The Third BIMSTEC Ministerial Meeting on Poverty Alleviation, preceded by the Senior Officials’ Meeting was held in Colombo on 19-20 December 2017, at the invitation of the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

The Ministerial Meeting was held on 20 December 2017 at Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), in presence of His Excellency Maithripala Sirisena, President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, as the Chief Guest.

H. E. Mr. Muhammad Abdul Mannan, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Planning of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, H. E. Lyonpo Namgay Dorji, Minister, Ministry of Finance of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Mr. Atal Dulloo, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development of the Republic of India, H. E. Mr. Hla Kyaw, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, H. E. Bishwambher Pyakuryal, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal to Sri Lanka, H. E. Mr. S. B. Dissanayake, Minister, Ministry of Social Empowerment, Welfare & Kandyan Heritage of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and H. E. Pol. Lt. Gen. Nadhapit Snidvongs, Vice Minister for Interior, Ministry of Interior of the Kingdom of Thailand led their respective delegations. The Secretary General of BIMSTEC was also in attendance.

The Ministers and delegates discussed and exchanged experiences on the common challenges and threats confronted by the Member States in their efforts to eradicate the poverty in the region by 2030.

The Ministerial Meeting endorsed the Report of the Third BIMSTEC Senior Officials’ Meeting on Poverty Alleviation held in Colombo on 19 December 2017 and adopted the Colombo Statement on Poverty Alleviation-2017.