BIMSTEC | UPSC Notes on History, Structure & Objectives

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BIMSTEC | UPSC Notes on History, Structure & Objectives

Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)

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The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a grouping of seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal.
It is a unique link connecting South Asia with South-East Asia – five Members from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka) and two from South-East Asia (Myanmar and Thailand)
BIMSTEC was conceived as a sub-regional forum bringing South Asia and South East Asia regions .
It is one of the forums to give India’s ‘Act East’ policy a distinct orientation to the development process of the North Eastern region of India.
Headquarters: Dhaka, Bangladesh.

History & Evolution

The organization came into existence on 6 June 1997 through the ‘Bangkok Declaration’.
It was originally formed with four Member States with the acronym ‘BIST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
Following the inclusion of Myanmar in December 1997, it was renamed ‘BIMST-EC’ (Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation).
With the inclusion of Nepal and Bhutan in 2004, the name of the grouping was changed to BIMSTEC
Following a decision at the Third BIMSTEC Summit in 2014(Kathmandu, Nepal), the BIMSTEC Secretariat was established in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in that same year, providing an institutionalized framework for deepening and enhancing cooperation.
Being a sector-driven grouping, cooperation within BIMSTEC had initially focused on six sectors in 1997 (trade, technology, energy, transport, tourism, and fisheries) and expanded in 2008 to incorporate agriculture, public health, poverty alleviation, counter-terrorism, environment, culture, people-to-people contact, and climate change.
Subsequently, following steps to rationalize and reorganize sectors and sub-sectors, cooperation was reorganized in 2021 under the following sectors and sub-sectors led by the respective Member States:
- Bangladesh
  - Trade, Investment and Development
  - Sub-sectors: Blue Economy
- Bhutan
  - Environment & Climate Change
  - Sub-sectors: Mountain Economy
- India
  - Security
  - Sub-sectors: Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Disaster Management, Energy
- Myanmar
  - Agriculture and Food Security
  - Sub-sectors: Agriculture, Fisheries & Livestock
- Nepal
  - People-to-People Contact
  - Sub-sectors: Culture, Tourism, Poverty Alleviation, People-to-People Contact (forums of think tanks, media etc.)
- Sri Lanka
  - Science, Technology & Innovation
  - Sub-sectors: Technology, Health, Human Resource Development
- Thailand
  - Connectivity

Membership

Total 7 Member States:
- From South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka
- From Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Thailand

BIMSTEC Chairmanship

The Chairmanship of BIMSTEC rotates according to the alphabetical order of the English names of the Member States.
The changeover of Chairmanship takes place during a Summit Meeting whereby the Member State chairing BIMSTEC hosts the Summit and hands over the Chairmanship to the Member State next in alphabetical order.

Objective/Purpose

To create an enabling environment for rapid economic development through identification and implementation of specific cooperation projects in the already agreed areas of cooperation and such other areas that may be agreed upon by the Member States. Member States may periodically review the areas of cooperation.
To accelerate the economic growth and social progress in the Bay of Bengal region through joint endeavours in a spirit of equality and partnership.
To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, technical and scientific fields.
To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional and technical spheres.
To cooperate more effectively in joint efforts that are supportive of and complementary to national development plans of the Member States which result in tangible benefits to the people in raising their living standards, including through generating employment and improving transportation and communication infrastructure.
To cooperate in projects that can be dealt with most productively on a regional basis among the BIMSTEC Member States and that make best use of available synergies.
To maintain peace and stability in the Bay of Bengal region through close collaboration in combating international terrorism, transnational organized crimes as well as natural disasters, climate change and communicable diseases.
To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organizations with similar aims and purposes.
To endeavour to eradicate poverty from the Bay of Bengal region.
To establish multidimensional connectivity, promote synergy among connectivity frameworks in the region, as a key enabler to economic integration for shared prosperity.
To promote trade and investment as a major contributing factor for fostering economic and social development in the region.

Principles

Cooperation within the BIMSTEC will be based on respect for the principle of sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, non-aggression, peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
Cooperation within the BIMSTEC will be complementary to and not be a substitute for bilateral, sub-regional, regional or multilateral cooperation involving the Member States

Governance/Mechanism

BIMSTEC is a five-tiered organization:

The Summit comprising the Heads of State or Government of the Member States
The Ministerial Meeting comprising the Ministers dealing with foreign relations of the Member States
The Sectoral Ministerial Meetings comprising the Ministers of line ministries responsible for carrying out the activities of the respective sectors
The Senior Officials’ Meeting consisting of the Foreign Secretaries/ Secretaries/ appropriate Senior officials nominated by the BIMSTEC Member States
The BIMSTEC Permanent Working Committee (BPWC) comprises senior officials of the respective National Focal Points.

BIMSTEC Summit

The BIMSTEC Summit is the supreme decision-making body in BIMSTEC comprising the Heads of State or Government of BIMSTEC Member States.
The Summit
- Deliberates, provides policy guidance and takes decisions on key issues pertaining to the realization of the purposes of BIMSTEC, important matters of interest to Member States and all issues referred to it by the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting and BIMSTEC Sectoral Ministerial Bodies
- Addresses emergency situations affecting BIMSTEC by taking appropriate measures
- Decides on application for admission of new Member States and Observers
- Authorizes the establishment and dissolution of Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and BIMSTEC Centres/ Entities
It is envisaged that the BIMSTEC Summit Meetings shall be held once every two years, preceded by the Ministerial Meeting, and be hosted by the Member State holding the BIMSTEC Chairmanship
All decisions of the Summit Meetings shall be made on the basis of consensus.

Ministerial Meeting

The BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting comprises the Ministers dealing with foreign relations of the Member States.

The BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting has the following powers and functions:
- Coordinate overall BIMSTEC cooperation
- Prepare the BIMSTEC Summit
- Coordinate the implementation of agreements and decisions of the BIMSTEC Summit
- Coordinate with the Sectoral Ministerial Bodies to enhance policy coherence, efficiency and cooperation with them
- Approve the budget of the Secretariat and BIMSTEC Centres/ Entities as proposed by the Senior Officials’ Meeting
- Endorse the deliberations of the BIMSTEC Sectoral Ministerial Meetings
- Appoint the Secretary General of BIMSTEC, with the rank and status of an Ambassador upon the recommendation of the Senior Officials’ Meeting
- Undertake such other functions as may be assigned by the BIMSTEC Summit

The BIMSTEC Secretariat

A Permanent Secretariat of the organization was set up in Dhaka in 2014

Secretary General

As per the Charter of BIMSTEC, the Secretary General of BIMSTEC shall be appointed by the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, upon recommendation by the Senior Officials’ Meeting, for a non-renewable term of office of three years, upon nomination by a Member State based on the principle of alphabetical rotation.

The Secretary General acts as the Head of the Secretariat.

The Secretary General has the following duties and responsibilities:

Carry out directives of the Member States through different mechanisms and coordinate implementation of progress;
Coordinate, facilitate and monitor progress in the implementation of BIMSTEC agreements and decisions, and submit annual report on the work of the organization to the BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting;
Participate in meetings of the BIMSTEC Summit, BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting, BIMSTEC Sectoral Ministerial meetings and other relevant BIMSTEC meetings;
Represent BIMSTEC and participate in meetings with external parties in accordance with approved policy guidelines and mandate given to the Secretary General;

FAQs

Q1. What is BIMSTEC and when was it established?

BIMSTEC stands for Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation. It was established on 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.

Q2. Which countries are members of BIMSTEC?

BIMSTEC has 7 member countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand.

Q3. Where is the headquarters of BIMSTEC located?

The BIMSTEC Secretariat is located in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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