as politically neutral a role as possible, Interpol's constitution forbids

its involvement in any political, military, religious, or racial crimes.[3] Its work focuses
primarily on public safety, terrorism, organized crime, crimes against humanity,
environmental crime, genocide, war crimes, piracy, illicit drug production, drug
trafficking, weapons smuggling, human trafficking, money laundering, child
pornography, white-collar crime, computer crime, intellectual property crime and
corruption.

In 2008, the Interpol General Secretariat employed a staff of 588, representing 84

member countries. The Interpol public website received an average of 2.2 million page
visits every month. Interpol issued 3,126 red notices for the year 2008 which led to the
arrest of 718 people.

History
The first significant move towards creating Interpol was in 1914 at the First International
Criminal Police Congress. Police officers, lawyers and magistrates from 14 countries
gathered in Monaco to discuss arrest procedures, identification techniques, centralized
international criminal records and extradition proceedings.[5] However World War I
delayed this initiative and it was not until 1923 that Interpol was founded in Austria as
the International Criminal Police (ICP).

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Following the Anschluss (Austria's annexation by Germany) in 1938, the organization fell
under the control of Nazi Germany, and the Commission's headquarters were eventually
moved to Berlin in 1942. From 1938 to 1945, the presidents of Interpol included Otto
Steinhäusl, Reinhard Heydrich, Arthur Nebe, and Ernst Kaltenbrunner. All were generals
in the SS, and Kaltenbrunner was the highest ranking SS officer executed after the
Nuremberg Trial. Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated by Czech (Kubiš) and Slovak
(Gabčík) patriots in 1942.

After the end of World War II in 1945, the organization was revived as the International
Criminal Police Organization by European Allies of World War II officials from
Belgium, France, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. Its new headquarters were
established in Saint-Cloud, a town on the outskirts of Paris. They remained there until
1989, when they were moved to their present location, Lyon.

Until the 1980s Interpol did not intervene in the prosecution of Nazi war criminals in
accordance with Article 3 of its Constitution forbidding intervention in 'political' matters.
[6]

On 2 July 2010, former Interpol President Jackie Selebi was found guilty of corruption by
the South African High Court in Johannesburg for accepting bribes worth $156,000 from
a drug trafficker.[7] After being charged in January 2008, Selebi resigned as president of
Interpol and was put on extended leave as National Police Commissioner of South Africa.
[citation needed]

Constitution
The role of Interpol is defined by the general provisions of its Constitution.

Article 2

Its aims are:

(1) To ensure and promote the widest possible mutual assistance between all criminal
police authorities within the limits of the laws existing in the different countries and in
the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

(2) To establish and develop all institutions likely to contribute effectively to the
prevention and suppression of ordinary law crimes.

Article 3

It is strictly forbidden for the Organization to undertake any intervention or activities of a

political, military, religious or racial character

Interpol differs from most law-enforcement agencies—agents do not make arrests

themselves, and there is no single Interpol jail where criminals are taken. The agency

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functions as an administrative liaison between the law-enforcement agencies of the
member countries, providing communications and database assistance. This is vital when
fighting international crime because language, cultural and bureaucratic differences can
make it difficult for officers of different nations to work together. For example, if ICE
and FBI special agents track a terrorist to Italy, they may not know whom to contact in
the Polizia di Stato, if the Polizia Municipale has jurisdiction over some aspect of the
case, or who in the Italian government needs to be notified of the ICE/FBI's involvement.
ICE and FBI can contact the Interpol National Central Bureau in Italy, which will act as a
liaison between the United States and Italian law-enforcement agencies.

Interpol's databases help law enforcement see the big picture of international crime.
While other agencies have their own extensive crime databases, the information rarely
extends beyond one nation's borders. Interpol can track criminals and crime trends around
the world. They maintain collections of fingerprints and mug shots, lists of wanted
persons, DNA samples and travel documents. Their lost and stolen travel document
database alone contains more than 12 million records. They also analyze all this data and
release information on crime trends to the member countries.

A secure worldwide communications network allows Interpol agents and member

countries to contact each other at any time. Known as I-24/7, the network offers constant
access to Interpol's databases. While the National Central Bureaus are the primary access
sites to the network, some member countries have expanded it to key areas such as
airports and border access points. Member countries can also access each other's criminal
databases via the I-24/7 system.

In the event of an international disaster, terrorist attack or assassination, Interpol can send
an incident response team. This team can offer a range of expertise and database access to
assist with victim identification, suspect identification and the dissemination of
information to other nations' law enforcement agencies. In addition, at the request of local
authorities, they can act as a central command and logistics operation to coordinate other
law enforcement agencies involved in a case. Such teams were deployed 12 times in
2005. Interpol began issuing its own passport in 2009 with hopes that member states
would remove visa requirements for individuals traveling for Interpol business, thereby
improving response times.[9]

Finances
In 2009 Interpol's income was €59 million, of which 82% comprised statutory
contributions by member countries and 14% income from projects, private foundations
and commercial enterprises.[10] From 2004 to 2010 Interpol's external auditors have been
the Cour des comptes.[11]

Member states and sub-bureaus

Sub-bureaus shown in italics.

