Pathfinder Foundation, (PF) in association with the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue of Switzerland, (CFHD) will co-host the fourth annual Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue in Colombo on May 7 and 8.
The event would see the attendance of around 50 delegates from BIMSTEC and IORA member states, besides Indonesia and Malaysia, which would bring together experts and researchers in disciplines such as maritime governance, maritime crisis management, sustainable fisheries, disaster management, and other major issues which impact on the Bay of Bengal and its diverse users, including those from outside the region.
The principal idea behind the dialogue is to provide an informal space for discussion on maritime affairs in the Bay of Bengal Region, besides exploring opportunities for strengthening regional cooperation. The forthcoming dialogue aims to take these initiatives forward by identifying new avenues for collaboration while minimizing potential bottlenecks for constructive engagement among the littoral stay in the Bay of Bengal.
The issues deliberated would include Maritime Crisis Management and Communication in the Bay of Bengal. Harmonizing Regional Framework for enhanced Maritime Governance & cooperation, Transboundary Fisheries management, and dealing with disasters in the Bay of Bengal, among many other issues.
As on previous occasions, the event’s outcomes will be made available to the secretariats of the BIMSTEC and the IORA and their member states. President of the India Foundation, Ram Madhav, will deliver the Keynote address, while Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey of (BIMSTEC) will address the preliminary session.
The opening ceremony would be attended by heads of Colombo-based diplomatic missions representing BIMSTEC and IORA member states, besides those countries outside the Bay of Bengal but having an abiding interest in it, such as China, Egypt, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
