Question
Consider the following statements in respect of BIMSTEC
I. It is a regional organization consisting of seven member States till January 2025.
II. It came into existence with the signing of the Dhaka Declaration, 1999.
III. Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Nepal are founding member States of BIMSTEC.
IV. In BIMSTEC, the subsector of ‘tourism’ is being led by India.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Explanation
BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is a multilateral regional organisation that brings together countries of the Bay of Bengal region, acting as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
Statement I is correct. BIMSTEC consists of seven member states — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Five of these are from South Asia (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka) and two from Southeast Asia (Myanmar and Thailand). This composition remained unchanged as of January 2025.
Statement II is incorrect. BIMSTEC was established through the Bangkok Declaration of June 1997 — not the Dhaka Declaration of 1999. It was originally formed as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation). The 1999 Dhaka meeting expanded its membership and scope but did not mark the creation of the organisation.
Statement III is incorrect. The founding members in 1997 were only Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Myanmar joined later in 1997 itself, making it BIMST-EC. Nepal and Bhutan joined in 2004, after which it was renamed BIMSTEC. Nepal was therefore not a founding member.
Statement IV is incorrect. Within BIMSTEC’s sector-driven cooperation framework, the Tourism subsector is led by Nepal — under the broader People-to-People Contacts pillar. India leads the Security pillar, which includes three subsectors — Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, Disaster Management, and Energy Security.
Therefore, only Statement I is correct.