BIMSTEC should focus more on youth, environment, climate issues: CA Yunus
Yunus said Dhaka would hold a festival for the youth shortly, and he hoped each of the seven nations would send young people to join the festival in the Bangladeshi capital
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) should focus more on youth, environment, and climate crisis issues, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus said today (28 October).
He highlighted the achievements of the Bangladeshi youths who led a successful revolution in July-August, he told BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey during a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.
"They are the future," Yunus said, adding that Dhaka would hold a festival for the youth shortly, and he hoped each of the seven nations would send young people to join the festival in the Bangladeshi capital.
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Thailand was expected to hold the BIMSTEC summit in September. But it was postponed and will be rescheduled later.
The BIMSTEC secretary general briefed the chief adviser about the activities of the BIMSTEC, saying that the member nations were trying to transform it into a top active regional forum, according to the Chief Adviser's Press Wing.
Ambassador Pandey said Bangladesh would take over the chair of the BIMSTEC after the upcoming summit with expectations that Professor Yunus's leadership will inject new life into the activities of the seven-nation group.
"We're poised to become a functionally more active organisation," Ambassador Pandey said.
"With your leadership, we will be able to make progress in many areas," he added.
Ambassador Pandey said the group has started holding three ministerial meetings a year and has signed agreements in key areas, including maritime transport and energy cooperation.
He said environment and climate change have also emerged as key priority areas of the group.
Ambassador Pandey praised the Three Zero movement launched by the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate.
He said women-centric development is also a key priority of the BIMSTEC.
Professor Yunus said among the BIMSTEC nations, Nepal alone has more than 700 Three Zero clubs, and at least eight Indian universities have set up social business hubs.