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 Afghanistan Cyprus Latvia Russia
Albania Czech Republic Lebanon Rwanda
Algeria Denmark Lesotho St. Kitts and
American Djibouti Liberia Nevis
Samoa Dominica Libya St. Lucia
Andorra Dominican Liechtenstein St. Vincent and
Angola Republic Lithuania the Grenadines
Anguilla East Timor Luxembourg Samoa
Antigua and Ecuador Macau São Tomé and
Barbuda Egypt Macedonia Príncipe
Argentina El Salvador Madagascar Saudi Arabia
Armenia Equatorial Malawi San Marino
Aruba Guinea Malaysia Senegal
Australia Eritrea Maldives Serbia
Austria Estonia Mali Seychelles
Azerbaijan Ethiopia Malta Sierra Leone
Bahamas Fiji Marshall Islands Singapore
Bahrain Finland Mauritania Slovakia
Bangladesh France Mauritius Slovenia
Barbados Gabon Mexico Somalia
Belarus Gambia Moldova South Africa
Belgium Georgia Monaco Spain
Belize Germany Mongolia Sri Lanka
Benin Ghana Montenegro Sudan
Bermuda Gibraltar Montserrat Suriname
Bhutan Greece Morocco Swaziland
Bolivia Grenada Mozambique Sweden
Bosnia and Guatemala Myanmar Switzerland
Herzegovina Guinea Namibia Syria
Botswana Guinea-Bissau Nauru Tajikistan
Brazil Guyana Nepal Tanzania
British Virgin Haiti Netherlands Thailand
Islands Honduras Netherlands Togo
Brunei Hong Kong Antilles Tonga
Bulgaria Hungary New Zealand Trinidad and
Burkina Faso Iceland Nicaragua Tobago
Burundi India Tunisia
Cambodia Niger
Indonesia Nigeria Turkey
Cameroon Iran Turks and Caicos
Canada Norway
Iraq Turkmenistan
Cape Verde Oman
Ireland Uganda
Cayman Islands Pakistan
Israel Panama Ukraine
Central African Italy United Arab
Republic Papua New
Jamaica Emirates
Chad Guinea
Japan United Kingdom
Chile Paraguay
Jordan United States
Peru

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 China Kazakhstan Philippines Uruguay
Colombia Kenya Poland Uzbekistan
Comoros Republic of Portugal Vatican City
Republic of the Korea Puerto Rico Venezuela
Congo Kuwait Qatar Vietnam
Congo Kyrgyzstan Romania Yemen
(Democratic Rep.) Laos Zambia
Costa Rica Zimbabwe
Côte d'Ivoire
Croatia
Cuba

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South Asian Association for
Regional Cooperation
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an organization
of South Asian nations, founded in 1985 and dedicated to economic, technological,
social, and cultural development emphasizing collective self-reliance. Its seven founding
members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
Afghanistan joined the organization in 2007. Meetings of heads of state are usually
scheduled annually; meetings of foreign secretaries, twice annually. Headquarters are in
Kathmandu, Nepal.

History
The concept of SAARC was first adopted by Bangladesh during 1977, under the
administration of President Ziaur Rahman. In the late 2000s, SAARC nations agreed
upon the creation of a trade bloc consisting of South Asian countries. The idea of regional
cooperation in South Asia was again mooted in May 2001. The foreign secretaries of the
seven countries met for the first time in Colombo in April 2002. The Committee of the
Whole, which met in Colombo in August 2002, identified five broad areas for regional
cooperation. New areas of cooperation were added in the following years.[1]

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the Association as defined in the Charter are:[2]

• to promote the welfare of the people of South Asia and to improve their quality of
life;
• to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the
region and to provide all individuals the opportunity to live in dignity and to
realize their full potential;
• to promote and strengthen collective self-reliance among the countries of South
Asia;
• to contribute to mutual trust, understanding and appreciation of one another's
problems;
• to promote active collaboration and mutual assistance in the economic, social,
cultural, technical and scientific fields;
• to strengthen cooperation with other developing countries;
• to strengthen cooperation among themselves in international forums on matters of
common interest; and
• to cooperate with international and regional organisations with similar aims and
purposes.

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Afghanistan was added to the regional grouping on 13 November 2005,[3] With the
addition of Afghanistan, the total number of member states were raised to eight (8). In
April 2006, the United States of America and South Korea made formal requests to be
granted observer status. The European Union has also indicated interest in being given
observer status, and made a formal request for the same to the SAARC Council of
Ministers meeting in July 2006.[4][5] On 2 August 2006 the foreign ministers of the
SAARC countries agreed in principle to grant observer status to the US, South Korea and
the European Union.[5] On 4 March 2008, Iran requested observer status.[6] Followed
shortly by the entrance of Mauritius.

The SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1986 and was
inaugurated by Late King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal.

