Seminar on “Three Decades of BIMSTEC

The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) organised a seminar titled “Three Decades of BIMSTEC: Advancing Regional Cooperation for Shared Prosperity” on Monday, 20 July 2026 at the BIISS Auditorium, Dhaka. The seminar was organised in view of Bangladesh's ongoing Chairmanship of BIMSTEC and aimed to promote informed policy dialogue on strengthening regional cooperation for shared prosperity.

H.E. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh, attended the seminar as the Chief Guest, while H.E. Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC, joined as the Special Guest. Major General A S M Ridwanur Rahman, awc, afwc, psc, G, Director General of BIISS, delivered the welcome address. The keynote presentation was delivered by Dr Mahfuz Kabir, Research Director, BIISS. Panel presentations were made by Professor Dr Rasheduzzaman, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka, and Professor Dr Kazi Maruful Islam, Director, Centre on Budget and Policy, University of Dhaka. The session was chaired by Major General A N M Muniruzzaman (Retd), President, Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS).

The keynote presentation and panel discussions reviewed BIMSTEC's three-decade journey, highlighting its achievements, challenges, and future prospects in fostering regional cooperation. Speakers emphasised strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing regional connectivity, expanding trade and investment, and promoting collaboration across BIMSTEC's priority sectors. They also underscored the importance of practical and action-oriented initiatives to advance regional integration and contribute to peace, stability, resilience, and sustainable development in the Bay of Bengal region.

An interactive discussion followed, during which participants exchanged views on regional connectivity, economic integration, trade and investment, security cooperation, and people-to-people engagement. The discussion highlighted the importance of strengthening partnerships among member states and encouraging evidence-based policy dialogue to enhance the effectiveness of BIMSTEC.

In his remarks, Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey highlighted BIMSTEC's ongoing initiatives in women's development, climate adaptation, energy cooperation, grid interconnection, technical capacity building, cyber and maritime security, counterterrorism, transnational crime, tourism, visa facilitation, and trade and investment.

Addressing the seminar as the Chief Guest, H.E. Shama Obaed Islam, MP, reaffirmed Bangladesh's strong commitment to BIMSTEC and to promoting a peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Bay of Bengal region. She stressed the need to translate regional commitments into tangible outcomes through effective implementation, practical cooperation, and stronger institutional mechanisms. She also reiterated Bangladesh's commitment, as the current Chair of BIMSTEC, to advancing economic integration, connectivity, the Blue Economy, trade and investment, and people-centric regional cooperation. She expressed confidence that the recommendations emerging from the seminar would contribute to strengthening Bangladesh's leadership during its BIMSTEC Chairmanship and support the future development of BIMSTEC.

The seminar was attended by senior officials from various ministries and government agencies, ambassadors and high commissioners, representatives of BIMSTEC member states and international organisations, members of academia, researchers, university faculty members and students, representatives of the armed forces, development partners, private sector stakeholders, media representatives, and policy practitioners.