The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) hosted a discussion to review the outcomes of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summited as the organization celebrates 25 years since its foundation in 1997, on March 31, 4:00 – 5:15 PM (IST).

Sri Lanka hosted the fifth Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) summit on March 30, 2022, bringing together leaders of its seven members: India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, and Sri Lanka. The summit was expected to approve several pending initiatives, including the BIMSTEC Charter, the Master Plan for Transport Connectivity, and the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters.

This discussion reviewed the outcomes of the BIMSTEC summit as the organization celebrated 25 years since its foundation in 1997. Going beyond the regional institution, this was also be an opportunity to assess the state of connectivity between South and Southeast Asia, at the heart of the Indo-Pacific. What are the geo-economic challenges, including on the lagging trade and investments front? What are the opportunities to deepen regional development and cooperation in areas such as transportation infrastructure, maritime, environmental, and other commons? And, how can the Bay of Bengal benefit from partnerships with extra-regional powers such as Australia, Japan, China, the United States, or the European Union?

Register here: https://bit.ly/3uqXeZ0

Speakers

Amitendu Palit, Senior Research Fellow, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore

Nishan de Mel, Executive Director, Verité Research, Sri Lanka

Anasua B. Choudhury, Senior Fellow, Observer Research Foundation, India

Moderator: Constantino Xavier, Fellow, CSEP

The discussion was open to the public and is on the record. All participants are requested to register using the link provided above. For event-related queries, please contact Nitika Nayar at NNayar@csep.org. For media inquiries, please contact Ms. Trishna Wahengbam at TWahengbam@csep.org.

All content reflects the individual views of the speakers. The Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) does not hold an institutional view on any subject.