Leadership of SARSO

SARSO's leadership is comprised of a team of highly skilled professionals, experts, and representatives from member countries, dedicated to advancing the development of regional standards in South Asia. The leadership oversees strategic decisions, ensures the effective implementation of regional standards, and fosters collaboration among the national standards bodies of SAARC member states. The team works to maintain alignment with international best practices while tailoring solutions to the specific needs of the South Asian region. SARSO’s leadership is essential in guiding the organization’s activities and ensuring that standards are developed in a way that supports regional growth and integration.

Relationship with SAARC

As the technical arm of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), SARSO plays a pivotal role in fostering regional cooperation and integration through the development and harmonization of standards. SARSO’s relationship with SAARC is foundational, as the organization works to support SAARC’s broader objectives of promoting economic growth, regional cooperation, and sustainable development. By ensuring the adoption of internationally recognized standards across South Asia, SARSO enhances trade, improves quality, and facilitates policy coordination among member states, strengthening the overall goals of SAARC.

Secretary General of SAARC

The Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the head of the SAARC Secretariat, headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. The Secretary-General is appointed for a three-year term by election from the Council of Ministers of SAARC Member States, following the alphabetical order of the Member States. The Secretary-General is supported by deputies, with one deputy from each member country, all residing in Kathmandu. The role of the Secretary-General includes overseeing the administration of the SAARC Secretariat, coordinating the implementation of SAARC policies and programs, and representing the organization at international forums.

Md. Golam Sarwar

Ambassador Md. Golam Sarwar, a Senior Diplomat from Bangladesh, joined as the fifteenth Secretary General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) on October 25, 2023. With over 30 years of experience in foreign diplomacy, his career spans a range of distinguished assignments and leadership positions.

Professional Experience

Served as the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Malaysia (Nov 2020 - Sep 2023).
Held the position of Ambassador of Bangladesh to Oman (Aug 2017 - Nov 2020) and Sweden (Oct 2013 - Aug 2017), with concurrent accreditation to Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.
Served as Consul General of Bangladesh to Jeddah, overseeing consular, trade, and cultural affairs in Saudi Arabia's Western Region (2008 - 2010).
Diplomatic roles in Washington D.C., Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, and Yangon.
Represented Bangladesh in numerous regional and international organizations.

Vision for SAARC

Ambassador Sarwar aims to strengthen SAARC's leadership in promoting regional cooperation and enhancing diplomatic relations among member countries. His focus is on fostering sustainable development, peace, and prosperity across South Asia through collaborative diplomacy and effective regional integration.

Education

Master of Commerce/Business, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh
Professional Article Studentship, Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB)

Professional Trainings

Advanced Course on Diplomacy, Berlin, Germany (1995)
Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, DC, USA (2004)
Civil Services Foundation Course, Bangladesh Public Administrative Training Centre, Dhaka (1993)
Foreign Service Training Course, Bangladesh Civil Services Academy, Dhaka (1992)

Director General of SARSO

The SARSO is headed by a Director-General who is appointed by the Governing Board for a period of three years as per the prescribed qualifications and criteria from among the Nationals of the Member States of SAARC as mentioned in the Rules of Procedure.

Dr. Shahzad Afzal

Dr. Shahzad Afzal joined as the Director General of the South Asian Regional Standards Organization on September 23, 2024. With over 28 years of experience, his expertise spans Standardization, Conformity Assessment, Accreditation, Research & Development, and more.

Professional Experience

Coordinated projects in technical inspections, certification, QC/QA operations, and environmental management.
Participated in standardization activities of PSQCA, ISO, SARSO, and ASTM Committees.
Supervised numerous M.Sc., MPhil, and Ph.D. students across various disciplines.
Author of over 900 international publications and research reports.
Worked as Director Accreditation in Pakistan National Accreditation Council.
Served as Director and Deputy Director General in Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority.

Vision for SARSO

Dr. Afzal is committed to developing SARSO as a regional harmonized standards developing organization. He aims to provide a framework for fair standards development and quality conformity assessment systems, bringing together experts to initiate collaborative standardization activities across SAARC Member States.

Education

Master of Science in Chemistry
Ph.D. in Chemistry
Postdoctoral research in Applied Mathematics, Mathematical Modelling, Soil Science, Toxicology, Standardization & Conformity Assessment and more

Past Director's of SARSO

SN	Name	Country	Start Term	End Term
1	Mr. Ethiraj Devendar	India	06 December 2018	05 November 2020
2	Dr. Syed Humayun Kabir	Bangladesh	03 April 2014	02 April 2017