04.10.2026
Asia

Impact Synthesis: Bay of Bengal Project

This impact synthesis draws on an outcome evaluation of the Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue (2022–2026) to assess how structured regional dialogue has advanced maritime security, environmental protection and conflict prevention.

Environmental degradation, declining fish stocks and climate change are severely affecting the Bay of Bengal, a region home to a quarter of humanity, intensifying competition over shared marine resources among littoral states. This impact synthesis, developed by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (HD) and adelphi, draws on an outcome evaluation of the Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue (2022–2026) to assess how structured regional dialogue has advanced maritime security, environmental protection and conflict prevention. The report covers:

  • Project context, outlining how environmental degradation and resource competition are driving regional tensions in the Bay of Bengal, and how the Dialogue provides a neutral platform bringing together Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand and regional bodies such as BIMSTEC.
  • Key outcomes, including sustained engagement with over 150 stakeholders that fostered trust on sensitive maritime issues, the adoption of BIMSTEC guiding principles on maritime law enforcement conduct at sea, the Kochi Declaration on Marine Science Cooperation and the resulting BIMSTEC-India Marine Research Network (BIMReN), and a stronger role for regional organisations in aligning national and multilateral maritime governance priorities.
  • Lessons on integrated programming, covering how sustained regional impact requires institutionalisation and local ownership, how informal dialogue mechanisms can manage sensitive issues alongside formal diplomacy, why meaningful inclusion of women and coastal communities requires sustained structural commitments, and why environmental and science diplomacy outcomes are difficult to assess within short project cycles.
  • Recommendations for programming and donor support, on embedding dialogue outcomes within regional and national institutions, designing flexible informal dialogue spaces linked to formal processes, funding inclusive networks and policy platforms, and investing in long-term science diplomacy partnerships and monitoring systems.

Learn more about the project "Bay of Bengal Maritime Dialogue" here.