The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is more than just another regional bloc, but a bridge between South and Southeast Asia.

Since its establishment in 1997, BIMSTEC and its member nations Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand have focused on fostering trade, investment, connectivity, security, and cultural exchange. 

Now, after extensive groundwork, BIMSTEC Summit 2025 is set to take place in Bangkok from April 2nd to 4th, 2025. BIMSTEC Chair Thailand hopes to advance its vision of prosperity, resiliency, and openness for the region’s more than 1.7 billion people.

Thailand’s leadership and key priorities

As the current BIMSTEC chair from 2022–2025, Thailand has championed the theme of a “Prosperous, Resilient, and Open (PRO) BIMSTEC.”

Thailand, which has progressed from its agricultural roots into an advanced manufacturing hub of Southeast Asia, is looking to reinvent its economy with an emphasis on innovation-driven and green industries. Consequently, Thailand’s chairmanship has focused on strengthening regional connectivity, fostering trade and investment, promoting sustainable tourism, and advancing food security and healthcare.

The 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok

From April 2nd to 4th, 2025, Thailand will host the sixth BIMSTEC Summit — the first time BIMSTEC leaders will meet in person since 2018 and the first summit to be held in Thailand since its last chairmanship 20 years ago. 

The summit is expected to produce key deliverables, adopting the BIMSTEC Bangkok Vision 2030, a strategic roadmap outlining long-term goals for economic cooperation, environmental sustainability, and regional security, and the BIMSTEC Summit Declaration. 

Leaders are also expected to review the Report of the Eminent Persons’ Group on the Future Direction of BIMSTEC. First, the report assesses BIMSTEC’s progress according to its seven sectors of cooperation and how the bloc aligns with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Second, it provides a strategic roadmap for BIMSTEC’s future direction, giving recommendations for ways to deliver tangible benefits to the peoples of BIMSTEC by 2027, in time for the organization’s 30th anniversary. 

One of the most anticipated sideline events is the BIMSTEC Young Gen Forum, held on April 3rd at ICONSIAM in Bangkok. This initiative brings together young entrepreneurs and professionals aged 20-45 from all seven member states to discuss trade, technology, education, connectivity, and sustainability, providing networking opportunities for investment and collaboration. The forum also features keynote speeches, including one from Nobel Laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Chief Advisor of Bangladesh, the country’s  interim leader.

As BIMSTEC moves forward, the 2025 summit in Bangkok marks a crucial moment in shaping the organization’s future. As a diplomatic bridge builder and current BIMSTEC chair, Thailand must steer the bloc to embrace a new era of collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth.

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