Key Facts

  • Event: First BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting concluded in New Delhi and adopted the Delhi Declaration.
  • Chair: Union Home Minister of India.
  • Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand (7 members).
  • Core Principle: Cooperation based on sovereign equality, territorial integrity, non-interference and peaceful coexistence.
  • Source: DD.

Major Outcomes of the Delhi Declaration

Counter-Terrorism

  • Strongly condemned terrorism, including cross-border terrorism.
  • Called for effective implementation of UN Security Council sanctions, especially the 1267 Sanctions Committee.

Terror Financing and Emerging Technologies

  • Emphasised combating radicalisation, terrorist recruitment, money laundering and terror financing.
  • Stressed preventing misuse of emerging technologies for terrorist activities.

Human Trafficking and Cybercrime

  • Called for coordinated action against human trafficking, cyber slavery, online scams and forced criminality.
  • Adopted a victim-centred approach.

Key BIMSTEC Conventions

  • Urged implementation of:
  • Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking (in force since March 2021).
  • Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (signed in March 2022).
  • Called for early finalisation of conventions on:
  • Extradition
  • Transfer of sentenced persons
  • Combating trafficking in persons
  • SOP for rescuing, repatriating and reintegrating trafficking victims.

Information Sharing and Capacity Building

  • Development of the BIMSTEC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk (BDOMD).
  • Exploring regional information-sharing mechanisms.
  • Strengthening training and capacity-building against transnational crimes.

Institutional and Global Cooperation

  • Recognised role of the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (JWG-CTTC).
  • Welcomed BIMSTEC’s observer status in the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG).
  • Encouraged partnerships with UNODC, INTERPOL and FATF.
  • Agreed on regular Home Ministers’ Meetings.

About BIMSTEC

  • Full form: Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation.
  • Established: 6 June 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
  • Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
  • Role: Acts as a bridge between South Asia and Southeast Asia.
  • Members: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Significance for India

  • Strengthens regional security cooperation in India’s neighbourhood.
  • Supports India’s counter-terrorism priorities, including action against cross-border terrorism and terror financing.
  • Enhances legal and operational cooperation against human trafficking, cybercrime and drug trafficking.
  • Complements India’s Act East Policy and Neighbourhood First approach.
  • Provides a platform for coordinated action with UNODC, INTERPOL and FATF.

Related Indian Legal and Institutional Framework

  • Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 for counter-terrorism.
  • Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 for terror financing and money laundering.
  • National Investigation Agency Act, 2008 for investigation of terror-related offences.
  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 and allied criminal law reforms for trafficking and organised crime.

Constitutional/Legal Context

  • Article 51 of the Constitution directs India to promote international peace and security.
  • Union List, Seventh Schedule: Entry 10 (Foreign Affairs) and Entry 14 (War and Peace) provide legislative competence for international agreements/security cooperation.
  • India’s domestic counter-terror and anti-trafficking laws support implementation of BIMSTEC commitments.

Way Forward

  • Early conclusion of pending BIMSTEC conventions on extradition, transfer of sentenced persons and trafficking in persons.
  • Operationalise BDOMD and regional information-sharing.
  • Strengthen victim-centred rehabilitation and repatriation mechanisms.
  • Deepen cooperation with FATF, INTERPOL and UNODC.
  • Ensure regular follow-up through Home Ministers’ Meetings and JWG-CTTC.