The 19th ministerial meeting of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) on Thursday passed some key instruments, giving a fresh impetus to the regional body.

The ministerial meeting endorsed important instruments including the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030, agreement on maritime transport cooperation, rules of procedures for several mechanisms, terms of reference for Eminent Persons’ Group, inclusion of blue economy, mountain economy and poverty alleviation under the purview of reconstituted sectors. The meeting was held virtually in Bangkok, and Nepali delegation was led by Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Paudyal. 

Addressing the meeting, Paudyal called for meaningful regional cooperation to deal with the defining challenges of our times such as climate change, energy crisis, food insecurity and the large-scale pandemic. Recalling the fourth BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu in 2018, which aptly prioritized institution building of BIMSTEC, Paudyal underlined the need for conscious, credible, and concerted actions to achieve a more resilient, prosperous, and sustainable Bay of Bengal region.

Paudyal also updated on the progress achieved in the Sector of ‘People-to-People Contact’ that is being led by Nepal. He also informed the meeting on the efforts made toward creating platforms for people-to-people engagements in the BIMSTEC region, such as the Parliamentarians and Speakers forum, and separate forums of entrepreneurs, universities, and researchers, etc.

Over the past few years, BIMSTEC has gathered momentum, while another regional body, South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), remains stalled since 2016 over the India-Pakistan dispute.

Though Nepal is taking initiative to revitalize the SAARC process, other member countries, particularly India, are not serious about it.  Preparations are underway to hold the sixth BIMSTEC summit but the future of SAARC is uncertain.