Forum for South Asia Studies(FSAS) is a collaborative academic effort by six faculties of Uppsala University of Sweden aimed at facilitating and promoting research and education related to the South Asian countries: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives and Afghanistan, on the national and international level. [1]
The purpose of the Forum for South Asia Studies is to strengthen South Asia related research and education, and increase Uppsala University’s collaboration with the region. The Forum is a coordinated effort by the six faculties that constitute the Humanities and Social Sciences: [1]
The FSAS aims at:
FSAS conducts a student and teacher exchange program between Uppsala University and Calcutta University. [2]
The administration of the Forum for South Asia Studies is placed at the Department of History. [1]
Margaret Hunt, Faculty of History and Philosophy, is the current director of the FSAS. Other board members are: Siddhartha Dhar, Dept. for Peace and Conflict Resolution; Jens Wilhelm Borgland, Faculty of Theology; Heinz Werner Wessler, Faculty of Languages; Kavita Dasgupta, Faculty of History and Philosophy. [1]
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden. Founded in 1477, it is the oldest university in Sweden and all of the Nordic countries still in operation. It ranks among the world's 100 best universities in several high-profile international rankings. The university uses "Gratiae veritas naturae" as its motto and embraces natural sciences.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The SAARC comprises 3% of the world's area, 21% of the world's population and 4.21% of the global economy, as of 2019.
The South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) is an agreement reached on January 6, 2004, at the 12th SAARC summit in Islamabad, Pakistan. It created a free-trade area of 1.6 billion people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka to reduce customs duties of all traded goods to zero by the year 2016. The SAFTA agreement came into force on January 1, 2006, and is operational following the ratification of the agreement by the seven governments. SAFTA required the developing countries in South Asia to bring their duties down to 20 percent in the first phase of the two-year period ending in 2007. In the final five-year phase ending in 2012, the 20 percent duty was reduced to zero in a series of annual cuts. The least developed countries in South Asia had an additional three years to reduce tariffs to zero. India and Pakistan ratified the treaty in 2009, whereas Afghanistan as the 8th member state of the SAARC ratified the SAFTA protocol on 4 May 2011.
South Asian ethnic groups are ethnolinguistic composition of the diverse population of South Asia, including the nations of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka. While Afghanistan and Myanmar may be classified as South Asian countries, the ethnic groups of these countries however are generally not included among South Asian ethnic groups.
The SAARC Consortium on Open and Distance Learning(SACODiL) is a regional cooperation agency set up under the auspices of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) with the objectives of promoting cooperation and collaboration among institutions imparting knowledge through open and distance learning within member states, and promoting its use as a viable and cost-effective method of imparting quality education at all levels.
Asian University for Women (AUW) is an independent, international university in Chittagong, Bangladesh seeking to educate a new generation of leaders in Asia. AUW admits students solely on the basis of merit, regardless of their family's income level. Nearly all students are on full scholarship with many as the first in their family to attend university. AUW offers two pre-collegiate bridge programs called Access Academy and Pathways for Promise, as well as a three-year undergraduate program based in the liberal arts and sciences. The university is committed to graduating generations of women leaders who will tackle their countries' social, economic, and political issues while collaborating across cultural, ethnic, and religious lines. AUW has more than 850 students enrolled from 19 countries across Asia and the Middle East.
The Indian subcontinent, or simply the subcontinent, is a southern region and peninsula of Asia, mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian Plate nearly 55 million years ago. Geographically, it is the peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east. Politically, the Indian subcontinent includes all or part of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
South Asia or Southern Asia is the southern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate and defined largely by the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Himalayas, Karakoram, and Pamir mountains on the north. The Amu Darya, which rises north of the Hindu Kush, forms part of the northwestern border. On land (clockwise), South Asia is bounded by Western Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.
The 2010 South Asian Games, officially the XI South Asian Games, was a major multi-sport event that took place from 29 January to 8 February 2010 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. This was the third time that the Bangladeshi capital hosted the South Asian Games, thus becoming the first city to hold the games three times.
The SAARC Baseball Championship is the main championship tournament between national baseball teams in South Asia. It is governed by the Baseball Federation of Asia (BFA). The first championship tournament began on 12 April 2011 and was hosted in Lahore, Pakistan. Four international teams from South Asia participated, including Nepal, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
The Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) is a regional non-governmental organization (NGO) that serves as a coordinating body of 29 National Committees of Parliamentarians on Population and Development in Asia-Pacific. The objective of the organization is to strengthen the regional network of parliamentarians who are committed to implementing the population and development agenda, particularly the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). AFPPD aims to achieve this through capacity building for parliamentarians and National Committees.
Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, is head of a SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC is an economic and geopolitical union between the eight South Asian member nations, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Secretary-General is appointed for a three-year term by election by a council of Ministers from member states. Secretary-General is assisted by eight deputies, one from each nation, who also reside in Kathmandu. SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 by Bangladeshi diplomat Abul Ahsan, who was its first Secretary-General, and was inaugurated by King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal. Since its creation, its member nations have contributed to a total of fourteenth General Secretaries. Sri Lanka's diplomat Esala Weerakoon is the current Secretary-General, having assumed charge on 1 March 2020.
Ferdinando Sardella is a Swedish scholar of the history of religions, Hinduism, and religious studies, the former director and coordinator of the Forum for South Asia Studies at Uppsala University.
Bangladesh U-23 national football team is a youth football team operated under the Bangladesh Football Federation. The team would represent Bangladesh in the Summer Olympics, AFC U-22 Asian Cup, and the Asian Games.
South Asia Foundation (SAF) was founded by UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Madanjeet Singh in 2000. The South Asia Foundation (SAF) is a secular, non-profit and non-political organization, comprising eight autonomous chapters: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Cricket was included for the first time at the 2010 South Asian Games, hosted by Dhaka, Bangladesh. A men's 20-over tournament was played from 31 January to 7 February 2010.
Metropolitanate of Singapore and South Asia is an Eastern Orthodox Diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. It is centered in Singapore and has jurisdiction over Eastern Orthodox Christians in several countries of South Asia and Southeast Asia, including: Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, East Timor, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Pakistan and Afghanistan. It was founded in January 2008 by the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Countries and territories in South Asia have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.