BIMSTEC should focus more on youth, environment and climate issues: CA Yunus

The The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) should focus more on youth, environment and climate crisis issues, Chief Advisor Prof Muhammad Yunus said today (Oct 28).

Highlighting the achievements of Bangladeshi youth who led a successful revolution in July and August, he told BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey at a meeting at the State Guest House Jamuna in Dhaka.

“They are the future,” Yunus said, adding that Dhaka would soon hold a festival for the youth, and he hoped that each of the seven countries would send young people to attend the festival in the Bangladesh capital.

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 on BIMSTEC’s activities and said that Member States were trying to transform it into an active top-level regional forum, according to the Chief Adviser’s press department.

Ambassador Pandey said Bangladesh would take over the chairmanship of the BIMSTEC after the upcoming summit, expecting Professor Yunus’ leadership to breathe new life into the activities of the seven-nation group.

“We are ready to become a more functionally active organization,” 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 signed agreements in key areas including maritime transport and energy cooperation.

He said environment and climate change have also emerged as key priority areas for the group.

Ambassador Pandey praised the Three Zero movement launched by the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

He said women-oriented development is also a key priority of BIMSTEC.

Professor Yunus said that among BIMSTEC countries, Nepal alone has more than 700 Three Zero clubs, and at least eight Indian universities have set up social business centers.