The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), in partnership with the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD), on Tuesday officially launched a pioneering report titled “Harmonising Humanitarian Assistance (HA)/Disaster Relief (DR) in the Bay of Bengal” that underscored the urgent need to harmonise regional efforts in HA/DR in the face of intensifying natural disasters.

The report launched at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka on Tuesday is seen as a “significant step toward” regional cooperation in disaster response and climate resilience.

The report builds on insights from the IPCS-BIMSTEC-HD policy implementation workshop held in October 2024 in Bangkok, which convened experts, policymakers, and practitioners from across the region to address growing climate challenges.

Secretary General of BIMSTEC Indra Mani Pandey and Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh Abdul Motaleb Sarker were present.

The Secretary General emphasised that the challenges posed by climate change and natural disasters in the Bay of Bengal region demand a collective response.

“As BIMSTEC continues to grow in relevance, we must focus on building disaster-resilient infrastructure and strengthening regional preparedness. The report makes a timely and important case for harmonising disaster response efforts—and rightly recognises BIMSTEC as the platform to lead that charge.”

The Additional Secretary said that the report comes at a crucial moment. “As climate-induced disasters intensify across the Bay of Bengal, our collective response must be swift, more coordinated, and grounded in shared systems.”

Harmonisation, as emphasised in the report, is the key to unlocking more effective action, he said, adding that Bangladesh, as the current Chair of BIMSTEC, fully supports the call for greater alignment and stands committed to strengthening regional cooperation in disaster preparedness and response.

Bimstec’s evolution into unique platform lauded

The report presents a compelling case for institutional and policy harmonisation in HA/DR and recommends the following areas for action by the BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre: establish a research database through collaboration with specialist/technical organisations; establish a unified Regional Climate Disaster Mapping and Response Centre for the Bay of Bengal within the BDMC; enhance Bay of Bengal crisis communications through a platform housed in the BDMC; and institute a cost-sharing and prepositioning programme for HA/DR equipment and supplies coordinated by the BDMC.

The launch concluded with interactive and insightful discussions among the participants, reinforcing a shared commitment to building a resilient and responsive regional HA/DR ecosystem.

Disaster Management is one of the sectors of BIMSTEC cooperation. The expert group on Disaster Management is currently engaged in finalising a Plan of Action to improve preparedness and coordination for responding to natural disaster in the member States.

A BIMSTEC Centre for Weather and Climate has been set-up in Noida, India, that makes tailored weather and climate forecasts for the member States. Three rounds of BIMSTEC Disaster Management Exercises have been held.

A BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre is being proposed in India to anchor cooperation among the member states in disaster management.

BIMSTEC comprises seven countries of the Bay of Bengal region: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.