The 3rd Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue was organized by HD and Pathfinder Foundation in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 23-24 May 2023. About 50 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka took part.

 

Participating in the event on behalf of BOBP-IGO, Dr. E Vivekanandan, Advisor, BOBP-IGO made a presentation on “Regional Synergies to Mitigate Marine Environmental Degradation in Bay of Bengal”. He highlighted the numerous challenges faced by the Bay of Bengal related to marine environmental degradation, including pollution, climate change, and the need for marine nature conservation.

 

The HD-BOBP Regional dialogue held earlier in Kochi, India this year advocated that the potential areas of cooperation among Bay of Bengal rim countries include the establishment of a regional Observation & MCS capability, application of remote sensing for mapping fishing grounds and marine pollution, and the creation of a regional database on coastal ecosystems and climate change.

 

By fostering collaboration among scientists, institutions, and governments, and by addressing the identified challenges, it is possible to safeguard the marine ecosystems of the Bay of Bengal for future generations, said Dr. Vivekanandan.

 

The Dialogue recognized the importance of regional cooperation for addressing transboundary issues and appreciated the efforts of BOBP-IGO in promoting regional collaboration.