The Charter of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) entered into force on 20 May, 2024. The Charter was signed by the Heads of State and Government of the BIMSTEC member States during the Fifth Summit held virtually in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 30 March 2022. With the endorsement of the Charter by Nepal Parliament in April 2024 all member-states completed the ratification of this foundational paper.
Implementing the BIMSTEC charter marks a pivotal development, enabling the organization to welcome new members and observers. With the coming into force of the charter, this intergovernmental grouping has acquired a ‘legal personality’ and will be able to enter into structured diplomatic dialogue with other groupings and countries.
Among the key aspects of the charter is that it highlights the long-term vision and priorities of the member countries. It is an important step towards promoting regional cooperation and allowing for agreements to be signed with other countries and regional organizations.
The charter makes it clear that all decisions will be taken by consensus among current members. The charter gives the institution a clear process for the admission of new members, including adding the criteria of geographical contiguity or “primary” dependence on the Bay of Bengal for trade and transport purposes. It also empowers the BIMSTEC ministerial meeting to set up any further criteria as required.
The charter also highlights that the leaders’ summit will be held every two years and indicates the procedure for the rotational chairmanship of the organization.
With the coming into force of the charter, the BIMSTEC has acquired a ‘legal recognition’. Legal recognition means that a person or entity has rights and duties in law.
India, being one of the members of grouping applauded the charter as Ministry of External Affairs praised the development and said that it enables BIMSTEC to partner with other interested countries/organizations and admit Observers and new Members.
“A significant milestone for BIMSTEC regional cooperation BIMSTEC Charter entered into force on 20 May 2024, providing legal and institutional framework for meaningful cooperation and deeper integration of the Bay of Bengal region,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
“The entry into force of the BIMSTEC Charter reaffirms India’s commitment to a prosperous, peaceful, and sustainable neighborhood. It is achieved by building on our shared history, culture, vision, and mutual respect. BIMSTEC reflects the synthesis of our neighborhood first and Act East policies” said Jaishankar in a post on X.
Notably, the sixth BIMSTEC summit is scheduled to take place in 2024 in Thailand which is one of the members in seven members of the organization.
For India, the BIMSTEC regional forum acts as a convergence of its “Neighborhood First” policy, or “Act East” outlook, and the interests of the Indian Ocean.
The seven members of BIMSTEC — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand countries are home to 22 percent of the total world population and have a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of about $3.6 trillion.
With cooperation under the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) having stalled because of differences between India and Pakistan, India has sought to bolster regional cooperation under BIMSTEC and BBIN, which includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Nepal.
