Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Indra Mani Pandey has said addressing climate change is a strategic necessity for peace, stability, and sustainable development, requiring coordinated action at national, regional, and global levels.

Highlighting the role of regional cooperation, he noted that the importance of regional organisations such as BIMSTEC cannot be overstated.

Speaking at the 7th Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2025, the Secretary General highlighted the adverse impact of climate change on BIMSTEC member States, such as unpredictable climate and weather phenomena, which have implications for realising their goals of food security, health security and human security.

The conference, held in Berlin recently, brought together leaders, policymakers and experts from the governments, international organisations and civil society.

The Secretary General spoke at a high-level panel on “Beyond Borders: Regional and Plurilateral Climate Security in Action”.

The Panel explored how regional organisations and cross-regional alliances can complement multilateral efforts to address the security implications of climate change through context-specific coordinated action.

Pandey said BIMSTEC brings together countries that face similar developmental challenges and can find regionally acceptable solutions.

He said BIMSTEC’s work complements global multilateral frameworks and contributes directly to collective resilience.

The Secretary General elaborated on BIMSTEC’s success in advancing regional cooperation, in particular, in sectors such as disaster management, environment and climate change, mountain economy, energy, agriculture and food security etc.

He emphasised BIMSTEC’s growing partnerships with relevant regional and global institutions to strengthen regional climate action.

Pandey called for stronger emphasis on adaptation, enhanced access to climate finance and technology, promotion of local and community-based solutions and strengthening of multi-stakeholder partnerships to address climate change-induced security risks.

BIMSTEC chief flags climate, disaster challenges to SDGs

He reaffirmed BIMSTEC’s commitment to forging meaningful partnerships with non-member States and international organisations to realise a secure, sustainable and climate-resilient future for the region. BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

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.