Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey has highlighted the challenges faced by BIMSTEC member States in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amidst climate change, biodiversity loss and recurrent natural disasters.
He outlined BIMSTEC’s progress in regional cooperation in environment, mountain economy, disaster management and energy sectors.
The Secretary General, who participated in the IUCN World Conservation Congress held in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) recently, stressed the importance of partnerships with BIMSTEC to safeguard the ecosystems in Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.
Considered as the world’s premier conservation event, the Congress brought together governments, scientists, development partners, Indigenous communities, and stakeholders worldwide to deliberate and commit to action on biodiversity, climate change, nature-based solutions and sustainable development, said the BIMSTEC headquarters on Monday.
The Secretary General addressed the high-level session on “Harnessing Rivers for Peace and Prosperity: Cooperative Approaches to Resource Governance”.
He delivered opening remarks at “Glaciers for the Future: Global Partnership for Glacier and Post-Glacier Ecosystem Resilience,” and closing remarks at “The Freshwater Challenge: Accelerating Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration.”
On the sidelines, the Secretary General held meetings with Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN; Dr. Dindo Campilan, Regional Director, Asia and Oceania, IUCN; Henry Gonzalez, Chief Investment Officer of the Green Climate Fund (GCF); Lorenzo Santucci, Chief of Environment and Development Policy at UNESCAP; Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of UNEP; Pradeep Kurukulasuriya, Executive Secretary to United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF); Dr Sandeep Sengupta, Global Policy Lead on Climate Change, IUCN; and Yoko Watanabe, Director (Environment), Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in areas such as climate finance, biodiversity protection, resilience building, and regional adaptation strategies.
The Secretary General expressed BIMSTEC’s readiness to deepen collaboration with IUCN and other global institutions, reaffirming the organization’s role as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia to strengthen adaptation, resilience and sustainable development in the Bay of Bengal region.
BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
BIMSTEC promotes trade and cooperation for Indo-Pacific security
It pursues regional cooperation in seven broad sectors: agriculture and food security; connectivity; environment and climate change; people-to-people contact; science, technology and innovation; security; and trade, investment and development.
The cooperation also covers eight sub-sectors: blue economy, mountain economy, energy, disaster management, fisheries and livestock, poverty alleviation, health, and human resource development.