The second meeting of the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Expert Group on Cyber Security Cooperation was held in New Delhi on 21 January 2025. This was the second time that India was hosting the meeting having hosted the first edition in New Delhi in 2022.
The BIMSTEC Expert Group on Cyber Security Corporation was organized by the National Security Council Secretariat, Government of India.
The main aim of the meeting was to formulate an Action Plan to bolster coordination and collaboration amongst the BIMSTEC member countries for strengthening Cyber Security in the use of information and communication technology (ICT).
The National Security Council Secretariat was set up by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1998.
The government of India has made the National Security Council Secretariat the nodal agency to deal with the cyber security threat in India.
The National Security Council Secretariat is the country’s apex body that deals with issues related to internal and external national security.
The Prime Minister is the overall head of the National Security Council Secretariat and its day-to-day work is handled by the National Security Advisor who is its Director.
BIMSTEC was founded as BIST-EC (Bangladesh India Sri Lanka and Thailand Economic Cooperation) on 6 June 1997 to promote cooperation amongst the member countries.
Later its name was changed to the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation after Myanmar joined it on 22 December 1997
Members: seven members - India, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Myanmar.
Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh
Details about BIMSTEC