Sudan Gurung proposes BIMSTEC joint task force to tackle climate-related disasters

New Delhi, India, October 14, 2026 — Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung has proposed forming a joint task force in the BIMSTEC region to address rising disaster risks caused by climate change.

Speaking at the first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting, held in New Delhi on Monday, Gurung said the region should establish a joint task force capable of operating from the Himalayan mountains to coastal and marine areas.

Gurung cited floods Nepal experienced over the previous two months in the Bhotekoshi, Manang–Mustang and Budhi Gandaki areas of Gorkha as examples highlighting the need for regional cooperation in disaster management.

He also called for a BIMSTEC regional disaster preparedness and response framework, emphasizing coordination and cooperation among member states to address the growing impact of climate-related disasters.

The meeting, organized to strengthen coordination on regional security, transnational crime and disaster management, issued the Delhi Declaration. Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs said the declaration expressed a commitment to making regional security cooperation more institutionalized and effective.

Addressing the meeting, Gurung identified terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, money laundering, illicit financial flows and cybercrime as major regional security challenges.

He said member states needed effective information sharing, exchanges of technology and experience, and coordinated responses to control these crimes. He also emphasized the timely implementation of policies, plans and declarations related to crime prevention.

The first BIMSTEC Home Ministers’ Meeting was held 29 years after the regional organization was established. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs, Gurung was the youngest among the home ministers of BIMSTEC member states attending the meeting.

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During the meeting, Gurung also held talks with Indian Home Minister Amit Shah. According to Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs, the two discussed strengthening coordination and cooperation on shared security concerns.