BIMSTEC adopts Delhi Declaration, 5 security measures
New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday called on BIMSTEC member countries to ensure that terrorist networks are denied safe havens, recruitment opportunities, training facilities and funding across the region, stressing the need for coordinated action against terrorism and other cross-border security threats.
Chairing the first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers in New Delhi, Shah reiterated India’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and called for stronger intelligence sharing, financial investigations, mutual legal assistance and extradition to bring terrorists and criminals to justice.
“Our shared resolve should be to ensure that terrorist networks are not allowed to find safe havens, recruit members, provide training, raise funds, or carry out activities against neighbouring countries from any part of the region,” he said.
The meeting, attended by representatives of Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, reaffirmed the member countries’ commitment to strengthening regional security, trust and cooperation across the Bay of Bengal region.
The participating countries adopted the Delhi Declaration and approved five key agreements and action plans covering human trafficking, drug control, money laundering, terror financing, illicit financial flows and disaster preparedness.
Shah said BIMSTEC had emerged as an important platform for regional integration, economic cooperation and collective security. He said India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, was advancing the spirit of ‘Vishwamitra’ while remaining committed to peace, coexistence and human welfare.
Referring to Modi’s remarks at the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April 2025, Shah said the grouping was not merely a regional organisation but a model for inclusive development and security.
He said it was the responsibility of the member countries’ Home Ministers to translate this vision into practical mechanisms that could improve public safety and strengthen the capabilities of security agencies.
Shah outlined five key areas for regional cooperation: drug control; counter-terrorism and legal cooperation; repatriation of fugitive criminals; cybersecurity and cybercrime investigations; and institutional cooperation and capacity building.
He stressed the need for closer coordination among law enforcement, intelligence and border management agencies, alongside measures to tackle illicit financial transactions and terror financing.
The Home Minister said mutual legal assistance and extradition, in accordance with national laws and applicable treaties, could strengthen efforts to ensure that criminals and terrorists were brought to justice.
The Delhi Declaration adopted at the meeting reaffirmed the member countries’ commitment to combating cross-border terrorism, radicalisation, terror financing, drug and human trafficking, cybercrime and organised crime.
It also prioritised information sharing, legal cooperation, extradition, capacity building and effective implementation of existing agreements and action plans. The declaration highlighted the need to protect victims of human trafficking, including those exploited in online scams.
Warning against the consequences of narcotics trafficking, Shah described it as “death trafficking” and said the trade posed a threat to young people, society, culture and future generations.
“There is nothing ‘golden’ about the trafficking of narcotics,” he said, calling for a ‘Whole of Region’ approach to tackle the menace.
He noted that proceeds from drug trafficking strengthened organised crime and could also be channelled into terror financing. The diversion of precursor chemicals and transactions conducted through the dark web, he said, had made the challenge more complex.
Shah stressed that no single country could effectively tackle the problem on its own, making regional cooperation essential.
The BIMSTEC Home Ministers approved five measures to strengthen cooperation in the security sector.
These include the BIMSTEC Convention against Trafficking in Persons, aimed at improving cooperation in preventing human trafficking, criminalising the offence and protecting and rehabilitating victims.
The member countries also approved the BIMSTEC Plan of Action on Drug Control to combat the illicit trafficking of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursor chemicals.
An MoU on capacity building to combat money laundering and terror financing provides for expert training, the exchange of best practices and cooperation in financial intelligence, investigations, asset recovery, anti-money laundering measures, counter-terrorism financing and countering proliferation financing.
The fourth measure, a Plan of Action on Illicit Financial Flows and Their Prevention, aims to identify the sources, risks and channels of illicit financial flows among member countries.
The fifth is a Plan of Action for Enhancing Preparedness and Coordination to Address Natural Disasters in the Bay of Bengal Region. It envisages joint exercises, regional risk planning, early warning systems, disaster mapping, information sharing, training, research, technological innovation and tsunami risk reduction.
Shah also highlighted disaster management as a key priority for regional cooperation and referred to the proposed BIMSTEC Disaster Management Centre in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The initiative was proposed by Modi at the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. Shah said the centre was planned to be established in Jamnagar and urged member countries to participate actively in making it operational.
He said the initiative would reinforce India’s role as a first responder in disaster management across the region.
The meeting also underlined India’s commitment to sharing expertise in police training, counter-terrorism operations and forensic investigations.
Shah said the security of one BIMSTEC member strengthened the security of the entire region, reiterating India’s commitment to greater trust, respect and cooperation among the seven countries.
The first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers followed a meeting of senior officials and provided an opportunity to review existing security initiatives and chart a course for addressing emerging threats.
The decision to convene Home Ministers’ meetings was taken at the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in 2018 to improve security coordination. India reiterated its support for the initiative at the sixth summit in 2025 and offered to host the inaugural meeting.
BIMSTEC—the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation—connects South and Southeast Asia through Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. The grouping seeks to strengthen regional cooperation across multiple sectors, including economic development, security and disaster management.
