The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Development Fund (SDF) is the financial institution established by the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation to promote regional integration and economic cooperation among its member states. The SDF was established in April 2010 and is headquartered in Thimphu, Bhutan.
The SDF operates through three main funding windows:
Social Window: which focuses on projects related to poverty alleviation, social development (including education, health, and human resource development).
Economic Window: which aims to boost regional connectivity, build critical infrastructure, and invest in transformative business projects. It supports initiatives that drive economic growth and enhance regional trade and investment.
Infrastructure Window: which is dedicated to funding projects that develop and improve infrastructure within the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) region. This includes energy and power sector projects, transportation, and other high-impact priority projects that meet the norms of the SAARC Development Fund (SDF).
The SDF’s initiatives span across all SAARC member states, which are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The fund’s projects are designed to foster sustainable development and regional cooperation.
This blog article discusses how short- and long-term actions in roads, rail, waterways, maritime, and aviation can enhance transport connectivity and promote integration in the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation region.