The BIMSTEC Secretariat Project Management Unit successfully organized a three-day Regional Consultative Workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 21–23 September 2026, bringing together experts from member States, the Quadripartite, and the World Bank.

The workshop deliberated on key priorities, including the Regional Priority List of Zoonotic Diseases, cross-border surveillance and data-sharing mechanisms, progress on the establishment of the proposed BIMSTEC Regional Zoonotic Disease Observatory-Early Warning and Surveillance in Bangladesh, and institutionalizing regional coordination and resource mobilization. The event concluded with a day-long visit to the proposed BIMSTEC Center of Excellence on Public Health at the National Institute of Health Sciences in Kalutara, Sri Lanka. 

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