What is the issue?
- The fourth BIMSTEC summit recently concluded in Kathmandu, Nepal. Click here to know more.
- It made notable progress in reforming the structural and procedural framework of the grouping, but concerns remain.
What are the administrative initiatives?
- BIMSTEC has so far functioned on the basis of
- the Bangkok Declaration of 1997
- outcomes of the past three summits
- the Leaders’ Retreat in 2016
- So the need for a firm institutional foundation for the BIMSTEC was a long felt one.
- In this context, work has now begun on drafting a charter for BIMSTEC.
- Also, a Permanent Working Committee will be set up.
- This is to provide direction during the period between two summits.
- It will also prepare the Rules of Procedure for the BIMSTEC summits.
- Besides, the Secretariat has been promised additional financial and human resources.
- Efforts at enhancing its role to coordinate, monitor and facilitate the grouping’s activities will also be taken up.
- Moreover, the institution has been handicapped due to lack of sound financial back up.
- The leaders thus took the decision to establish the BIMSTEC Development Fund.
- It was agreed to make a push to increase BIMSTEC's visibility and stature in the international fora.
- Currently, there are 16 areas of cooperation between the member states, making it too wide a spectrum.
- To address this, BIMSTEC governments will make efforts to review, restructure and rationalise various sectors.
- They will embark on identifying a few core areas for effective cooperation.
- In this exercise, Thailand has proposed a new strategy of five pillars:
- connectivity
- trade and investment
- people-to-people contacts
- security
- science and technology
- This will be considered, keeping in mind the individual member states' preferences to certain specific sectors.
What are the concerns in the outcomes?
- There are at least six legal instruments awaiting finalisation in the BIMSTEC.
- Of this, only one, the Memorandum of Understanding on Grid Interconnection, could be inked in Kathmandu.
- It has been fourteen years since signing the framework agreement on Free Trade Area (FTA).
- However, the leaders could only renew their “commitment to an early conclusion” of FTA negotiations.
- The Thai PM urged participants to accept making BIMSTEC a Free Trade Zone by 2021 as “our common goal”.
- But this did not find a place in the summit declaration.
- The grouping had established its Energy Centre in 2009, but it was still struggling for the “early operationalisation”.
- The Kathmandu Declaration has spelt out a number of measures to secure the objective of 'connectivity'.
- However, the Motor Vehicle and Coastal Shipping Agreements are delayed and needed more time for finalisation.
- There was a call for making the BIMSTEC summit an annual affair.
- But leaders chose a “timely holding of Summit”.
- The next summit's timing will only be determined by the degree of progress ministers and officials achieve in the course of time.
What are the ongoing developments?
- There are plans to revitalise the Business Forum and the Economic Forum.
- This is welcome, if they help in fully engaging business and industry.
- Cooperation in the security domain has been progressing satisfactorily.
- A new initiative is the arrangement for meeting of home ministers.
- This will be in addition to annual meetings of national security advisers.
- Besides, the first meeting of army chiefs is due to take place in Pune, India soon.
- There are also plans to establish forums for parliamentarians, universities, cultural organisations and the media community.
- With all these in place, BIMSTEC can become a dynamic, effective and result-oriented organisation.
- But the progress and efforts in the coming period will be crucial in its further development.
Source: The Hindu