Updating and Enhancement of the BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study

Abstract

One of the primary objectives of the Updating and Enhancement of the BIMSTEC Transport Infrastructure and Logistics Study (BTILS II) was to ensure that the existing policies and strategies remain relevant to the present and future regional connectivity needs. The initial BTILS in 2007 was the first time BIMSTEC as an economic cooperation organization had developed such policies and strategies for a particular sector. Therefore, it was somewhat experimental in nature, using the inputs of the BIMSTEC Technical Advisors Committee that had been formed for the original BTILS study. It was recognized there was a need to initially review these existing BTILS policies and strategies to identify what progress had been achieved in their implementation. The assessment not only highlighted the successes to date, but also identified where implementation had been delayed or where changes in the transport environment have made the proposed policy or strategy either unrealistic or not applicable. It was appreciated that the success or otherwise of the policies and strategies was predominantly the result of the implementation of national programs, plus some regional initiatives being supported by development partners. For a variety of reasons, BIMSTEC has not yet been able to fulfill its remit as an acknowledged regional pressure group or lobbyist in the development of regional transport cooperation between the Member States. Thus, it is unlikely that BIMSTEC was the reason behind either the achievements or lack of progress in executing the existing policies and strategies. Nonetheless, as BIMSTEC develops in 2014 with its own secretariat, it will increasingly be in a position to influence and promote sector development to the benefit of its combined membership. To accomplish this will require transport and trade facilitation policies and strategies that are relevant, realizable, and measurable.