The first BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Youth Summit was held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat from 7-11 February 2025.

Earlier, a two-day BIMSTEC Digital Conclave was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 7th and 8th February 2025.

India hosted the second meeting of the BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation in New Delhi on 21 January 2025.

1st BIMSTEC Youth Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the 4th BIMSTEC Summit held in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2018 that India will organise a summit focused on the youth of the region. To fulfill its commitment, India hosted the first BIMSTEC Youth Summit.

Organiser of the 1st BIMSTEC Youth Summit

The 1st BIMSTEC Youth Summit was organised jointly by the Ministry of External Affairs and the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs.

The Young Indians of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) was the knowledge partner of the Youth Summit.

Who inaugurated the BIMSTEC Youth Summit?

The BIMSTEC Youth Summit was inaugurated by the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandavia, and Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel on 7 February 2025.

Theme of the 1st BIMSTEC Youth Summit

The theme of the 1st BIMSTEC Youth Summit was ‘Youth as a bridge for intra-BIMSTEC exchange’.

More than 70 youth delegates from the seven BIMSTEC member countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka & Thailand) participated in the Youth Summit.

The delegation comprised Ministers, Members of Parliament, Mayors, entrepreneurs, technology developers, cultural personalities, social media influencers, and other civil society leaders of the member countries.

BIMSTEC Digital Conclave 2025

The two-day BIMSTEC Digital Conclave 2025 was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka on the 7th &8th February 2025.

This event has brought together senior government officials, policymakers, and private sector leaders from across the BIMSTEC region to collaborate on essential digital development priorities, such as Social and Financial Inclusion, Digital Health, and SME Digital Transformation.

The event was organised by the Asia Group in partnership with the BIMSTEC Secretariat, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and was supported by the Gates Foundation.

The event was inaugurated in the presence of the Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha; the Secretary General of BIMSTEC, Indra Mani Pandey.

The theme of the BIMSTEC Digital Conclave was "Building Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) for Shared Prosperity."

About BIMSTEC

The BIMSTEC(Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) is an inter-governmental organisation of seven South Asian and Southeast Asian countries - India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Thailand, and Myanmar.

It was established in 1997 to promote trade and cooperation between the countries lying along the Bay of Bengal.

Secretariat: Dhaka Bangladesh