Bangladesh's pivotal role in BIMSTEC

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a regional organisation established in 1997 to promote economic, technical and strategic cooperation among seven member states: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Nearly three decades after its establishment, however, the question remains: has BIMSTEC made meaningful progress in advancing regional cooperation and shared prosperity?

As the host of the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka and the organisation's current chair, Bangladesh occupies a central position in advancing BIMSTEC's vision of a "Prosperous, Resilient and Open" region.

Its strategic location at the northern edge of the Bay of Bengal makes it a natural gateway between South and Southeast Asia. It shares borders with India and Myanmar while maintaining strong maritime links with Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Despite its strategic importance, BIMSTEC remains a slow-moving regional organisation.

Its biggest shortcoming is the persistent gap between ambitious declarations and practical implementation, particularly in trade and connectivity. The organisation has yet to establish a Free Trade Agreement, while regional road, rail, air, river transport, coastal shipping and digital payment networks remain underdeveloped.

A second weakness is institutional inconsistency. BIMSTEC meetings have often been irregular, while the Secretariat continues to face financial and human resource constraints, slowing the implementation of agreed initiatives.

A third limitation is the failure to translate political commitments into tangible regional economic outcomes. Despite repeated calls for deeper regional integration, BIMSTEC has yet to emerge as a robust platform for regional value chains, and progress on the proposed Development Fund and broader financial integration has remained limited.

Leadership as the current chair

As the current chair of BIMSTEC, Bangladesh is responsible for guiding the organisation's strategic direction, building consensus among member states and overseeing the implementation of summit decisions.

The chairmanship provides Bangladesh with a valuable opportunity to strengthen regional cooperation by prioritising practical outcomes over political declarations.

Its leadership priorities include improving regional connectivity, deepening economic integration, enhancing energy security, strengthening maritime cooperation, building disaster resilience, improving public health systems and accelerating digital transformation.

Bangladesh must also lead regional security cooperation by encouraging collaboration in counter-terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, preventing human trafficking, strengthening maritime security, enhancing cybersecurity and improving border management. These efforts will help ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the region.

Challenges to Bangladesh's leadership

Despite its central role, Bangladesh faces several challenges, including financial constraints, political instability in some member states, geopolitical competition in the Indo-Pacific and differing national priorities across the region.

Addressing these challenges successfully will require effective diplomacy, stronger institutions and greater political commitment from all member states.

Bangladesh is well positioned to convert its symbolic leadership into tangible outcomes before its chairmanship concludes. To maximise this opportunity, it should strengthen the BIMSTEC Secretariat with adequate financial and human resources, prioritise regional connectivity projects, promote blue economy cooperation in the Bay of Bengal, and enhance climate resilience and disaster management initiatives.

The country should also expand regional energy and digital partnerships, encourage greater private-sector participation in BIMSTEC programmes, promote research, education and cultural exchanges, and strengthen partnerships with regional and international organisations.

'Bangladesh must lead regional security cooperation by encouraging collaboration in counter-terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, preventing human trafficking, strengthening maritime security, enhancing cybersecurity and improving border management. These efforts will help ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the region.''Bangladesh must lead regional security cooperation by encouraging collaboration in counter-terrorism, combating transnational organised crime, preventing human trafficking, strengthening maritime security, enhancing cybersecurity and improving border management. These efforts will help ensure peace, stability and sustainable development across the region.'

LDC graduation and the China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor

As Bangladesh prepares for graduation from the least developed country (LDC) category, it should pursue bilateral free trade agreements with fellow BIMSTEC member states to strengthen its economic integration within the region.

The proposed China-Myanmar-Bangladesh Economic Corridor (CMBEC) aims to establish a strategic land route connecting southwestern China with the Bay of Bengal through Myanmar and Bangladesh. Stronger regional cooperation under BIMSTEC could help create a more favourable environment for advancing such connectivity initiatives.

Bangladesh's success as BIMSTEC chair will ultimately be judged by its ability to help transform the organisation into a more action-oriented regional platform. By encouraging regular consultations, ensuring the effective implementation of agreed initiatives and leveraging its balanced foreign policy, Bangladesh can serve as an effective bridge among member states. Translating political commitments into practical outcomes will enable the country to contribute to greater peace, prosperity and regional integration across the Bay of Bengal.

Dr Sajjad M Jasimuddin is a professor (professeur senior) at Kedge Business School and head of the Geopolitics Strategy Lab in France. He previously held faculty positions at the University of Dhaka, as well as universities in Saudi Arabia, the UK, the UAE and China.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Business Standard.