The First Meeting of the Eminent Persons’ Group (EPG) on the Future Directions of BIMSTEC was convened on 25 January 2024 at the BIMSTEC Secretariat in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The meeting was chaired by Dr. Soonthorn Chaiyindeepum, member of EPG from Thailand. The members of EPG from all seven BIMSTEC Member States (Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand) participated in the Meeting. The BIMSTEC Secretariat led by H.E. Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General of BIMSTEC, extended its full support and cooperation to the EPG in its deliberations. 

The EPG will hold its next meeting in Dhaka on 11-12 March 2024.  

The EPG has been mandated to: develop an outcome-oriented BIMSTEC 2030 Agenda; examine BIMSTEC activities in all areas of its cooperation; undertake a thorough and comprehensive review of the existing BIMSTEC institutional framework; and come up with practical recommendations, which will serve as guidelines to effectively steer BIMSTEC forward, aimed at enabling the building of a prosperous, resilient and open Bay of Bengal region.