Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 24, 2026

Regional Cooperation for Development

The Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) or Organization for Regional Cooperation and Development (ORCD) was a multi-governmental organization originally established on July 21, 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, regional members of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), to promote regional economic cooperation and socioeconomic development. Its headquarters were in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Under this organization, Pakistan, with aid from Iran, was able to build the 813 km long N-25 highway, also known as the RCD highway. Several other developments also took place in the member countries who were able to get and provide financial aid to each other.

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Jul 24, 2026
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Regional Cooperation for Development
Native names
  • Persian:همکاری عمران منطقه‌ای
    romanised:Hamkārī-ye ʿOmrān-e Mantaghe’ī
    Turkish:Bölgesel Kalkınma için İşbirliği
    Urdu:علاقائی تعاون برائے ترقی
    romanised:Ilāqāʾī Taʿāwun barāʾe Taraqqī
1964–1979a
Member states of the RCD
Member states of the RCD
HeadquartersTehran
Official languagesEnglish
Member states Iran
Pakistan
Turkey
History 
• Established
21 July 1964
• Disestablished
11 February 1979a
 Succeeded by
Economic Cooperation Organization

The Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD) or Organization for Regional Cooperation and Development (ORCD)1 was a multi-governmental organization originally established on July 21, 1964 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, regional members of the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO), to promote regional economic cooperation and socioeconomic development.23 Its headquarters were in Tehran, the capital of Iran.4 Under this organization, Pakistan, with aid from Iran, was able to build the 813 km long N-25 highway, also known as the RCD highway.2 Several other developments also took place in the member countries who were able to get and provide financial aid to each other.2

In 1979, the RCD was dissolved following the Iranian Revolution.5 It was replaced by the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) in 1985. In 1992, seven new members were added to the ECO: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.6

Joint stamp issues

From 1965 to 1979, the three nations jointly issued stamps. These depicted famous leaders of each country, such as the Shah of Iran, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, and Mohammad Ali Jinnah; arts, buildings, World Heritage Sites including Mohenjo-Daro and landscapes including Lake Saiful Muluk, Kaghan Valley, Pakistan.7

Notes

Notes

  1. Officially dissolved with the fall of Pahlavi Iran in the Iranian Revolution
References

References

  1. Joseph A. Kechichian (30 December 2012). "Central Treaty Organization". Encyclopaedia Iranica v3. pp. 259–260. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
  2. Ahmad, Syed Salahuddin (1969). "Regional Cooperation for Development". Pakistan Horizon. 22 (1): 22–28. ISSN 0030-980X.
  3. Javed, Dr. Tauseef (3 December 2023). "Pakistan's Geoeconomic Footprint in the ECO Region". Centre for Strategic and Contemporary Research. Retrieved 12 April 2026.
  4. Yeşilbursa, Behçet Kemal (22 July 2009). "The Formation of RCD: Regional Cooperation for Development". Middle Eastern Studies. 45 (4): 637–660. doi:10.1080/00263200903009759. S2CID 145131642.
  5. Qureshi, Rahim Hayat (2021-11-27). "ECO, Into the Future Together". Tehran Times. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
  6. "Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Initiative". Asia Regional Integration Center. Retrieved 2026-04-12.
  7. "Regional Cooperation for Development (RCD)". My Philatelic World blog. February 2010. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved February 18, 2017.
External links
  • ECO – official website] (archived 25 December 2011)