Joining the event online, Mr. Madhurjya Kumar Dutta, Director, Trade and Investment facilitation department at Mekong Institute, spoke during the session on Facilitating Investments in the Region: Challenges and Opportunities. He highlighted the main opportunity segments for facilitating inter-regional foreign direct investment (FDI) among BIMSTEC countries and how policies in the member countries enable or constrain investment flows in the region. 

“The objective of investment facilitation should be to foster sustainable development for which particular attention must be given to supply chain commitments, due diligence, international standards and exchange of information on best practices,” Mr. Dutta stressed, while underlining the scope for investment facilitation agreement among BIMSTEC countries to boost investment.

The hybrid event was attended by over 60 participants representing United Nations Agencies, BIMSTEC governments, think tanks and universities.

The USAID-UN ESCAP Round Table on BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) Post-Summit Progress and Way Ahead, was held on 8 – 9 December 2022, at the Hyatt Grand, Bangkok.