It is headed by a Secretary General appointed by the Council of Ministers from Member

Countries in alphabetical order for a three-year term. He is assisted by the Professional
and the General Services Staff, and also an appropriate number of functional units called
Divisions assigned to Directors on deputation from Member States.[7] The Secretariat
coordinates and monitors implementation of activities, prepares for and services
meetings, and serves as a channel of communication between the Association and its
Member States as well as other regional organizations.[7]

The Memorandum of Understanding on the establishment of the Secretariat[7] which was

signed by Foreign Ministers of member countries on 17 November 1986 at Bangalore,
India contains various clauses concerning the role, structure and administration of the
SAARC Secretariat as well as the powers of the Secretary-General.

In several recent meetings the heads of state or government of member states of SAARC
have taken some important decisions and bold initiatives to strengthen the organisation
and to widen and deepen regional co-operation.

The SAARC Secretariat and Member States observe 8 December as the SAARC Charter
Day1.

Political issues

SAARC has intentionally laid more stress on "core issues" mentioned above rather than
more decisive political issues like the Kashmir dispute and the Sri Lankan civil war.
However, political dialogue is often conducted on the margins of SAARC meetings.
SAARC has also refrained itself from interfering in the internal matters of its member
states. During the 12th and 13th SAARC summits, extreme emphasis was laid upon
greater cooperation between the SAARC members to fight [[terrorism].

Free trade agreement

Over the years, the SAARC members have expressed their unwillingness on signing a
free trade agreement. Though India has several trade pacts with Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan

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and Sri Lanka, similar trade agreements with Pakistan and Bangladesh have been stalled
due to political and economic concerns on both sides. India has been constructing a
barrier across its borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan. In 1993, SAARC countries
signed an agreement to gradually lower tariffs within the region, in Dhaka. Eleven years
later, at the 12th SAARC Summit at Islamabad, SAARC countries devised the South
Asia Free Trade Agreement which created a framework for the establishment of a free
trade area covering 1.6 billion people. This agreement went into force on January 1,
2008. Under this agreement, SAARC members will bring their duties down to 20 per cent
by 2009.

Dhaka 2009 Summit

The summit accorded observer status to People's Republic of China, Japan, South Korea
and United States of America. The nations also agreed to organize development funds
under a single financial institution with a permanent secretariat, that would cover all
SAARC programs and also ranging from social, to infrastructure, to economic ones.

Membership
Current members (alphabetically)

• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• India
• Maldives
• Nepal
• Pakistan
• Sri Lanka

Observers

• Australia[8]
• China
• Burma
• European Union[9]
• Iran[10]
• Japan[9]
• Mauritius [11]

• South Korea
• United States

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Future membership

• The People's Republic of China has shown its interest in joining SAARC.[12]
While Pakistan and Bangladesh support China's candidature, India is against the
prospect of Chinese membership. China's entry in to SAARC will likely balance
India's overbearing presence there.[13] However, during the 2005 Dhaka summit,
India agreed on granting observer status to the PRC along with Japan. During the
14th summit, Nepal along with Pakistan and Bangladesh, announced their support
for the membership of China.[14][15][16] China seeks greater involvement in SAARC,
however, finds it too early to apply for full membership.[17]
• Indonesia intends to become an observer as well, and is supported by Sri
Lanka.[18]
• Iran, a state with borders to two SAARC members, has traditionally enjoyed
strong cultural, economic and political relationships with Afghanistan and
Pakistan and has expressed its desire to become a member of the South Asian
organization. On 22 February 2005, the Foreign Minister of Iran, Kamal Kharrazi,
indicated Iran's interest in joining SAARC by saying that his country could
provide the region with "East-West connectivity".[19] On 3 March 2007, Iran asked
to join the SAARC as an observer. SAARC Secretary-General Lyonpo Chenkyab
Dorji responded by saying that Iran's request for observer status would be taken
up during a meeting of ministers of foreign affairs of SAARC member countries
in the 3 April summit in New Delhi.[16][20]
• Russia intends to become an observer as well, and is supported by India.[21][22]
• Myanmar has expressed an interest in joining as a full member, even though it
is already a member of the ASEAN. If done so, Myanmar will become the ninth
member in the group. India is currently backing Myanmar.[23][24] Myanmar’s
military regime officially applied for full SAARC membership in May 2008.
However, the application is still being considered and the government is currently
restricted to observer status.[25]
• South Africa has participated in meetings.[26]

Secretaries General
Abul Ahsan
Kant Kishore Bhargava
Ibrahim Hussain Zaki
Yadav Kant Silwal
Naeem U. Hasan
Nihal Rodrigo
Q.A.M.A. Rahim
Lyonpo Chenkyab Dorji
Sheel Kant Sharma
January 16, 1987 to 15 October 1989
October 17, 1989 to December 31, 1991
January 1, 1992 to December 31, 1993
January 1, 1994 to December 31, 1995
January 1, 1996 to December 31, 1998
January 1, 1999 to January 10, 2002
January 11, 2002 to February 28, 2005
March 1, 2005 to February 29, 2008
March 1, 2008 to present

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