Kathmandu. The sixth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) will be held in Bangkok, Thailand on April 4 under the theme ‘A Prosperous, Resilient and Open BIMSTEC’.
The summit, which comes three years after the fifth summit held virtually in Colombo in 2022, will be preceded by a meeting of BIMSTEC Senior Officials on April 2 and a meeting of BIMSTEC Foreign or External Affairs Ministers on April 3.
The objective of the summit, according to the statement, is to strengthen cooperation among the seven member states – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand – to address common security and development challenges. This will include a robust agenda including the Sixth BIMSTEC Summit Declaration reflecting the vision and direction of the leaders and the Bangkok Vision 2030, a roadmap for future cooperation among member states.
The key agreements slated for signing include an agreement on maritime transport cooperation aimed at increasing cargo and passenger traffic in the Bay of Bengal to boost trade and travel. In addition, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed to launch a new development partnership between BIMSTEC and the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) as well as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The summit will also include the adoption of the Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC Mechanism as a complement to the BIMSTEC Charter to strengthen the institutional framework for regional cooperation and the report of the Group of Eminent Persons on the future direction of BIMSTEC.
After six meetings and consultations with stakeholders in 2024, the Group finalized its recommendations in September 2024 and member states have already initiated implementation steps. In the context of a rapidly changing global political and economic landscape, the 6th BIMSTEC Summit is expected to strengthen the organization’s role as the only regional body in the Bay of Bengal, promoting cooperation to address security and sustainable development challenges.
Bringing together five South Asian and two South-East Asian nations, BIMSTEC has the potential to emerge as a dynamic regional organization. Since its inception in June 1997, BIMSTEC has held five summits – Bangkok (2004), New Delhi (2008), Nay Pyi Taw (2014), Kathmandu (2018) and Colombo (2022).
The upcoming summit marks a crucial moment in shaping its future agenda in seven key areas, including eight sub-areas, including agriculture and food security, connectivity, environment and climate change, people-to-people contacts, science, technology and innovation, security and trade, investment and development, blue economy and disaster management.
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