The first meeting of BIMSTEC Home Ministers concluded in New Delhi with the Delhi Declaration, setting out priorities for regional cooperation against terrorism, violent extremism, organised crime, trafficking, narcotics and illicit finance. Members also emphasised implementation of the BIMSTEC convention on terrorism, transnational organised crime and drug trafficking, which entered into force in 2021.
The meeting backed plans of action on trafficking in persons, narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances, and anti-money laundering, along with training and cooperation with bodies such as UNODC, INTERPOL and FATF. The significance lies in institutionalising a security pillar within a Bay of Bengal grouping often discussed mainly in connectivity and economic terms.
For civil-services preparation, BIMSTEC connects South Asia and Southeast Asia around the Bay of Bengal. Security cooperation can support regional public goods, but implementation depends on intelligence-sharing, legal compatibility, trust and sustained ministerial mechanisms.