Fifth Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue, co-hosted by Pathfinder Foundation with Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue of Switzerland held in Colombo

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former President of Sri Lanka, was the Chief Guest at the Fifth Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue, co-hosted by the Pathfinder Foundation and the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogues of Switzerland. The inaugural session of the two-day event commenced on 20 May and was attended by the Pathfinder Foundation Founder Milinda Moragoda. It featured a plenary address delivered by Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) Secretary General Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey, and the keynote address on the theme ‘Sailing for people, planet and prosperity’ delivered by Institute of Marine Research Policy Director and Geophysical Institute, University of Bergen, Norway Professor Peter Haugan.

This year’s event was divided into five sessions. Session 1 was moderated by Ambassador (Retd.) Venu Rajamony, formerly of the Indian Foreign Service, on the subject of “Driving Regional Cooperation for Robust Maritime Governance.” Session 2, which focused on “Enhancing Maritime Communications for Effective Crisis Coordination and Disaster Management,” was moderated by Pathfinder Foundation Ambassador Director (Retd.) Ahmed A. Jawad. Session 3, which addressed “Advancing Regional Cooperation for Sustainable Fisheries and Mitigating Marine Environmental Degradation in the Bay of Bengal,” was moderated by Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue Project Lead – South Asia Dr. Sreejith Sugunan. Session 4, which regarded “Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Cross-Border Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing,” was moderated by former Foreign Secretary Ambassador (Retd.) H.M.G.S. Palihakkara, while Eve Krassner of the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue moderated the final session on “Advancing Inclusive Policymaking for Maritime Security and Peace-making.”

A group of Vision Speakers presented their views on the topics covered in each session, while subject specialists, acting as contributors, provided additional input and analysed information related to their respective subjects. Among the Vision Speakers were Mr. Gilang Kebara (Singapore), Vice Admiral (Retd.) Anil Kumar Chawla (India), Dr. Pandian Krishnan (Bay of Bengal Programme – India), and Dr. Ahilan Kadirgarmar (Sri Lanka).

The fifth session on “Advancing Inclusive Policymaking for Maritime Security and Peacemaking” explored how gender-responsive policymaking can enhance maritime governance in the Bay of Bengal, focusing on IUU fishing, disaster response, and coastal resilience. Session 4 centred on “Enhancing Regional Cooperation on Cross-Border IUU fishing.” National Maritime Foundation based in Chennai Regional Director Commodore R.S. Vasan (Chennai Centre for China Studies), Pathfinder Foundation Distinguished Fellow Admiral (Prof.) Jayanath Colombage, and Commander Zaw Zaw Kyaw of the Myanmar Coast Guard delivered excellent presentations that provided information related to IUU fishing, generating considerable interest.

The Fifth Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue was designed to build upon the previous dialogues, the last three of which were held in Colombo in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Its aim is to identify new avenues for regional cooperation while minimising potential bottlenecks for constructive engagement among the littoral states. Given the growing prominence of BIMSTEC in regional affairs, the dialogue seeks to amplify regional collaboration by deepening engagement with key regional organisations. The main priorities include enhancing robust regional maritime governance, strengthening maritime communications and crisis management, advancing joint marine research in the Bay of Bengal, and bolstering regional efforts to combat cross-border illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Furthermore, the dialogue seeks to promote ‘Inclusive Policymaking in Regional Maritime Governance.’ The outcomes of the dialogue will be made available to the BIMSTEC Secretariat and its member States.

The two-day dialogue attracted over 60 local and international participants, with the inaugural session featuring more than 25 Colombo-based diplomatic missions, including ambassadors and high commissioners from Bangladesh, Germany, the Republic of Türkiye, the Republic of Korea, and the United Kingdom.

Welcome remarks were delivered by Pathfinder Foundation Chairman Bernard Goonetilleke, and CHD Senior Adviser for South Asia Amb. (Retd.) Venu Rajamony, followed by concluding remarks from Dr. Sreejth Sugunan (CHD) and Ahmad Jawad (PF).