New Delhi, October 13: Home Ministers of the seven BIMSTEC countries on Tuesday adopted the Delhi Declaration, committing to closer cooperation against terrorism, drug trafficking, cybercrime and human trafficking.
The declaration was adopted at the end of the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting, hosted by India in New Delhi under the chairmanship of Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The members are Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Shared security challenges
The ministers described the Bay of Bengal region as a common security space. They listed terrorism, drug trafficking, organised crime, cybercrime, money laundering, terror financing, human trafficking, arms smuggling, piracy, poaching and illegal migration as shared challenges.
The declaration strongly condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, and called for effective implementation of UN Security Council sanctions, including those of the 1267 Sanctions Committee.
Scam centres and forced criminality
The ministers noted that crime groups are trafficking people and forcing them to carry out online fraud in scam centres. They called for cooperation among countries of origin, transit and destination, and among countries where scam centres operate, with a victim-centred approach.
Next steps
The declaration calls for full implementation of the BIMSTEC Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking, in force since March 2021, and the Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters signed in 2022.
It encourages early finalisation of conventions on extradition, transfer of sentenced persons and trafficking in persons, and notes the need for a BIMSTEC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk. Member countries also committed to offer training at their institutions on countering terrorism, drug and human trafficking and money laundering.
The ministers agreed to meet regularly. The Home Ministers’ Meeting mechanism was approved at the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok in April 2025.
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