The first BIMSTEC Home Ministers' Meeting ended in New Delhi on Tuesday, October 13, 2026 with the adoption of the Delhi Declaration. The seven member countries - Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand - condemned terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, and agreed to work together against drug trafficking, money laundering and human trafficking.
The details below are from reports by News On AIR and DD India, the latter based on a Press Information Bureau release. Our earlier report covered the opening of the meeting and Home Minister Amit Shah's address.
What the declaration says on terrorism
- The members condemned terrorism and violent extremism, including cross-border terrorism, and committed to prevent, combat and eliminate it in line with the UN Charter and international law.
- They called for effective implementation of UN Security Council sanctions, including those of the 1267 Sanctions Committee.
- They agreed to counter radicalisation, recruitment and terrorist financing, and to prevent the misuse of new technologies.
- They expressed condolences and solidarity with the victims of terrorist attacks in member states and said those responsible must be brought to justice under domestic and international law.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, addressing the meeting, said India follows a policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism, DD India reported.
Trafficking for online scams
The declaration takes note of a newer crime. Criminal groups working across borders use technology to traffic people and force them to work in online fraud and scam operations, where the victims face forced criminality, debt bondage and abuse.
The members called for cooperation among the countries the victims come from, the countries they pass through, the destination countries and the countries where scam centres operate. The approach is to be centred on the victim.
Agreements and action plans
| Item | Position after the meeting |
|---|---|
| Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters (signed in Colombo, March 2022) | To be implemented effectively |
| Plans of action on human trafficking, on narcotic drugs and precursor chemicals, and on anti-money laundering | Finalised; to be implemented |
| Plan of action on countering radicalisation and terrorism | To be finalised |
| Conventions on extradition, transfer of sentenced persons and trafficking in persons | Proposed; early finalisation sought |
| Standard procedure for rescue, repatriation and reintegration of trafficking victims | Pending |
The members also agreed to develop a BIMSTEC Drug Offences Monitoring Desk, to publish their annual drug reports on time, and to offer training to one another at their main national institutions. Consultations will continue on a regional mechanism for sharing information on trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, which would work within each country's own laws.
Principles and follow-up
The declaration says security cooperation in BIMSTEC rests on sovereign equality, territorial integrity, political independence, non-interference in internal affairs, non-aggression, peaceful coexistence and mutual respect. The stated aim is a "connected, secure, resilient, developed and prosperous BIMSTEC region".
The Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime has been asked to follow up on the declaration. The members thanked India for hosting and agreed to hold Home Ministers' Meetings regularly, with other members hosting future meetings. No date or host for the next meeting was reported.
Why it matters
- A new forum. Home ministers of the Bay of Bengal grouping had not met in this format before. The idea dates to the fourth BIMSTEC Summit in Kathmandu in August 2018, and the sixth summit in Bangkok on April 4, 2025 welcomed the mechanism.
- A declaration, not a treaty. It records what the governments agreed to do. The binding obligations lie in the conventions, some of which are still being negotiated.
- For Indian families. The section on scam-centre trafficking deals with job offers abroad that turn out to be forced work in online fraud. Cooperation on rescue and repatriation is one of the stated goals.
