BIMSTEC acquires ‘legal personality’ after charter comes into force

As of May 20, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is open to new members and observers, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs.

Adoption of the Charter:

• During their fifth summit, the leaders of BIMSTEC finally adopted the organization’s initial charter after years of discussion.
• With the use of this charter, the group is given a legal framework, giving it “legal personality” and facilitating organized diplomatic discussions with other nations and regional organizations.
• Getting legal personality in the context of multinational organizations such as BIMSTEC signifies the organization’s recognition as an independent legal body, distinct from its member states.

Significance of BIMSTEC for all member countries:

• All member states gain strategically and economically from the Bay of Bengal region’s increased collaboration and integration as a result of the execution of the charter.
• Enhanced Cooperation: With the charter in place, member nations can work together more formally and efficiently in a number of areas, including people-to-people interactions, science and technology, trade, agriculture, security, and the environment.
• Enhanced Regional Integration: The Bay of Bengal region’s deeper integration is made possible by the charter. Through the establishment of shared objectives and cooperative processes, it fosters economic expansion, social advancement, and cross-cultural interaction among participating nations.
• Diplomatic Dialogue: BIMSTEC is able to hold formal diplomatic discussions with foreign nations and regional organizations thanks to the charter. This makes it possible to engage in more extensive partnerships and activities, which increases the BIMSTEC platform’s geopolitical significance.

Challenges in the present world context:

• Historical Discord: Cohesive collaboration within BIMSTEC is challenged by long-standing historical discord between member states, such as Bangladesh and Myanmar. These conflicts may limit the organization’s efficacy and the advancement of cooperative projects.
• Geopolitical complications: Regional dynamics are made more difficult by geopolitical complications, which are made worse by situations like the Rohingya refugee crisis and the coup in Myanmar.
• These intricacies have the potential to strain connections between BIMSTEC member states and make it more difficult to promote cooperation and integration.
• The SAARC is stagnant: The near-stagnation of SAARC highlights the difficulties regional organizations confront in promoting genuine collaboration, even while BIMSTEC provides an alternative forum for regional cooperation.

Do you think that BIMSTEC is a parallel organization like the SAARC? What are the similarities and dissimilarities between the two? How are Indian foreign policy objectives realized by forming this new organization? (2022)

India rises to 39th position in WEF Index for travel, tourism development

• India has risen significantly from 54th in 2021 to 39th in the World Economic Forum’s most recent “Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) 2024.”
• At the top of the index is the United States, followed by Australia, France, Japan, and Spain.
• Pakistan is in 101st place.

India’s Performance and Ranking

• India is ranked eighteenth in the world for price competitiveness.
• Transport Infrastructure: It ranks 25th for ground and port infrastructure, and 26th for air transport.
• India ranks sixth in terms of natural resources, ninth in terms of cultural resources, and ninth in terms of non-leisure resources.
• TTDI Score Change: In comparison to 2019, India’s total TTDI score dropped by 2.1%.
• Decline in Sustainability Performance: Compared to 2019, India’s sustainability performance has decreased, but it is still rather good because many incoming tourists choose to stay for extended periods of time that are sustainable.

About Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI)

• The World Economic Forum (WEF) and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK) worked together to develop the TTDI.
• The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) series, a flagship WEF index that has been in production since 2007, gave rise to the second edition of TTDI 2024.
• TTDI 2024 examined 119 nations’ travel and tourism industries in relation to a range of variables and regulations.

World level recovery in travel and tourism:

• Sector Recovery: It is anticipated that in 2024, both the number of foreign visitors and the sector’s GDP contribution will reach pre-pandemic levels.
• Regional Recovery: Europe, Africa, and the Americas are all recovering strongly, with each region achieving over 90% of its 2019 levels of tourist arrivals. West Asia, on the other hand, exceeded its levels of arrivals by 20%.

Ashtamudi Lake

The University of Kerala’s “Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries” recently completed a study that found that Ashtamudi Lake, a Ramsar wetland in the Kollam district, had dangerously high levels of microplastic contamination.

About Ashtamudi Lake

• The Keralan district of Kollam is home to Ashtamudi Lake.
• The “gateway to the backwaters of Kerala” is another name for the lake.
• Background History: The significance of Ashtamudi Kayal can be traced back to the 14th-century Phoenicians and Romans.
• Because it is a brackish water lake, a mixture of fresh and saltwater can be found there. It is roughly 61 square kilometers (23.5 square miles) in size.
• One of the main rivers that empties into Ashtamudi Lake is the Kallada River.
• In Malayalam, the word Ashtamudi means “eight coned,” alluding to the lake’s eight conspicuous arms or channels.
• Rich vegetation, including mangrove forests, coconut groves, and palm trees, envelops the lake.
• Ashtamudi Lake is an integral part of the Kollam-Kottapuram Waterway, which connects the Kerala backwaters to the Arabian Sea.
• Notable Islands: Chavara, Munroe

ARAB LEAGUE

The Arab League applauded Norway, Ireland, and Spain’s decision to recognize the state of Palestine.

Context:

• As a branch of Pan-Arabism, the Arab League is a regional association of Arab states in the Middle East and parts of Africa. It was established in Cairo on March 22, 1945.

About ARAB LEAGUE :

• In the Arab world, the League of Arab States, originally known as the Arab League, is a regional organization.
• On March 22, 1945, the Arab League was established in Cairo, with the following six original members: Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Transjordan (now Jordan), and Transjordan. Yemen became a member on May 5th, 1945.
• The League has 22 members as of right now.
• On the League Council, every member has one vote, and judgments are only enforceable against other states that have cast ballots in favor of them.
• The primary objective of the League is to “consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to draw closer the relations between member states and coordinate collaboration between them.”

Additional Information

• Jordan objected, but in 1964 the league recognized the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) as the official representative of all Palestinians and gave them observer status. In 1976, this was raised to full membership.
• Following Egypt’s March 26, 1979, signing of a peace treaty with Israel, the remaining Arab League members decided to suspend Egypt’s membership and move the league’s headquarters from Cairo to Tunis. Egypt was admitted back into the Arab League in 1989, and in 1990, Cairo once again served as the league’s headquarters.