Secretary General, BIMSTEC (The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation), H.E. Indra Mani Pandey, participated at 7th Berlin Climate and Security Conference 2025, which was held in Berlin on 23 October 2025. The Conference brought together leaders, policymakers and experts from the governments, international organisations and civil society.

Secretary General spoke at a high-level panel on “Beyond Borders: Regional and Plurilateral Climate Security in Action”. The Panel explored how regional organisations and cross-regional alliances can complement multilateral efforts to address the security implications of climate change through context-specific coordinated action.

In his remarks, Secretary General highlighted the adverse impact of climate change on BIMSTEC member States, such as unpredictable climate and weather phenomena, which have implications for realising their goals of food security, health security and human security. He underlined that addressing climate change is a strategic necessity for peace, stability, and sustainable development, requiring coordinated action at national, regional, and global levels.

Highlighting the role of regional cooperation, SG noted, “The importance of regional organisations such as BIMSTEC cannot be overstated. BIMSTEC brings together countries that face similar developmental challenges and can find regionally acceptable solutions. BIMSTEC’s work complements global multilateral frameworks and contributes directly to collective resilience.”

SG elaborated on BIMSTEC’s success in advancing regional cooperation, in particular, in sectors such as disaster management, environment and climate change, mountain economy, energy, agriculture and food security etc. He emphasised BIMSTEC’s growing partnerships with relevant regional and global institutions to strengthen regional climate action. He called for stronger emphasis on adaptation, enhanced access to climate finance and technology, promotion of local and community-based solutions and strengthening of multi-stakeholder partnerships to address climate change-induced security risks. He reaffirmed BIMSTEC’s commitment to forging meaningful partnerships with non-member States and international organisations to realise a secure, sustainable and climate-resilient future for the region.

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