BIMSTEC Chief Urges Action on Climate, Disasters and SDGs

BIMSTEC Chief Urges Action on Climate, Disasters and SDGs

BIMSTEC Secretary General Indra Mani Pandey has highlighted the growing challenges faced by member states in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) amid climate change, biodiversity loss, and recurring natural disasters.

Speaking at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Pandey outlined the organization’s progress in regional cooperation across environment, mountain economy, disaster management, and energy sectors. He stressed the importance of partnerships to protect ecosystems in the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal.

The Congress, a leading global conservation event, brought together governments, scientists, development partners, Indigenous communities, and stakeholders to discuss biodiversity, climate action, nature-based solutions, and sustainable development.

Pandey addressed high-level sessions including “Harnessing Rivers for Peace and Prosperity: Cooperative Approaches to Resource Governance,” delivered opening remarks at “Glaciers for the Future: Global Partnership for Glacier and Post-Glacier Ecosystem Resilience,” and closed the session on “The Freshwater Challenge: Accelerating Freshwater Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration.”

On the sidelines, he held discussions with key international leaders, including Grethel Aguilar, Director General of IUCN; Henry Gonzalez, Chief Investment Officer of the Green Climate Fund; Lorenzo Santucci, Chief of Environment and Development Policy at UNESCAP; and Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Deputy Executive Director of UNEP.

The discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in climate finance, biodiversity protection, resilience building, and regional adaptation strategies. Pandey reaffirmed BIMSTEC’s commitment to deepening collaboration with global institutions, positioning the organization as a bridge between South and Southeast Asia to strengthen adaptation, resilience, and sustainable development in the Bay of Bengal region.

BIMSTEC, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, promotes trade and cooperation for Indo-Pacific security. It pursues regional collaboration across seven sectors: agriculture and food security, connectivity, environment and climate change, people-to-people contact, science and technology, security, and trade, investment and development. The cooperation also extends to sub-sectors including blue economy, mountain economy, energy, disaster management, fisheries and livestock, poverty alleviation, health, and human resource development.