Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism delivers the Keynote Address at the Eighth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks in Colombo hosted by the LKIIRSS

October 14, 2026    Reading Time: 2 minutes

Reading Time: 2 min read

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS) is hosting the Eighth Meeting of the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanksheld in Colombo on 14-15 October 2026. During the opening session inaugurating the Meeting, Hon. Arun Hemachandra, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, delivered the Keynote Address.

The Meeting brings together delegates from the National Focal Points of BIMSTEC and the BIMSTEC Network of Policy Think Tanks representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar  Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, the seven BIMSTEC states. Representatives of the BIMSTEC Secretariat, members of the LKIIRSS Board of Management and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism were also present at the meeting.

In his address, the Acting Minister said regional cooperation must deliver tangible benefits for people, such as better opportunities for young people, stronger public services, more secure livelihoods and greater preparedness in times of crisis. The Acting Ministerencouraged the Network to strengthen the link between its research and the implementation of BIMSTEC priorities, noting that a useful recommendation should identify a clear problem, propose a workable response and explain how it can be taken forward.

Speaking on Sri Lanka’s role as Lead Member State for the Science, Technology and Innovation Sector, which covers science and technology, health and human resource development, he highlighted the following:

The Acting Minister gave particular attention to climate change and regional resilience. He encouraged the Network to take up the subject as a dedicated area of joint research and policy dialogue, focusing on early warning and preparedness, climate-resilient livelihoods, and climate risk assessment in public planning. He also expressed solidarity with communities affected by recent disasters across the region.

The Acting Minister called on the Network to identify a small number of joint priorities, connect them with the relevant BIMSTEC sectoral mechanisms, and share concise policy briefs with the institutions responsible for implementation.

Concluding his address, he emphasized: “The strength of regional cooperation lies in turning the knowledge we share into progress our people can feel.”

The meeting forms part of LKIIRSS’s continuing efforts to facilitate informed dialogue on regional cooperation and to strengthen the role of research and policy institutions in advancing BIMSTEC priorities.