Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies
The Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and the Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) jointly organized an International Seminar titled “Reconnecting the Bay of Bengal Region: Exploring the Convergence of Interests” on 22 December 2024 at the BIISS auditorium. H E Mr Md Touhid Hossain, Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, served as Chief Guest, while H E Ambassador IWAMA Kiminori of Japan attended as Special Guest. The seminar, chaired by Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker and featuring a welcome address by Major General Iftekhar Anis, focused on fostering dialogue on Bangladesh-Japan collaboration and regional convergence in the Bay of Bengal. Key presentations were delivered by Mr UMEZAKI So, Dr Selim Raihan, and KIMURA Fukunari, highlighting trade, investment, technology, LDC graduation, and connectivity lessons from ASEAN. The distinguished panelists discussed the region’s untapped potential, key challenges, and collaborative solutions for economic growth and regional cooperation.
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO) jointly organized an International Seminar on “Reconnecting the Bay of Bengal Region: Exploring the Convergence of Interests ” on Sunday, December 22, 2024, at the BIISS auditorium. H E Mr Md Touhid Hossain, Honourable Adviser for Foreign Affairs, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, was the Chief Guest of this seminar. H E Ambassador IWAMA Kiminori, Ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh was present as the Special Guest. Ambassador AFM Gousal Azam Sarker, Chairman, BIISS, Chaired the Inaugural Session. Major General Iftekhar Anis, BSP, awc, afwc, psc, PEng, Director General, BIISS, delivered the welcome address. Ambassador Tariq A Karim, President of Bay of Bengal Institute Cosmos Foundation and Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) chaired the Working Sessions of the seminar.
The objective of the seminar is to exchange ideas for understanding Japan and Bangladesh’s views about the convergence of interests in the Bay of Bengal region. In order to explore the prospects and existing challenges in the region, three presentations were made in the seminar. Mr UMEZAKI So, Director of Economic Integration Studies Group, Development Studies Center, IDE-JETRO presented on “Exploring Convergence of Interests in the Bay of Bengal: Leveraging Trade, Investment and Technology for Economic Growth”; Dr Selim Raihan, Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) delivered a presentation on “Bangladesh’s LDC Graduation Journey: Exploring Prospects for Regional Collaboration in the Bay of Bengal”; and KIMURA Fukunari, President, IDE-JETRO, Professor Emeritus and Senior Professor at Keio University presented on “Connectivity and Economic Growth: Lessons from ASEAN Experiences to South Asia”. Distinguished panelists of the Seminar were Dr M Masrur Reaz, Chairman & CEO, Policy Exchange Bangladesh; Professor TSUBOTA Kenmei, Professor, Department of Regional Development Studies Faculty of Global and Regional Studies, Toyo University; Mr Shams Mahmud, President, Bangladesh-Thai Chamber of Commerce & Industry; Mr YAMADA Eiji, Ph.D Senior Representative, JICA Bangladesh Office & Senior Research Fellow, JICA Ogata Sadako Research Institute for Peace and Development; and Tareq Rafi Bhuiyan (Jun), President Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JBCCI). The seminar was enriched by valuable remarks during the panel discussion sessions, which mainly highlighted the untapped potential, key challenges, and collaborative solutions for the Bay of Bengal region.