BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity

By Asian Development Bank

The Master Plan presents a comprehensive 10-year strategy and action plan for improving the subregion’s transport linkages across the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) member states. It is intended to guide actions and promote synergies among various connectivity frameworks and help achieve sustainable development of the region. A specific framework is presented here for organizing a set of policies, strategies, and projects toward realizing a shared vision of peace, prosperity, and sustainability. With BIMSTEC’s unique geographical position as a bridge linking South and Southeast Asia, this document is also relevant to its neighboring regions. BIMSTEC was established as a regional organization in June 1997 to promote free trade within the region, increase cross-border investment and tourism, and promote technical cooperation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Asian Development Bank
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9789292690700

Book preview

BIMSTEC MASTER PLAN FOR TRANSPORT CONNECTIVITY

APRIL 2022

Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 IGO license (CC BY 3.0 IGO)

© 2022 Asian Development Bank

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Some rights reserved. Published in 2022.

ISBN 978-92-9269-069-4 (print); 978-92-9269-070-0 (electronic); 978-92-9269-071-7 (ebook)

Publication Stock No. TCS210388-2

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22617/TCS210388-2

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Notes:

In this publication, $ refers to United States dollars, unless otherwise stated.

ADB recognizes China as the People’s Republic of China.

The main work for the preparation of the Master Plan was undertaken in 2018, and accordingly 2018 was the base year used. Periodic updates were made between September 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2020 based on inputs from the BIMSTEC member states. However, since not all projects were updated, some data may not reflect the current status of project development and implementation.

Cover design by Josef Ilumin.

Contents

Tables, Figures, and Boxes

Foreword

Transport connectivity is the most fundamental requirement of any regional integration process. A well-established transport network is a prerequisite for reaping the benefits of a free trade area, including the promotion of trade and investment, as well as progress in other areas of cooperation such as tourism, people-to-people contact, and cultural exchange. For this reason, transport and communications was included as one of the initial areas of cooperation when the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was established more than 20 years ago.

Convinced that connectivity is vital to promote regional integration, the leaders of the BIMSTEC member states during their Goa Retreat in October 2016 directed preparation of a master plan for BIMSTEC connectivity. The 15th Ministerial Meeting held at Kathmandu, Nepal, on 11 August 2017, tasked the BIMSTEC Transport Connectivity Working Group (BTCWG) to develop the draft Master Plan. Accordingly, the process of drafting the Master Plan was initiated in the Second BTCWG Meeting held at Bangkok, Thailand, on 13–14 November 2017 with the technical assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

During the Fourth BIMSTEC Summit held at Kathmandu, Nepal, on 30–31 August 2018, the leaders underlined the importance of multidimensional connectivity, which promotes synergy among connectivity frameworks in our region, as a key enabler to economic integration for shared prosperity. The leaders noted with satisfaction the preparation of the draft BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity and called for its early adoption and thanked ADB for providing support for preparation of the Master Plan. They tasked BTCWG to work out the modalities for its implementation, giving due attention to the special circumstances and needs of the member states. The leaders agreed that the Master Plan would serve as a strategic document that guides actions and promotes synergy among various connectivity frameworks, such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Master Plan on Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025) and the Ayeyawady–Chao Phraya–Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy (ACMECS), to achieve enhanced connectivity and sustainable development in our region.

It is pertinent to recall that ADB carried out a