Staff Correspondent, Thimphu: The fourth meeting of the BIMSTEC Joint Working Group on Environment and Climate Change (JWG-ECC) concluded in the Bhutanese capital, Thimphu, on Friday, emphasizing regional cooperation and the mobilization of climate finance.

The two-day meeting, held on January 15–16, was hosted by Bhutan, the lead country for the Environment and Climate Change sector within the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC).

S M Mahbubul Alam, Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led the Bangladesh delegation at the high-level meeting.

During the sessions, the working group finalized the Terms of Reference (ToR) for its future operations and reviewed the progress of various initiatives under the BIMSTEC Plan of Action. A key focus of the discussions was "Climate Finance"—specifically how member states can collectively mobilize and distribute resources to mitigate the growing impacts of global climate change.

Senior officials and representatives from the BIMSTEC Secretariat and all seven member states—Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand—participated in the deliberations. The delegates underscored the urgency of adopting new regional initiatives to reduce climate risks and protect the unique ecosystems of the region.

Experts noted that Bangladesh’s active participation and the outcomes of this meeting would be instrumental in ensuring environmental security and sustainable development for countries situated along the Himalayas and the Bay of Bengal coastline