Context
PANEX-21 is a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Exercise. It is to be held for the BIMSTEC countries.
Key-Highlights
- The exercise is planned to be conducted from 20-22 December 2021 at Pune.
- It will witness participation from subject matter experts and delegates from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
- The main aim of the exercise is to build regional cooperation in responding to natural disasters.
Significance of the exercise
- Recently, the cyclones in Bay of Bengal are becoming more disastrous. This is mainly due to climate change. The increase in surface sea temperature is making the cyclones more powerful. The increase in sea – surface temperature increases the wind speeds of the cyclones. The devastation caused by Cyclone Amphan was 13 billion USD.
- The unplanned development in Ecological Sensitive Zones fails to address the risks posed by the increasingly intense cyclones.
For these reasons, it is essential to remain prepared. Therefore, there is a need for international cooperation among the coastal countries.
The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
- It is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the areas of the Bay of Bengal.
- This organization came into being in 1997 through the Bangkok Declaration.
- Member country: Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.
- Five of these seven countries- India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Bangladesh- are from South Asia while the remaining two, Thailand and Myanmar, are from Southeast Asia.
- The group remained dormant for many years till it was revived a few years ago as an alternative to the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), which despite having the potential, has not been able to move forward due to friction between India and Pakistan.
- With a focus on intra-regional cooperation, the BIMSTEC has also formed a platform with the SAARC and theAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries.
- Secretariat: Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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